Tag Archives: spinal cord injury

Comfort in Cold Weather

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Autumn is unwelcome weather in my life.  I don’t mean to be a grinch because I realize many people love the cold weather. I’m all for the temperature to cool from 98° to 78º, or maybe even 72º, but once we drop lower than that, introduce a few showers and cool winds….ugh!  I’m such a wimp. And autumn is a sign of the inevitable upcoming winter! I try to be positive about cold but just need a little time to vent. As the cool blows in, clothes become cumbersome and it is nearly impossible for me to stay warm. Sometimes it’s hard to sleep because I’m cold. It’s just a side effect of most high level spinal cord injuries. Often, the brain is not able to correctly interpret thermostat signals from the body.  I think I’m cold even when my temperature is actually fine.

Things I dislike about fall…
– I’m nearly always cold…well I think so anyway and that’s what counts.
– Fall is the beginning of cold, yikes! Winter is coming!
– More layers of clothes makes getting dressed/undressed more difficult and time- consuming.
– Tahoe wants to play outside, but it’s cold so we play less.
– Every year I burn myself trying to stay warm.
– I get obsessive about searching for ‘warm’ solutions. It wastes time.
– I buy more wool socks, shirts and sweaters even though I have enough.
– Wool is expensive.

Enough rant.  I have hope.  My medicine of adding gratitude is in order.

Things I love about fall…
– Our wedding anniversary.
– Trips to the beach…if it’s warm!
– Trips to the mountains.
– Pumpkins.
– Bonfires.
– Tahoe loves cool weather.
– Children love to play in the leaves.
– Snuggling with Brent and Tahoe.
– The air is crisp and clear.
– Trees are extravagantly colorful.
– Stars are bright.
– Wool. The soft kind.
– Two of my nieces birthdays.
– Hot soup.
– Hot water.
– Heat.
– Pedicures are unnecessary.
– Online shopping for wool.
– Did I say I love wool?

 

Today I’m thankful for fall and glad I’m alive to experience another one. It’s therapeutic for me to realize that all the reasons I don’t like cold weather stem from my perceived temperature and comfort. I let cold impact me more than I should. Maybe I’ll find a new way to enjoy the cold weather this year. That’s my resolve.

Are you warm and cozy today?  Got any ‘keep warm’ tricks to share?

Strength Through Difficulties

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When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. Peter Marshall

Some day’s difficulties, well, they can just tear us down. While I often am the first to want to deny that I’m really spent and all washed up, I think these are the times I have the greatest opportunity of growth in faith and dependence on God – the One who knows all.

Recently I’ve had a number of health issues. I’ve been miraculously stable as a quadriplegic for so many years…this stability has been challenged by some nagging, so far undiagnosed, persistent, GI issues. The diagnosis is complicated by my mobility issues. Test after test reveal the same wonderful news, ‘No problems’, the medical professionals report, with their upbeat voices. My heart is conflicted as I’m grateful nothing ‘terrible‘ is discovered and I realize many people face challenging reports about their health, and family members’ health every day. In the past two days I learned about an 8th grade cheerleader who lost her leg, a young dad who had brain cancer and passed on, a friend’s dog who has terminal cancer, and a 56 year old Steve Jobs who lost his life due to complications from pancreatic cancer.

… it seems selfish, but I desperately want answers for my issues.

My personal scenario sparks an area of growth for me. It is an opportunity to hunker down in prayer, not only for myself, but for so many others who have serious and pressing issues far greater than I can imagine. It’s an opportunity to realize that hardships give birth to new things – fresh new things – which can often bring greater significance to our lives. I have a related favorite verse that I’ve held onto in recent months that I’ll share tomorrow, but for now, I’ll leave you with a little ‘faith’ challenge to think on in your time of need – let’s face it, we all have the tough times in our lives…

…Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

If Only I Liked Kong Exercise Like My Dog Does!

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Tahoe, my helper dog, loves to play with his toy, it’s a Kong.  It is like a ball, except it is not round – not perfectly circular.  It bounces randomly when it is thrown and gives him a good chase.  My husband believes the reason Tahoe loves the Kong so much is that it randomly bounces and moves like an animal would run.  For whatever reason, our dog is completely obsessed with his Kong.  This toy keeps our five year old dog’s body in tiptop shape.  He exercises in the blistering heat of the summer and during the bitter cold of the winter.

Oh yes, he is incredibly smart, and is persistent when it comes to asking us to play with him.  He bounds into the house, drops the Kong at our feet and if we don’t acknowledge him immediately, he picks up the Kong again and tosses it at our feet again.  It is important to explain to Tahoe when it is NOT time to play Kong! When Tahoe realizes that a Kong session is in his near future, he becomes ecstatic.  Out to the backyard he runs!  It is an excellent bonding time as well as the stress relief for anyone playing with Tahoe.

When we first brought Tahoe home, it took him some time to figure out how to play with me.  He would bring the Kong to me and drop it at my wheels.  He thought I could pick it up and throw it for him.  After a bit of intense training, he finally figured out that he needed to give it to me, but he couldn’t figure out that I couldn’t take it from his mouth.  After another training session or two, he learned that he has to lay the Kong on my lap so I can throw it.  He adjusts quickly to whatever situation his playmate desires.  He plays tug of war with his dad because that is his game.  He drops it at the feet of anyone who will not pull it away from him.  If you come to our house and are willing to play with Tahoe, the Kong won’t be far away!

The Kong is a perfect toy for me because it has a hole that is just large enough for one or two of my fingers.  This makes it easy for me to grab and throw and tire him out – well I should say tire me out.

Summer is particularly fun for me because I am comfortable with the temperatures and can comfortably play for hours.  I suppose I get some exercise too as I throw the ball over and over and over and over again.  I wish I could get excited about an activity that gives me as much exercise as Tahoe gets playing Kong!  ]

For now, I will stay with my exercise cycle –it’s called a Saratoga –it is a great piece of equipment that I use to get some upper body exercise.  I simply turn on some tunes or play a pod cast, or focus on my memory verses and wheel under the hand cycle, put my hands in the tri-pin and get it moving.  I’ll also take the added benefit of the few muscles that get worked out as I throw the Kong incessantly for Tahoe.

I’m glad that our golden Labrador loves to play Kong because he definitely loves to eat, and to have an activity that burns calories and keeps Tahoe in perfect condition comes in handy.  We would all be in terrific shape if only humans were as excited about exercise as dogs are!

What kind of exercise do you get psyched about?  Is there an activity you enjoy and don’t even realize you are working off those calories?  Dance is the best example I can think of.  Please share with us – especially if you have an activity you can do sitting down!