Cookies, running, and a Segway segue

1. Yesterday we had two of our friends/colleagues and their families over for cookie decorating. We spent a good chunk of the day baking gingerbread cookies and making frosting, and then in the afternoon we had a decorating extravaganza with 6 adults and 4 kids ages 5 and under. It was a very merry time. Each family also brought some cookies they had baked, and we swapped, which is wonderful except that now we have far too many cookies. This is not an entirely bad problem to have.

2. I think I mentioned before that we had to move our treadmill in order for it to be relatively level so that I could use it. I'm not sure that I mentioned that my previous wobbly experiences with the treadmill left me nervous, so while I've been walking on it, I have been very reluctant to try running. I've been working up to it, both mentally, and by trying different treadmills out at my physical therapy appointments. Today I finally had the courage to give it a try again, and successfully completed three 30-second running intervals interspersed in a 15 minute walk. It went well, and I'm hoping to start a regular routine of exercise that includes these treadmill run/walks. One limitation right now is that I need Jeff to be there, mostly because I need someone to adjust the speed of the treadmill for me, because my hands are occupied by hanging onto the grips (and I am really not stable enough to let go even with one hand, even for a second). Hopefully that will change eventually, and I can be independent with my exercise routines.

3. About a month ago, my physical therapist and I were having a discussion about the fact that I do a lot of non-therapeutic walking: walking to get from place to place that tires me out but doesn't have a lot of therapeutic value. When I get tired out I fall back on compensation strategies as opposed to walking the very best I can, and the problem with this is that by practicing compensation strategies, walking in a slightly more awkward way gets more practice than the kind of walking that brings me one step closer to normal. We have had this conversation numerous times, and this time was prompted by my need to park in an underground lot for winter, which is safer because I avoid having to walk on snow and ice, but problematic because it is really far from my office. Many older people who are faced with this predicament end up using a motorized scooter. As you can imagine, that type of scooter is really not my style, and also comes with problems of its own, like being more sedentary and spending more time seated (neither of which is particularly good for health). So in this conversation, my physical therapist suddenly had an idea: she suggested trying out a Segway.

Apparently, although they are not marketed or regulated as mobility assistive devices, there is a small contingent of people with mobility limitations who use them. There is someone based in British Columbia who has published some research on this, and someone in Saskatoon (about 2 hours north of here) who is selling Segways with this small market in mind. I called him, and he agreed to come to my physical therapy session last Thursday, and I got to try it out. It was surprisingly easy to learn, even for me with all my balance problems. Then, to my surprise, he suggested that I keep it for a week, and try it out to see how it works for me functionally (generous, but also a good sales strategy).

I am a bit ambivalent about the whole thing. On the one hand, it could end up being very helpful in allowing me to do more things without getting so tired out. It could also allow me to be more focused when I do walk so that walking has greater therapeutic value and less likelihood of reinforcing bad habits. On the other hand, I don't like the idea of relying on a motorized device, because I would rather just be able to do all of those things that I used to be able to do on my own two feet. I also don't like the way riding a Segway is so visible, and so interesting to other people, so that people stop and stare, some literally open mouthed (as was my experience trying it out around campus on Thursday and Friday). But I have to keep in mind that this might be a temporary solution, that it might increase my ability to do the things that I want to do for now, while I continue to build up strength and ability.

So we'll see. No decisions on this at least until the new year, partly because I have to get confirmation of how much (if any) insurance would cover. But it may be that the Segway is my segue into the next chapter of my recovery.