Nothing til 10am this morning, so got a little more sleep. I needed it.
10am - Electro Stimulation with Martha. She put two electrodes on my thigh and two on my hamstring and made them alternate flexing. Left leg hurt quite a bit. It felt strangely good to have voltage passing through my right leg. After that I lifted some weights.
While I was lifting weights I met a guy named Kip that was hurt on April 5, days after me. He fell off the 2nd story of a building. His injury is identical to mine - crushed T12. He even had the exact same surgery. We talked and it turns out he has some motion in his left leg, but no sensation below his calves. So it was interesting to compare. It’ll be good to see how each of us progress since we are so similarly hurt. We even joked that our names our similar - Chip and Kip. There’s already another Chip on this floor. What are the chances of Chip, Chip and Kip being 3 out of 20 patients? If you read this, please pray for Kip. The other Chip has had repeated complications that all started with him trying to get more motion in his arm that was hurting from Arthritis. Multiple surgeries and a fall into a bathtub that broke a couple vertebrae. Now he’s here. Please pray for him, too, and everyone else that needs healing.
11am - “Hot Topics” class on Therma- regulation. It’s pretty typical for patients with spinal cord injuries to constantly feel either too hot or too cold. I am usually too cold, especially when I take my brace off and my sweaty shirt is exposed. Then I go from freezing to sweating. Really hard to regulate. This class taught me nothing, really, other than that there are apparently some dorky looking vests out there that keep you cool in the heat.
Work, then brunch out with the parents at the Local Root, a new place about a block away. I had Huevos Rancheros and some fruit. I ate almost all of it, which felt pretty good. My parents went nuts over the coffee.
Then we headed back slowly as the sun was coming out and it felt awesome. I went up to work out a bit and play my dad at checkers (he won, somehow), then headed back out just in time to meet some friends - Brandon J., Brandon N., Brady, Geoff, Andrea, and Rich and Sandy, a couple from Louisville in on business that came by to say hi. We chatted by the track on Chicago Ave. The sun felt awesome and pushing myself around that much felt good, too. Brandon J. brought some banana bread that his wife Kate had made. Good stuff! Geoff and Andrea got me a sweet Cubs hat.
5pm - Go back, talk to Rebecca, get in bed, eat dinner, pass out for a bit.
6:45pm - Several friends came at 6pm and waited for me to wake up. Esther and Louise brought me entirely too much food from Costco, and also some homemade banana bread. Also delicious. I now have more food than I know what to do with, so you are welcome to a snack if you stop by! Rich and Martha had waited as well, so we had a nice group.
Not sure why Esther and Louise look like they’re about to pounce in this pic. It was very odd looking up to them as they are both pretty short.
That’s about it. Early morning tomorrow with 8am PT.
G’night,
Chip
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