We've just posted a new progress update video of Peggy at Project Walk.  

The format of the video is to show the progress Peggy has been making in the 9 months since starting at Project Walk, as well as all of the various exercises she's been doing every week there.  The end of the video also includes footage of her first day using the Lokomat at OHSU, which is quite a cool machine.  As you'll see, she's making great strides and she has really put a lot of effort into getting where she is today. 

You can see the video at the top of the Videos page as April 2008 Update (you may have to hit Refresh on your browser if you are a frequent visitor).  If you happen to have a slow Internet connection or have troubles viewing the video, I've also created an alternate video link which will stream the content and hopefully allow you to see it without issues.

Thanks for your support!

Jay

Greetings everyone. I have posted a new video on the Videos section of our site. This video shows Peggy working out and making progress over the last 4 months since she started at Project Walk. She has progressed to using the flywheel bicycle (which uses her own power) and is free standing with assistance - quite remarkable - be sure to check it out!

Also on the Videos section of our site (at the bottom) is a new link to a YouTube video featuring other clients at Project Walk. It is definitely worth checking out and is very inspirational.

Happy Holidays,
Jay

It was yet ANOTHER stunning day at Project Walk. I woke up late, and was very, VERY tired, but I still managed to get there on time (okay, maybe five minutes late. But only five minutes; seriously! ;-) The first hour I worked with Will. I used the moving standing frame, and we played another rousing game of catch. He kept commenting my coordination and timing was better and I think this is indeed true but, unfortunately, its also true that catch is simply NOT this man's game ;-). The second hour I was with Kandace. Now THIS woman is, once again, truly amazing. We did table work the first half hour; it was very good. It was NOT easy, but it was very good. I then did balance/ bench work for the second half hour; now THIS was hard. But it was intriguing; she said, just in the two days since I've worked with her, I was already showing improvement. I can't remember exactly how she phrased it, but she said I was doing better than she had expected. When she had my right leg in her hand when we started doing the bench work she said, "You DEFINITELY have energy in this leg; I can feel it." Then when she moved to my left, the odd thing was she told me I actually had more control. She said I had energy there, too; it was just a bit trapped in my hip, so took longer to move. The FASCINATING thing is, I felt I could move my left leg better than my right. But she explained why. I LOVE working with this woman; she really knows your body, so I feel I'm not only working out; I'm learning about how my physique functions, as well. It's very, very cool. Until we (or I) type again...;-)

Today was another surprising day. The last three days have been emotionally exhausting for both Jay and I. Therefore, probably needless to say, I did NOT feel like getting up this morning. So I truly didn't expect I was going to do very well at Project Walk, however, once again, I surprised myself... The first hour I worked for the first time with Kandice, a trainer from Carlsbad. We did mostly leg work on the table the whole hour and, good lord, I thought Elena was tough...Kandice is unforgiving! Actually, I think she's crazy; but a really, really good kind of crazy. She's TREMENDOUSLY knowledgeable about how I'm using, and MISusing my body, so it was very educational. The second hour I worked with Will (the guy who doesn't know how to throw ;-). He started having me use the moving standing frame and mostly working my left side which was NOT easy, as my left side is the weakest. He then had me use the gait trainer for about twenty minutes, then had me doing a bit more table work. We finished up with a simple game of catch (simple for me, that is ;-). He even commented that he felt my coordination and rhythm were better than last week. I of course just smiled sweetly, and didn't say anything about the fact that it's just plain sad that a tiny woman like me can, and DID-- just like last week--kick his butt. What can I say; it doesn't matter if I'm sitting, lying down or standing, I've done it before and I'll do it again; challenge me to a simple game of catch, Will, and you better check your masculinity at the door. Because this time, the gloves are off. Pretty little thing I may be, but you BET I'm gonna kick your ass! And I'll try not to enjoy it (again) but I can't promise anything. So, until we meet again... ;-)

I was surprised how well I did today. The first half hour I did floor work with Jared; he then had me standing at the parallel bars like I did Tuesday. The second hour was all arm work with Will. And it was not easy. I used lots of weights (which he increased, increased increased until I cried uncle). My left arm is definitely weaker than my right, so...of course this is the arm he concentrated on! It was interesting because, the more he worked me, the easier it seemed to get. We then worked on coordination by playing catch. Sounds easy, right? Not if you see the way this guy throws....;-)

Today was literally stunning. I got up early, did some stretching at home, and then went to Project Walk. The first hour was with Elena; she started me using the total body gym. She then said, since I was doing so well, she was going to crank my workout up a notch. She said, "I know you felt using the standing frame was difficult at first, but today I'm going to have you do something even MORE challenging. I think you're ready for it." We went to the next room; she and Brett had me stand in front of some parallel bars, then BEND my legs in sortof a semi-squat, and push up to stand again. I would get all comfortable standing, and then she told me she wanted me to bend my legs slightly! Over and over and over; she had me doing this MULTIPLE times. I was surprised; I didn't find it that hard. In fact, it wasn't tiring at all; it was kinda energizing! I finished up, and then she had me use the Fly Wheel bike for the first time. The bike is TREMENDOUS. This is the bike Ted (the owner of Project Walk) told me the first day I met him I would be using soon. He said, "I know you're not going to believe me but, after about six weeks of working with the trainers here, you're actually going to be the one doing the pedaling." I told both Elena and Brett I actually preferred the Fly Wheel to the FES bike because it wasn't passive like the FES. FES stands for functional electric stimulation; this is where they attach patches to your body and give you an electric current to fire your muscles so you can then pedal the bike. So it's not YOU doing the actual pedaling. The fly wheel is not passive; it's active; I'm actually DOING the pedaling. Elena would push one of my legs to get me started, and then I would just pedal and pedal and pedal until I felt I no longer could. I could tell she was impressed but not surprised I was doing so well; I was impressed and VERY surprised I had the energy to do it at all! I still have the yeast infection, but its on its way out. I rode the bike for about twenty, thirty minutes; WOW! It was truly incredible...

The second hour I worked with Brett. He had me doing table work for the first half hour, and then had me using the Fly Wheel again. That bike is incredible; it's just like being on a REAL bike! He then had me finish up using the gait trainer. And I learned something new today; it's the GAIT trainer that is my favorite! I have been mistakenly calling the gait trainer the elliptical. The elliptical is a piece of equipment they have me use at times which is quite interesting; you actually do weight bearing, so using it's good for my bones. All in all, it was a FABULOUS workout; it got out of breath a few times! I love it I love it I LOVE it! And can't wait to go back...

I really don't like to sound so unoriginal, but yesterday was another huge, WOW! kind of day. Actually, this was probably the biggest wow of all, seeing as what my naturopath told me yesterday. I had been feeling INORDINATELY tired, as I've been feeling for too, too long. I also had zero appetite, so wasn't eating. I'm not kidding; I wasn't eating anything at ALL, which as you know is not good; it made me too nauseous. So I called my naturopath to see if there was some sort of supplement I could take to improve my appetite. It was late in the day (5:30PM), so I just left a message. To my surprise she called back about a half hour later, and the first thing she said was, "It's the yeast. I'm going to write you a prescription for Diflucan right now." Jay and I went straight to the drug store and I started taking it that night. We were talking about it, and both feel I've probably had a yeast infection for many, MANY months, if not even longer (I just don't like to put that it writing ;-). I discovered the infection originally because of seeing (and feeling) thrush but, given how I've been on multiple antibiotics for well over a year and how tired I've been for so long; we think we finally figured it out. And FINALLY found the key.

The day after I began taking Diflucan, I noticed a difference. The incredible thing is, the therapists at Project Walk noticed it, too. The first hour I did floor work with Elena; she said my core was stronger, and even commented that I was doing the floor exercises better than she's ever seen (and this means a lot coming from Elena; she's definitely the toughest trainer to work with). The second hour I worked with Will, using the moving standing frame and then using the Total Body Gym. The work he had me doing while using the standing frame was fascinating; he instructed me on very specific ways he wanted me to move to get the most neuromuscular benefit. It was an excellent workout; until I got home, that is. Then it became apparent it was an EXHAUSTING workout! Nonetheless, I felt this was the best day yet. Stay tuned...;-)

This was actually supposed to be Day 16, but I cancelled Tuesday because on Monday I went to my naturopath and had chelation. I've been diagnosed as having off-the-chart levels of mercury in my body, hence why I'm doing chelation. (And now, a message from our sponsors (AKA, the language police ;-) Pronounced kE-'lA-shen , the root of the word chelation is from Greek chele, meaning "claw". Chelation therapy is an intravenous treatment designed to bind heavy metals in the body in order to treat heavy metal toxicity. And it is NOT easy; it usually knocks me out for a few days. So it was a good thing I cancelled, because I WAS knocked out, both Tuesday and Wednesday. Today, I DEFINITELY felt like I could have slept in (forever) but decided to go anyway. And I'm glad I did; the first hour I worked with Will, doing weights while using the Total Body Gym. The second hour I worked with Elena. She started me using the moving standing frame (NOT my idea of a good time; I actually get out of breath!) then had me on the floor stretching, then had me sit up and work on core balancing (again, this is NOT easy. But it's intriguing, to say the least...). The last half-hour I used the Elliptical which, as you know (if you've been keeping up with my blog) is my favorite. Yesterday I spoke with my Lyme doc. in California; he says the reason I've been so tired is not from the meds (which have been GREATLY reduced); he says it's from thrush, the yeast infection I have not yet eradicated. So, basically, today I got a life lesson I'd like to share. A word to the wise: chelation, coupled with a total body yeast infection, coupled with exhaustion due to it all: DEFINITELY does not for a good time make! And it's important to remember, the above is not a fable: those involved are trained professionals (crazy, but trained. Or is that trained, but crazy?). Point being: whether you're a masochist, a fool or just plain stupid, do NOT try doing this at home! (Or anywhere, for that matter... Just leave it to the trained crazies...;-)

I have updated the site to support a few new features:

1. Blog subscriptions - if you would like to receive an email every time a new post is made to the Progress blog, simply enter your email address in the space provided on the right (next to the Subscribe button) and click Subscribe. A verification email will be sent to you to confirm you want to subscribe - simply click on the link in the email and you'll be all set.
2. Contact form - I have added a contact form to the site to allow anyone to send email to us quickly - simply click on Contact on the top of any page and fill out the form.

Today was tough. I actually called Nat and left a message, telling him I had to cancel because I felt like I was trying to puke. I'm taking this new antibiotic; I just started it and thought it was no big deal, but I think it finally caught up with me. But then, about ten minutes later I was feeling slightly better, so called back and told him I WAS coming. I got there, and it was VERY challenging; I did arm work on the power plate the first hour with Elena, then used the Total Body Gym with Brett and Will for the second hour. Interestingly, I actually did better work the final half hour. The guys were surprised and so was I...WOW! As usual, it was quite something. I'm sure going to sleep tonight...;-)

I feel today was my best day ever. I did something I have never done; I used a standing frame with NO support. Just in case I needed help, Jared was in back, Jeremy in front. Check out the pictures; I look rather odd (slightly possessed, actually ;-) but it was incredible. The first two times I tried I got dizzy--which is unusual for me--but then, by the third time, I stood on my own for about a minute. I know this doesn't sound like much, but this is HUGE for me. Jared told me he was impressed I was able to do it at all; impressed, he said, but not surprised. I then worked with Jeremy doing table exercises, which I felt were easy. He was also surprised at how well I was doing, but I've done similar work with Elena, and she is NOT easy, (hence, probably why I did so well). Last week Nat (the manager) told me he wanted me to try come an hour earlier, so today I... just got up at 8:00AM, instead of 9:00AM! It's hard for me to believe, but it actually wasn't that hard. I just have to be sure to get to bed at a decent hour!;-) The last hour, Elena had me using the power plate, and then for the last half hour I used...the Elliptical! I LOVE that machine; it reminds me how it feels to walk! And just walk and walk and WALK...it's gonna happen; I can feel it! So, until we click again...;-)

I just uploaded a new video which includes new pictures / video from day 6 along with some previous pictures (I'm having fun with iMovie, what can I say?).

Also, this video is in Flash format so more people should be able to view it this time.

Over the weekend I will create a new photo / video page and embed the videos within the page to make it easier to parse.

[Edit] - As of Sunday night 8/19/07, we now have a new Videos section (see top and side links) where videos will be posted from now on. Also, videos will now be in Flash format for all to enjoy.

Jay