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05-11-11, 01:11 PM
Last April (2010) my wife’s MS struck again, and it struck hard. Several tests and doctors visits later it was determined that her disease has now reached the Secondary Progressive stage. Medication options were reviewed and a path forward has tentatively been charted.
Now a year later she is finally pain free but has no feeling in either leg below the knees, along with several other symptoms. She has been unable to drive, ride her bike, and is also somewhat physically restricted in many other ways. Fortunately she can still walk quite well. She just has to watch her feet as she can not feel them.
To her credit, she has opted to take a training course to become qualified in the use of hand controls for her car. It’s tough going and has quite a stringent testing regimen but she’s persisting. I fully expect her to be driving again by summer’s end.
Now for the big surprise, she has signed up for an introductory program for using hand cycles! Though she has never been a strong cyclist she knows that she needs to exercise and cycling is an activity that we can do together. She can rent a trike locally for occasional use if she finds hand cycling be within her capabilities and something that she enjoys. Meanwhile I’m preparing to re-install the original wider and more comfortable saddle back onto my Schwinn Airdyne. She intends to use the Airdyne to start working her upper body a bit so as to be in better physical shape for test riding the hand cycles. In addition she has readily agreed to my trying to find a way for her to ride Stoker again on our EZ Tandem, and I believe I’ve got that fix figured out.
It looks like I am going to have my favorite riding partner back again, at least for a while anyway. I have no idea what, if anything, I ever did to deserve being married to such a great woman but I sure am one very lucky man!!
Now a year later she is finally pain free but has no feeling in either leg below the knees, along with several other symptoms. She has been unable to drive, ride her bike, and is also somewhat physically restricted in many other ways. Fortunately she can still walk quite well. She just has to watch her feet as she can not feel them.
To her credit, she has opted to take a training course to become qualified in the use of hand controls for her car. It’s tough going and has quite a stringent testing regimen but she’s persisting. I fully expect her to be driving again by summer’s end.
Now for the big surprise, she has signed up for an introductory program for using hand cycles! Though she has never been a strong cyclist she knows that she needs to exercise and cycling is an activity that we can do together. She can rent a trike locally for occasional use if she finds hand cycling be within her capabilities and something that she enjoys. Meanwhile I’m preparing to re-install the original wider and more comfortable saddle back onto my Schwinn Airdyne. She intends to use the Airdyne to start working her upper body a bit so as to be in better physical shape for test riding the hand cycles. In addition she has readily agreed to my trying to find a way for her to ride Stoker again on our EZ Tandem, and I believe I’ve got that fix figured out.
It looks like I am going to have my favorite riding partner back again, at least for a while anyway. I have no idea what, if anything, I ever did to deserve being married to such a great woman but I sure am one very lucky man!!