Learning to Walk Again
Since my diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis in 2003, my life has been filled with many moments of learning. I had to learn about my disease, about the different treatments available, how to be patient, and most importantly how to live differently. However, learning to walk again is one thing that I never expected to have to learn.
One foot in front of the other
Having to learn how to walk again may come to a surprise to some people because I wasn't paralyzed. In fact I had full use of my feet and legs, but it was limited because of pain in my feet, knees, hips, sacrum, and spine. Being told by a number of doctors that I would never improve was another reason I never expected to get around on foot. Most of my outings since 2009 required the use of a wheelchair and my time at home was mostly spent in bed. When I began experiencing some major improvements in 2017, I quickly discovered how weak my muscles had become. I also had to face the fact that one doesn't spend eight years in bed or a wheelchair, then just jump up and walk like they did before just because the symptoms that held them down were no longer holding them back. I had to rebuild muscle strength and stamina. I did this through stretching and committing to walking in small increments every day. Then, once I mastered walking for a particular distance or amount of time without increasing my pain, I would increase my goal to go further and longer.
Reaching for the stars
I used to say I wanted my old life back, but not anymore. That's because the life I'm living now, even though I still have my chronic illnesses and deal with flares, is so much better than it was before becoming sick. Believe it or not, I am able to walk longer and farther than I ever walked prior to becoming chronically ill. That is because psoriatic arthritis and my other chronic illnesses have taught me to listen to my body, to push and test it, and to discover what it is really capable of. I learn something new about my body every single day. Throughout this process I have learned how to improve my posture, the correct way to turn my feet, knees, and hips when standing and walking, and how important pacing is no matter how I am feeling. I have learned the importance of having a good pain management plan in place, because I would have never pushed to the extent that I have without a way to recover from any misjudgments. In the past, pushing too far would trigger a flare or confine me to bed for days or weeks at a time. Now I recover overnight or within a day or two. The most important thing I have learned is to never take any of my abilities for granted. After years of having to be pushed around by friends and family, you will never hear me complain about having to walk anywhere again, even when it hurts.
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