we're walking... we're walking...

Hubby finally gets to put his full weight on his right leg now. It's been 7 weeks since the accident... and he sort of pushed his doctor's orders to start walking on the leg yesterday... Rehab to build his walking strength begins in earnest with this new motivation to move... Not really surprising to those that know him is the fact that walking with a walker is too slow for him already... and he has found that he is OK with a good sturdy cane, at least around the house... It is so good to know that he feels strong and able to already use a cane... at least until next week when he sees the doctor and gets the braces removed... then we will need to review just how stable he feels with only a cane... but in any event the wheelchair is already a thing of the past for him and his rehab energy will be in full throttle today... He will have a full 3 hours of exercise once the day starts and everyday to come will build as rapidly as he is allowed. Walking, lifting, and bending those knees into submission, forcing his atrophied muscles to gain the strength they need as mobile appendages again. As a nurse he walks upwards of 20,000 steps a shift... and he wears a pedometer normally, so he has a lofty week-by-week goal program for increasing his steps.

One unexpected reality for hubby has been and still is, that he gets worn out fast when doing minor tasks, things he took for granted before... This was NOT what he was expecting... don't ask me why... he certainly has enough experience with others who have faced disabling factors... He is very patient with me when I have set backs in my energy levels... I suppose it is because he is a determined and strong person, and has never needed to be dependent before... I know I always feel that I should be able to do more than I am able to, every time I go through a bad spell... It is not natural to give up your independence and I am really happy for hubby that this is a temporary condition.

Anyway, hubby thought he could just mind over matter this challenge once he was allowed to walk... and to some extent he will... but this has been slower going than he was expecting. Little does one (who has never faced such challenges before) know what hard work it is to allow your body to heal and then regain lost strength... That whole healing process takes a lot more energy than hubby actually understood before... I mean, he knew all the theories and had read the studies that show calorie input vs. output, etc... but it is different to experience the process...

I suspect he will be an even better nurse for having had this experience...