Back in May, I developed kidney stones, so my doctor ordered a 24 hour urine sample to find out what type of stones are forming, since I couldn't capture any when I was experiencing the stones passing.
It brought back memories of catheterizing, but without the pain and hassle.
Kidney stones can come from different sources, such as calcium. I'm pretty sure my stones are from calcium. To deal with my bowel issue, I eat a lot of fiber, now, and most of is through eating shredded wheat for breakfast - and with that, a lot of milk.
Also, around the time I developed the stones, I was taking 3x more vitamin D2 tablets than I normally do. This was because I was experiencing multiple boils in multiple parts of the body, and thought the vitamin D would help me heal faster. I don't think the stones came from excess vitamin D2, but I still don't plan on taking vitamin D2 after this current bottle runs out. I am walking better and am planning for even longer walks, so I will be out in the sun a little bit more than I have been, lately.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Good Enough Adjustments
One of the things about Spinal Cord Injury (and many other conditions) is that adjustments need to be made when things stop working right. For me, bladder and bowel control is what causes me the most grief.
Even if I say I have recovered 90% on these issues, the remaining 10% calls for adjustments to be made. I have a bowel movement almost everyday, now. And in that respect, I can say my bowel functions are back to normal. However, my daily evacuation doesn't take place at the same time each day. Generally, they do take place mid-morning. But the difference between now and before I suffered spinal cord damage, I could force an evacuation earlier than it would occur naturally. Now, even though I know stool is ready to be evacuated, I can't force it out.
The consequence is that I generally don't leave my home, except for maybe a max of a half hour, unless I have a bowel movement. And hopefully, it would have been a satisfactory bowel movement.
When I have a bowel movement, two things are assured. I usually leak a lot of urine when having the bowel movement, and an empty bowel usually means an empty bladder - thus I don't have urine accidents. Second, once I have a nice bowel movement, I don't have to worry about having an unexpectedd bowel movement.
But what about those times when I have a bowel movement, but I know some stool is left, but it just won't come out. On those days, I am also reluctant to leave the home. I know a few hours later I will have another bowel movement - but fortunately, I am pretty confident that the bowel movement can usually be delayed by not eating - but that's not a given.
So, what happened was that I lost a dear friend last week, and her funeral was on Saturday. The funeral was 9 A.M., and I'd have to leave my home at 6 A.M. Under normal conditions, I wouldn't leave the house that early because I'd most assuredly would have an bowel and/or bladder accident.
As it turned out, I woke up at 4:30 A.M., and had a bowel movement at around 5 A.M. But it wasn't a complete evacuation and I knew some stool was left and I'd have another movement around noon. I thought about not going to the funeral. However, I knew I could make it to the funeral, and I it was my way home that would be the problem. When I was healthy, I could just force an evacuation before I would leave the church, but now, I can't force evacuations - bowel movements occur when my body is ready, not my mind.
So, this was not an option.
Anyway, I decided to go to the funeral and would worry about the bowel movement on my way home.
And it worked out. I got a ride home from two friends, and even stopped for lunch once in the vacinity of my home. I did end up having a bowel movement, but it was about 15 miuntes after I returned home.
If I had to take a bus home, I would have gotten home around the same time, but without eating lunch. And I think lunch helped push down some of the left-over stool, so I most likely would have made it home without an accident.
The moral of this story? It's okay to be cautious and concerned, but don't let these things cause you to be irrationally fearful of doing things.
Even if I say I have recovered 90% on these issues, the remaining 10% calls for adjustments to be made. I have a bowel movement almost everyday, now. And in that respect, I can say my bowel functions are back to normal. However, my daily evacuation doesn't take place at the same time each day. Generally, they do take place mid-morning. But the difference between now and before I suffered spinal cord damage, I could force an evacuation earlier than it would occur naturally. Now, even though I know stool is ready to be evacuated, I can't force it out.
The consequence is that I generally don't leave my home, except for maybe a max of a half hour, unless I have a bowel movement. And hopefully, it would have been a satisfactory bowel movement.
When I have a bowel movement, two things are assured. I usually leak a lot of urine when having the bowel movement, and an empty bowel usually means an empty bladder - thus I don't have urine accidents. Second, once I have a nice bowel movement, I don't have to worry about having an unexpectedd bowel movement.
But what about those times when I have a bowel movement, but I know some stool is left, but it just won't come out. On those days, I am also reluctant to leave the home. I know a few hours later I will have another bowel movement - but fortunately, I am pretty confident that the bowel movement can usually be delayed by not eating - but that's not a given.
So, what happened was that I lost a dear friend last week, and her funeral was on Saturday. The funeral was 9 A.M., and I'd have to leave my home at 6 A.M. Under normal conditions, I wouldn't leave the house that early because I'd most assuredly would have an bowel and/or bladder accident.
As it turned out, I woke up at 4:30 A.M., and had a bowel movement at around 5 A.M. But it wasn't a complete evacuation and I knew some stool was left and I'd have another movement around noon. I thought about not going to the funeral. However, I knew I could make it to the funeral, and I it was my way home that would be the problem. When I was healthy, I could just force an evacuation before I would leave the church, but now, I can't force evacuations - bowel movements occur when my body is ready, not my mind.
So, this was not an option.
Anyway, I decided to go to the funeral and would worry about the bowel movement on my way home.
And it worked out. I got a ride home from two friends, and even stopped for lunch once in the vacinity of my home. I did end up having a bowel movement, but it was about 15 miuntes after I returned home.
If I had to take a bus home, I would have gotten home around the same time, but without eating lunch. And I think lunch helped push down some of the left-over stool, so I most likely would have made it home without an accident.
The moral of this story? It's okay to be cautious and concerned, but don't let these things cause you to be irrationally fearful of doing things.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Me, an American Ninja Warrior? Yeah, Right
I had watched Ninja Warrior ever since it started getting aired in the United States about 7 or 8 years ago. Now, we have American Ninja Warrior due to its popularity in the U.S. In a nutshell, "Ninja Warrior" is a show where contestants battle a difficult obstacle course, divided into 4 stages, each successive stage more difficult than the previous.
I had never had any intention of being on it, and I still don't. However, the fitness style of the participants is called "parkour," and it is a type of exercise that uses what is available to strengthen mobility. Often we see participants running along the tops of walls, and jumping over the body of cars.
For me, one of the last issues I'm dealing with in regaining my ability to walk is balance. And recently, I worked at this by walking along the edge of a planter. I'm happy to report that I rarely fell off (even though it is only a few inches off the ground, so no harm anyway). And I walked back and forth many times.
Me, a ninja warrior? No. But happy to be able to walk along an edge.
I had never had any intention of being on it, and I still don't. However, the fitness style of the participants is called "parkour," and it is a type of exercise that uses what is available to strengthen mobility. Often we see participants running along the tops of walls, and jumping over the body of cars.
For me, one of the last issues I'm dealing with in regaining my ability to walk is balance. And recently, I worked at this by walking along the edge of a planter. I'm happy to report that I rarely fell off (even though it is only a few inches off the ground, so no harm anyway). And I walked back and forth many times.
Me, a ninja warrior? No. But happy to be able to walk along an edge.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Having seen very very little improvement since last September, I have felt a surge of improvement for about the last six weeks. In fact, I was able to do "kind of" run for an extended distance on the beach - perhaps the equivelent of six blocks. This just might be the start of my 10K training. But we shall see.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Serrapeptase
I had been struggling with sinus problems the last 10 years before I had the spinal cord injury. The two months in the hopsital lessened my problems for over a year, but last winter, my sinus problems came back with a vengeance. I started getting congested in Novemeber, and by early December, I was sleeping with my mouth open, and sinus medications weren't helping.
Finally, by the end of February, the congestion got manageable, but I couldn't go two days without the sinus medication, or else the congestion would come back strong.
At the beginning of this month, I started taking a supplement called serrapeptase. It is used as a sinus remedy in Europe in Japan. But my research also revealed that it seems to help MS sufferers also.
Supposedly, it reduces inflammation, and also reduces scar tissues so the nerves can regrow properly.
What I write here only applies to me, but not only have I not taken any sinus medication since starting on serrapeptase, but I feel a lot lighter on my feet. I'm not 100% recoevered re walking, but I seem to have experienced another recovery spurt - something that has been few and far between since last September.
So, for the time being, I will continue to take this supplement.
Finally, by the end of February, the congestion got manageable, but I couldn't go two days without the sinus medication, or else the congestion would come back strong.
At the beginning of this month, I started taking a supplement called serrapeptase. It is used as a sinus remedy in Europe in Japan. But my research also revealed that it seems to help MS sufferers also.
Supposedly, it reduces inflammation, and also reduces scar tissues so the nerves can regrow properly.
What I write here only applies to me, but not only have I not taken any sinus medication since starting on serrapeptase, but I feel a lot lighter on my feet. I'm not 100% recoevered re walking, but I seem to have experienced another recovery spurt - something that has been few and far between since last September.
So, for the time being, I will continue to take this supplement.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Update
It's been a busy 5 months since my last post. My walking had improved to the point where I can walk at an almost normal speed.
I still cannot run, but I can scurry a little across the street. Even though I had been able to run previously bareboot inside my home, or in the hallway of my complex, I could not run on an uneven surface. I still am afraid to all out run, but can "hurry" on the sidewalk, or crossing the street, now.
I still cannot run, but I can scurry a little across the street. Even though I had been able to run previously bareboot inside my home, or in the hallway of my complex, I could not run on an uneven surface. I still am afraid to all out run, but can "hurry" on the sidewalk, or crossing the street, now.
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