Resolutions Redux

Here we are again. That time of year when we think all things are possible. We’re once again making our annual New Year’s resolutions list. Has there ever been a prank played so successfully that we actually think we can improve our lot in life by focusing on a date, noting down our hopes for the year, and waiting for the miraculous to happen? Well, yes. It gets me every year.

But I’ve decided this year to make only one entry on this perpetual list. I’m going to fly in the face of accepted wisdom and beat the odds that my MS will worsen over time. Instead of a New Year’s resolution to read a biography a month (I actually did this two years ago), I’m going to develop a plan to stop the progression in its tracks.

Besides trying to eat healthier, (this has been ongoing over the past several years but I’m only about 75% of the way there: I cannot control my urge for candy and Starbuck’s Mocha Frappuccinos), I’ve developed (with the help of a physical therapist) a modest exercise routine.

In the past, I’ve unsuccessfully tried on my own to get my body moving. I’ve failed because I’m basically a slug at heart. This time I’ve developed a chart to visually track my progress. For every extra chair sit-up, arm resistance exercise, or leg strengthening that I do, my chart acknowledges the victory and spurs me on to try harder.

Even though technically I started seriously to get into better shape a few weeks ago, I’ve locked onto New Year’s as the official start date for my efforts. I’ve figured there are five levels of body toning: Slug, Sedentary, Moderately Active, Feisty, Tip Top. Now, none of these categories are FDA approved, this is my list only. Currently I’m at the Slug stage but I’m hopeful of reaching Tip Top one day.

However, I’m not confusing Tip Top shape with what Navy Seals do in their strenuous training. Tip Top is relevant only to me and personalized accordingly. Although…if I can trick my mind and body into thinking I could have arms with muscles, a sleek mid-section, and legs like a marathon runner, I might be able to think I can fool MS into taking a backseat in my life.

Hey, it’s New Year’s. Anything’s possible.

No Pain, All Gain

My lofty goal of establishing an exercise routine was probably doomed to fail as soon as I tried to do it alone. I realized with something so important, it was wiser to get a professional involved to help me, because I stink at following through with any of my lofty goals if there’s not someone else around to make sure I would actually do them.

If I could only talk myself into thinking that Laura was my personal trainer, and that the only reason she was there was because I was one of the elite folks, I could erase the specter of reaching the point where this was no longer a want but a need. I’ve accepted the fact that she is working with me because I have MS and not because I’d like to have a well toned, beach-worthy body. Although, come to think of it, having MS and a buff bod is not mutually exclusive.

It’s been about four weeks now, and already we have a good plan in place. She has me exercising parts of me that haven’t been attended to in years. Besides her giving me leg stretches, I now do exercises by myself that are strengthening my core and arm muscles. Previously, because my legs give me the most trouble, I was concentrating only on them. However, we are a sum of our parts and we should address the whole shebang.

Unfortunately, her stretching maneuvers don’t carry forward. I can tell my arms and core are getting stronger, but my legs are just as stiff every session until she makes them see things her way. It’s a bit discouraging because I would like to get to a point where I can do all the exercises myself without help.

It really is true that mentally one does feel better when those endorphins are let loose. Having a realistic exercise plan is a complementary MS treatment that is doable. Sometimes the sessions tire me, but overall I’m glad I consulted a professional. She makes sure we never do more than I can handle. Pain is counterproductive when dealing with MS. Slow and steady is my new motto.

Going it alone is not always the wisest course of action. Save that for when you are contemplating nature, or voting for the best duo in Dancing with the Stars.

Sole Satisfaction

I will admit to having a shoe fascination. I will not say fetish because that is too creepy. I love shoes of all types and in my pre-MS days, I had a good assortment. It didn’t hurt that my daughter was the manager of a shoe store and got steep discounts. While she lived at home, and because we wore the same size, I frequently raided her closet. There’s a switch, huh?

MS put a curb on my enthusiasm when I realized lacing was becoming a problem, heel height became flats only, and sensible shoes became the rule of thumb. Spending more time sitting has now caused swelling in my feet and ankles so my heretofore normally narrow feet have expanded to wide width.

My shoe collection has shrunk down to one pair of sneakers, one pair of dressier shoes (now too narrow but I’m using them until I can find a replacement in my new size), and an assortment of slip-resistant slippers. How the mighty have fallen. The good news is my shoe budget has shrunk, and I have plenty of room on the floor of my closet.

The bad news is that I bought my sneakers in the men’s shoe section. Turns out, men’s feet are naturally wider. Having never visited this area before, I was amazed I found a pair that fit and were not too masculine. In fact, they had plenty of colorful styles to choose from.

Dealing with MS, I’ve found, requires thinking outside the box. We need to be creative in making things work for us.

Of course, for me, it doesn’t completely eliminate the longing for strappy, high-heeled sandals, but I doubt guys would have anything like that in their department!

Adapt or Bust

We’ve only got one more room in our home that needs handicap adapting. Over the past almost-four years, Husband has tried to make the place as MS resistant as possible.

At first, it was simple things like getting suction-cup grab bars in the tub. Then the remodel morphed into installing a low-threshold shower and then door-hinge extenders to widen doorways. I was thrilled last spring when he removed the hallway wall-to-wall carpet to access the hardwood floor underneath giving me easier traveling access to the uncarpeted rooms located off of it.

An outside wooden ramp was constructed by Husband and son-in-law to get from our second-floor kitchen door to the ground floor garage in order to access the car. Although not a house adaptation, we now have a handicap van. A tearful goodbye was said to my beloved classic 1982 Mercedes diesel. This was the cool car I buzzed around town in. I then was forced to become mature and practical. Bummer.

The newest project involves the bathroom. Did you know, short of hiring an architect, folks with disabilities can find it difficult to create a functional space for wheelchairs on their own? Most designs start from scratch, like you’d find in new-house plans. Luckily, Husband is handy with graph paper. He figured out how to convert our long, narrow bathroom to accommodate me and the hated chair.

To help with the design, I spent lots of on-line time researching cabinetry. I found only one site that had something we could use to fit the space. Unfortunately, it must have been one-of-a-kind because nowhere on the site did it offer the thing for sale. I had my hand on the phone to call the company when Bill told me he could make the thing, no problemo.

So, this new cabinet is being built in his workshop, and I am anxiously awaiting its delivery from 100 feet away and its subsequent installation into the room. I’m thinking this should be the final piece of the remodel project that was only undertaken because we really don’t want to move from this place. MS has taken so many things from me, I’ll be darned if it gets the house, too!

However, Bill’s cabinet could end up being a total flop, and he could suddenly get the idea of moving us to Fiji where we could then build a new, handicap-accessible grass hut.  Possible? Yes. Probable? No. Husband swings a mighty hammer, and I have faith in it.