Sing'n In the Bathtub

It was a pretty full day today, and more than just the usual exercising. I started with stretching, and I'm getting more and more able to stretch my own legs. Part of that is because I'm getting more limber and can reach them better, part is strength, and part (as with most other tasks) is technique.

After the morning stretch another T patient and I worked on uneven transfers - getting from the mat to a cushion lower than the mat, from a low mat to the chair, and the opposite. It was pretty tough, especially going up to the chair. Following that, some stretching in long sitting, and then I practiced another transfer to the tub bench. The tub bench sits half in the bathtub and half on the floor, and eventually I'll be able to sit on it and shower. For now I'm using a special chair in a roll-in shower, but our apartment has a regular tub and I'll need to learn to use the bench. And all that is just before lunch!

After lunch I worked on sitting balance, something that has been giving me a bit of grief lately for some reason. And finally, the last hour was spent working on wheelies and getting up curbs in the wheelchair. That is something that is going well, I guess I've had lots of wheelie practice on bikes, that's got to help.

Debbie was here and is learning along with me, spotting me on the transfers and the wheelies. I don't need much help for straight transfers now, just someone to make sure I don't make a mistake. Doing wheelies, though, the anti-tip bars come off and someone stands behind with a belt attached to the chair's axle, so I can't tip over.