For the past six years since all of this happened, I have made a slow recovery. However, nothing dramatic. After all this time, I had just about given up hope on having any big changes. I was resigned to the fact that I have a tbi and I was just going to have to live with my condition as is.
I returned home to Texas on January 27th. Since that date, I have been walking with my mom (using my walker) for an hour a day, five days a week. I have started using a traditional walker in addition to my walker with forearm support. It is my goal to transition to using only a cane. However, to do that, I first need to master using a traditional walker.
Plus, I am going to the gym with my dad, six days a week for between 1-2 hours each time. In that time I have: decreased my lap time on the elliptical machine from 7:15 to 2:17. In addition, I used to struggle with going barely half of a mile in 33 minutes. Now, I am up to 2.88 miles in 33 minutes. Additionally, I have recently had windows of "good time" on the elliptical machine where everything works correctly between my brain talking to my body.
These "good times" never last long. Then, my body starts to give up on me. My arms and legs lock up etc. It is never bad enough to end my work out but it is bad enough to be annoying and throw me off.
However, just the fact that these "good times" are happening for me at all, after six years is encouraging. Not only that, but I have managed to have these "good times" two separate times, minutes apart, before everything starts to fall apart again.
I have increased the speed of the treadmill from 1.0 to 2.0 (it increases 0.1 each time you level up). I have also increased the incline to 8.0. I started out at 1.0 incline. I am at 150 lbs on the ab machine. I have maxed out the stationary bike and on a machine where you move your arms and legs at the same time. I have also maxed out the water wheel. It is a circular wheel filled with water which you pedal with your arms to strengthen them. I am in as good of shape (or better) than I was back in high school.
I don't tell you all of this to brag. I am telling you, to encourage anyone else who has a brain injury, not to give up hope. After 12-24 months, your body has done all of the healing that it will do alone. However, if you put in the time and effort, you can make progress, slowly but surely years or even decades later.
I don't expect that I will ever get back to the way that I was before all of this. However, if I can eventually walk with a cane and have 75%\85% of my pre tbi quality of life, then I will be over the moon. I am doing all of this effort, not only for my benefit but for my wife and daughter back home. They don't deserve to be prisoners of my health conditions when I still have the power to improve my life and be more independent.
Before I end this, I want to give a special shout out to my parents, They are both 71. They have supported me unconditionally throughout all of this. Even if this doesn't get me back to normal life, just the fact that they both work out along with me, allows me to keep them healthier for longer.
All of this exercise is not easy However, it is certainly not hurting me. I consider myself very lucky not to be paralyzed or in a coma. My conditions are not degenerative. I am very lucky to have a loving wife, daughter, parents, brothers, in laws and extended family and friends who love and support me.
That is all for now, Tyler
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