My Story...
Hi I’m Alex and I’m a marine engineer, while working out in the Caribbean in 2006 during some leisure time I went swimming and my whole life changed in an instant... I hit my head on a sand bank and broke my neck. The vertebrae at c5 fractured and c6 broke into three parts one of which damaged my spinal cord, leaving me paralysed from the chest down. More
Why not..

 

one day at a time…

After physio today.. i’m tired, after reducing my baclofen (which one side affect is its a sedative..) i thought i’d be awake, but last night i slept in the evening and through the night.. i did really well to start with while working on my stability and transfers, when i tried to stand my blood pressure dropped…i need to allow my body to adjust to the drop in medication.. but still improvments in transfers, so not all bad.

It can’t rain all the time… 

FES on reduced baclofen..

i’ve just finished 16 miles on the RTI FES 300 – 9.5 with legs, and 6.5 with my arms.. the difference on the legs… only to start with as the electric pulses started my right leg kicked out of the straps.. once i got going things were normal, and my arms were the same just a bit sensitive, i have physio in the morning so i’ll see if my standings any different.

Day 1 of 35mg’s

Yesterday i reduced the amount of baclofen again.. and i’m feeling it today, my body’s reacting – i’m more awake, and the slightest movement has a reaction.. i’m about to do my bike so that will be fun.. my sensation has increased to, not in a good way either.. my left arm is extremely sensitive to light touch.. you can punch my arm – that would be normal.. but the tee-shirt moving is painful.. i’m now on 10mg,5mg.5mg,15mg (8am,12noon,5pm,10pm) before changing medication always get advise.Through the next week my body will stabilize and i can then look at coming down further.. but as i reduce them in 5mg increments the percentage that i drop each time increases..  

The begining

This is the start of the new build, not only will it allow me to be much more independent.. but the space will allow a more active and in depth physio routine, one main problem with paralysis is mobility.. having a custom built living space – physio oriented, allows much easier access to the equipment.. this in-turn will let me increase the amount of physio i can continue with – without a physiotherapist present.. meaning i can continue pressing on as and when i like (Alex NOW Smith) i find im always waiting on something. Plus throughout my recovery once the money stops so do the improvements.. having things available to me here at home lets me continue on without the worry of that, plus instead of spending my time and money on traveling up and down the country.. i can also look into how i plan to earn a living.

PT Update

Today in physio we re-visited old routines again, my sitting balance was good and transfers were really good, then we went into standing.. which wasn’t so, but you can’t have everything all the time.. next time we will be doing mat work, mixing the old with the new, still working with my balance and core muscles.. my strength and stability is increasing all the time.. and i’m still reducing the amount of baclofen that i’m on, and have found a noticeable increase in sensation.

Elina..

 

 

 

Elina, κάνουμε αυτό μαζί – ξεχάστε το περπάτημα… να είσαι ακριβώς με σας, είναι παράδεισος ΧΧ
 εσείς είναι η θεά μου 

I WAS… AND WILL BE AGAIN

 

“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single foot step”

 

Wing Tsun

Prior to my injury, i studied Wing Tsun… a form of martial arts, it is the form Bruce Lee based his own form Jeet Kune Do on, a major part of Wing Tsun is reflex (very close to muscle memory) using repetition during training builds up your reflex’s, and as reading does for your brain.. the muscles being worked get stronger, they build muscle memory.. the same muscle memory that i am trying to wake up, working around my injury.. the muscles that i do have.. that i can control.. i will continue to work, i will continue to improve