Tuesday, December 2, 2014

"Back Brace" magic!


She's absolutely exhausted, but she walked nine steps to the commode and then TWENTY steps to the chair.  She was really pushing herself.  I think that she was just as excited as I was that she was walking.  Of course, I stood behind her with her leaning on me to steady her, and all but for about three seconds I was supporting her full weight, but I did not have to push her feet with my feet to get her to move her feet as I usually do.  And, when she first stood up, and I told her to "feel the floor under your feet," I felt her steady herself and stand by herself.  It only lasted a few seconds, but it was amazing.  

However, I let her (maybe even encouraged her) to overexert herself, and she threw-up a little of her breakfast just after this photo was taken.  You can see, just looking at her, how tired she is.  (Sorry the pic is blurry.  I took this one with my cell phone.)

The twenty steps she walked were probably about four feet of actual floor space, and I had the recliner positioned so I could reach and grab it as soon as she was tired, but I shouldn't have let her walk so far.  She got too tired.  I could have easily grabbed the recliner when she'd done ten steps, and that would have still been an amazing accomplishment!  And, I think she wouldn't have worn herself out so much.

It's hard for me to keep in mind that twenty steps for her is probably the equivalent of me trying to run a half mile.

In both the above picture, (before she was sick) and the below one (just after we got all cleaned up), you can see how the corset is just aiding her own body in sitting straight.  (I call it back brace with her because it's job is to brace her back not reduce her waist).  

Yesterday, I repeatedly asked her - every few hours - if the brace was bothering her at all and if she was ready to take it off, and she kept saying that it was fine, and "maybe we better just leave it."  Last night, we did take it off.  Amanda and I checked her front, back, and sides to make sure the brace wasn't rubbing her wrong anywhere.  It seems to be a perfect fit.  I think that is a miracle from God.  However could my old underbust corset fit her for an overbust back brace?  It's too impossible to not be a miracle. 



She's so proud of herself in the above picture!  She sits like a queen, and I really feel a difference in her demeanor.  Maybe it's like when you do power posing before job interviews?  It gets some hormone or something working.  Maybe sitting up straight gives a person confidence?  I don't know.

I can't believe that this corset fits her perfectly.  I don't even think it's at all necessary to make her a new one.

She dozed off in the recliner soon after I took this picture.  She's leaned back and Jeanie's neck pillow is supporting her head. I tried to wake her up for some lunch about fifteen minutes ago.  She won't wake up.  I think that her sleep schedule is pretty settled in for a long afternoon nap - sleeping very soundly - after breakfast and before lunch.

4 comments:

  1. I am so glad it is helping her. I really miss having her here, but I am so happy you are getting to spend time with her too! Thanks for the wonderful updates and pics. Even when I don't respond to them I read them. And if I miss one, it never fails that Chelle asks me something about it! We were still talking about the lion hunt last night. Thee are prolly a lot of people who remember moms lion hunts. She used to do them with the Sparks at church too. :)

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  2. It won't let me edit. :( Just reply or delete. Any way, THERE are prolly a lot of people who remember....

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  3. Marjie mentioned to me that Mommy did them with Sparkies. She said that somewhere there is a video of one! Wouldn't it be amazing if one of us ran across it!?!

    I was just talking about the Lion Hunts on the phone with Pete, and I think I'll try and do one with Amanda, and Mom, and me, and Amanda and I can sit on either side of her and help her move her arms? Maybe a Lion Hunt will help her keep her arm mobility for a little longer. She'll have to move her arms up to push away the tall grass when we go through the meadow, and maybe she'll even reach her arms up a little to stretch? We'll have to see what we can do.

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  4. Sounds cool. If it works out maybe you could get a video for the grandchildren sometime.

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