Neurological Rehabilitation for Elizabeth

Hi I’m Elizabeth

 

I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS when I was 21. It was totally invisible (except on my MRI’s) until 2019 after my son turned 1. I had some warning signs after he was born: visual disturbances like I had been staring at the sun all day, clumsiness when I exerted myself, and my legs felt very unsteady. The unsteadiness wasn’t great because I felt it most when I was taking my son for swimming lessons. I was cold, he was cold, everything was hard & concrete and it was frightening.

March 2020 I was admitted to the hospital with febrile neutropenia, and a bladder infection took me out. After that 3 day stay nothing has returned to normal. I’ve stopped working and gone on permanent disability. I was an elementary teacher, but was only able to perform my dream job for a short time before MS took it away (I’m still paying back student loans). To be fair, that coupled with the global pandemic made me need to change my life. My body hasn’t exactly been forgiving in terms of MS symptoms. I have foot drop, significant weakness and stiffness in my right arm, leg, hand, ankle, heat/cold intolerance, headaches, brain fog, and a lot of fatigue. Fatigue makes daily tasks more difficult especially because it hasn’t been that predictable. I can no longer drive because my right leg doesn’t want to be a leg anymore.

I do have mobility aids, have done physio and I’m so grateful. I am, however, at a point where I’ve exhausted my resources to continue improving my physical health through physio. I’m hoping to start a comprehensive  14 week program for neurological rehabilitation. I’ll be using a PoNS device meant to help improve gait and balance.

In the last year I have fractured my foot twice  in the same spot, rolled my ankle so many  times it’s twice the size (forever?), fallen on my face, and had countless mystery bruises on my body. All of my falls are slow and they don’t justify the injuries. “How’d you fracture your foot? Twice?!” my repose is “The first time I turned to walk into the bathroom. The second time I was standing at my mum’s and I shifted my weight from one leg to the other.” Those aren’t justifiable reasons!

I’m hoping that working comprehensively on balance will help retrain my brain to remember how to walk properly.

 

This is what I am hoping to do:

 

https://www.synaptichealth.ca/pons-program