My Physical Therapy Appointment Today

Today after waiting for months for approvals for a few appointments to help with my tendinitis for my arms and shoulders, I was baffled. I chose this particular physical therapy place because they were closer to where I live. My only other choice was a place in Greenbrae, which was much farther away and not accessible by bus.

It was a big mistake. I was dismissed with only one visit only. The physical therapists told me about a few exercises and tips on being on the computer. They didn't even show me anything! What I was told basically was to exercise, exercise, no matter what. When I asked about what I should do about being in pain, they told me to "exercise through the pain." Huh? These are physical therapist giving me this advice?

Also, I was told I should have a better bed and couch. Where is this furniture going to come from? They told me that I should definitely not to carry heavy things. Especially I was told to eliminate having too much stuff in my purse. Does anyone think about what it's like when you have to carry everything you need to have with you because you don't have a car?

The physical therapists want me to find an activity that I really love to get me motivated to get  out more. They suggested finding an exercise class that is low cost; like 3 bucks or maybe free. But they couldn't tell me where to look for such a thing.

After hearing this I was just baffled. Where am I going to find things like this? They expect that I have the money to pay for these things. They expect me to have the transportation to get to these places. There are beds available for free on craigslist.org, but who will transport this bed to my apartment and up my stairs?

 Where does any body that receives SSI and must live on a fixed budget finding these deals ?  And how can more physically active in a way help when you are in so much pain in the first place that you not in mood to do things and that it hurts at times that you can't do them.

First it does cost money for exercise classes. If the class is free there is still the question of having the money to get on a bus to get or if there is a bus that even goes to that area anytime the class is happening. Yes there are exercise books that you can check out of the library, but sometimes it hard to figure them out  or the poses hurt you even more because you don't have a coach to help you understand the way you can exercise without hurting yourself worse.

So, one good thing that has happened is that a friend brought me a Wii. With a Wii fit, I've been trying to do that on and off.  It shows you at least if you are doing the poses right when you body moves. Of course like I said it is sometimes tricky to try to to do the poses because sometimes it hurts more when you are in pain in the first place.  Also I get frustrated easily.  If  I don't get the hang of it so fast. I guess that when my my so called disabilities come in and get tired fast after 5 or 10 minutes, it seems.  But I try it when I get motivated to do it. Even though it might not be much, at least it is an effort.

The Ideal to have a nice bed is nice but if you don't have the money or the help to get it, that is a problem alone.   And if you shouldn't carry heavy things then how else am I supposed to do it when things are to far away to get to.  Yeh I have a small cart  but you can't carry something furniture on the bus.  So you really can't do "major" shopping, but only the weight of what you can carry. 

I carry a lot of stuff in my purse to a point it weighs about 8lbs after I've taken out everything that I can remove from it.  My friend Franis had me list everything I carry in my purse.  I did that and there is a reason why I needed everything I carry in the bag.  This doesn't include a reusable water bottle for long trips.  When I go out to Bolinas, I also need to carry a back pack on top of it all to collect stuff out of the free box where I find things for free.

I need all this stuff in my purse because I'm out most of the day or I spend the night some where I have to have everything in case I get stuck and have to stay longer than planned, which has happened. But I take the stuff I need just in case it rains at time or if I get stranded somewhere at the last minute. When you add things up like I do or if any one else does if they think like me (smart)  they to might come up with needing a heavy backpack too.

I think that people just don't think about things like that because they have a car and friends to help them out. They just don't know what I have to do to live with limited abilities that is an every-day part of my life.

Which is why I write this blog.

And I guess for me I could be more disciplined to do more things daily like exercise. My friend convinced me to buy a big exercise ball to sit on at the computer. My worker for my birthday gave me an exercise bike. So, we'll see if I can gradually work up to using these things regularly.