I am grateful to everyone who has raised money for me to get an FES bike.
Electrical stimulation exercise therapy, and small but tantalizing studies suggest that this intense rehab just might help restore some function to people with spinal cord injuries, even if they were paralyzed long ago.

It was credited with helping the late Christopher Reeve regain the ability to feel human touch and move just a little, more than five years after a riding accident completely paralyzed the “Superman” star.
The idea: Remaining nerves in the spine may be dormant, partially recovered after the injury but essentially asleep as the brain can no longer send “get moving” messages down to them. Using electricity to stimulate those nerves and cause certain patterns of motion may teach them to carry signals locally, maybe even route new connections around the injury.
The FES bike has lots of benefits, such as:
Training the cardio-pulmonary system for improved fitness
Rebuilding of muscle strength and bulk
Improvement of bone density
Improvement of blood circulation and reduced risk of bedsores (Decubitus ulcer)
Improvement of intestinal and bladder function
Improvement of responsiveness to insulin (diabetes)
Decreases in limb spasticity
Improved feelings of well-being

I thank everyone who attended the hog roast and helped in any way to enable me to add this FES bike into my rehab programme. It arrives on the 6th July!

We had the hog roast on Saturday and it was a huge success.  It was to fundraise for my walk campaign, Matt Hampson Trust and Spinal Research. It made around £8000. I am using the money I got to go towards an FES bike. The is electrical stimulation that makes your legs pedal. It has numerous benefits including maintaining bone density, muscle tone, cardio work out. I am very grateful to be able to get one of these to add in to my rehab programme.

I want to thank EVERYONE who helped in ANY way leading up to Saturday’s hog roast and on the night.  Mum and Dad worked very hard getting ready for it, and my good friend, Ruth Matthews has been amazing at organising it. I shall not mention everyone but I have a massive list of thank you notes to write!

I must confess to being a little too drunk to enjoy the whole night!! And I am lucky to have such a special fiance that can cope with me!!  I rarely drink though and had a few too many sambucas. There will be another hog roast next year, and I am going to be sensible (ish!)  Must say though something has helped as I feel like my core muscles are stronger than ever today… Maybe I need a bucking bull in the garden!!

THANKS  again to everyone that helped with the hog roast and everyone that came, which was about 450 people.

Cx

Tummy before tighten the muscles!

My injury level is T4 complete,so getting any muscle functioning  below his should not be possible!  The photo on the right shows the muscles relaxed ,and then the photo on the left shows the muscles tightening. It was not long ago when I tried to do this you could not see the tummy pull in at all (although I could feel something was happening!). Now you can actually see the muscles work!  Have a lot of strengthening to do to these muscles… but with repetition there is no reason why they will not become stronger.

‘Never give up!’

I am working hard on my rehab, and when I look back can see the improvements though they are slow. But I suppose if it was easy everyone with spinal cord injuries would be running around!! I walk most days with the frame and need help locking my knees after a step. My knees are locking nicely whilst standing. (like in the photo)

I am working with my physio at home still, and also got to a physio in Nottingham who works on my alignment. I am hoping to get an FES (functional electrical stimulation) bike soon too. I have an ‘i joy ride’ , I have nemed Leroy. When I am not riding Spark I can ride Leroy instead! It really works my core muscles. As I am a fairly high injury (T4) it is just as important to work on this as well as my legs.  I shall never walk with a floppy body. A recent improvement is that I am able to tighten my stomach muscles, my back has always been stonger than my stomach… but we can now see the rectus abdominus working!!

I am now back riding… Abi Vaughan has kindly let me ride her horse, Spark. He is a grade B jumper and a successful working hunter horse. I love him already! Either the fall has improved me or he is exceptionally well schooled, but it the best I have walked ever… steady contact on the bit. Seemed to spend hours on Bob and Roland to get good walk marks!!

I had him for a week whilst Abi was away, and in that week improved so much. Have even managed a hack with Mum on Willie.  I have also been back on Willie, which was fantastic. Got to work hard so I keep improving. Like the skiing it is great rehab whilst doing something more interesting than the treadmill and bike, although I have to keep doing that too!!

Dan and I had an amazing time skiing. There were times I wondered why I wanted to do it as I fell and fell! It was fustrating at times, especially as I can not yet get up myself! Sometimes it really hurt too! But I always knew it was potentially loads of fun, and by the last day I had got the hang of it enough to ski with just Dan. It is the closest thing to eventing I have found, fast and furious! It was an even more special holiday as Dan proposed to me… so we now have a wedding to plan!

I can not wait to get more skiing next season, it really works my core muscles and challenges my balance. A fun way to help my recovery!!