Another Step Back ...

So my physiotherapist has ordered another reduction in my exercise program.

It is her considered opinion that this current flare-up is thanks to my over-zealousness with my new-found mobility (and she's right, of course).

You see, as I'm sure I've mentioned here in the past -- because I can, I do.

And I am so enjoying my new mobility status, and my increased endurance within my home, that I have been "forgetting" to use my stair lift lately.

I mean, for quite some time now, I had established a policy of taking the stairs at least a few times a day for the sake of the exercise and to see how (or if) I was progressing.  And I knew that my limit was three times in one day; beyond that, I was asking for trouble.

But in the past week, I kind of got carried away and I've almost exclusively used the stairs.

Truth be known, it is because I am so mobile on a flat surface that I don't have the patience to wait for that damned chair to take me up or down. (I can do it my ownself!)

Of course, I can do it my ownself -- but not multiple times a day!

And yesterday, I really overdid it.

Hence, the increased pain all night long last night; I was paying the piper.

I really need to learn my new limits!

Now my physiotherapist tells me that if my leg cramps had started to increase again, that was and is a sign of fatigue and I was probably walking too far.  She advised me to shorten my walks and to absolutely never walk on two consecutive days (always take that day off in between).  She suggested that I might want to try taking two shorter walks on my walking day (one in the morning, another in the evening). 

Well, an evening walk is out of the question for this household -- I'm totally out of gas by 2:00pm every day; a walk just isn't going to happen.

So, my new instruction is to walk twelve minutes (six minutes out, six minutes back) and see if the pain subsides.

Even today's acupuncture session was difficult -- the entire right side of my body objected to those needles.  But there's always such a wonderful "aaaaah" effect when she gives me traction -- my hips, especially the right one, just love the relief of that pull.  And then she does myofacial release on my neck (this time I was sitting down, rather than lying down, and that was kind of fun).  This treatment provides quite a beneficial relief for my neck.  I felt oh so much better when we finished.

My next stop was at my little chickadee's place so Pauple could finish unloading my car of their camping paraphernalia.  When they returned the car to me on Monday, they transferred some of their stuff into their car but obviously it wouldn't all fit (if it did, they would have used their car for the holiday).  Then Pauple vacuumed and cleaned my car, leaving it waaaaaaaaaay cleaner than it was when I lent it to them (what a bonus!).

When I got there, MFN was already there with her family.  We had prearranged that she would stop in so we could visit because I never get to see her, and I'm always on her case about how she makes these trips to Ottawa and NEVER comes to visit HFA (who just happens to live sort of en route).  And just when she contacted me about stopping in to visit me, it's on a day that I'm in Ottawa ----- soooooooooooo, MLC's home became the obvious meeting place.  We visited for about an hour before we each had to get started on our respective ways.

I also got to see MLC briefly, so that's always a bonus too.

Then I came home.

And by the time I got here, my back decided it wanted to go into spasms (it actually decided that before I left MLC's place).

So the TENs machine has been doing duty since about 4:00pm today and hopefully all will be right with my world again by morning.

One can dream, can't one?