Nordic Walking

Josie makes Przemek sit for a "tea party" at snack time. She certainly has him wound around her finger. He doesn't even know what happened!!


Beautiful, beautiful cane walking

So here is the scenario of the day... Get up early and head to University of Michigan Medical Center to have Josie's Cat scan and shunt series x-rays. The neurologists here and at home are worried that there may be a blockage starting in her shunt making the seizures increase. Her numbers for her meds are normal so they are trying to find the reason for the seizures. Anyway, when she gets up she is immediately complaining of a huge headache. Not normal for her. We drive the hour out there and she isn't looking any better. Now I am wondering if they are right and hoping we aren't going to find ourselves on the next plane to LA to fix her shunt. She does her scans and then we go to the neurology dept. By the time we get there they have done a preliminary read and think that she is ok. Of course now I am thinking she is getting sick because of the headache or that she is now way to high on her meds. We go to the cafeteria and get her an apple and a bagel. I've decided at this point to cancel therapy much to my dismay. As we are getting to the car she totally starts to perk up. I ask her if we can just go do a short session at therapy so we can do just a few rounds of walking. Amazingly she agrees to go.

By the time we arrive she is totally ok. In therapy she is a great mood and totally cooperating. When the walking comes she is a champion. I can confidently say for the first time that she is walking!!! She was so amazing on her canes today. Przemek was so excited and recounting how she couldn't even do the walker when she came. Everyone came in to watch her today because it was so amazing. Przemek called it nordic walking for someone strong and steady. As you will hear in the video he is teasing her about not waiting for him and slow down you are running. You can even see her let go of a cane to give me a thumbs up and she didn't loose her balance. I am so proud of her. Now 5 more days to sharpen it all up and then we come home. What a great run here. Przemek is already planning the next step for when we return in April. Of course it will be when he removes a cane. He wants her walking on her own by Nov 1 next year. He is confident in her ability. So am I.

As you can see from part of our day, nothing is ever dull. We start out making sure she isn't in shunt failure to walking across the floor at therapy. The doctor called and said that the neurologists and neurosurgeons were reviewing her scans and think they are ok. We we don't have neurosurgeons here. I am sure the whole departament was looking at her films because they have certainly never seen films like hers before! Especially not on a functioning human.You should have seen the face of the techinician when she did her scan. I had to explain her story because the lady looked like she had seen a ghost. She has shocked them now too. If I can get the cat scan to post I will. It is extrodinary. Wow. Good night now. Our love, Jenny and Josie