The Step

I looked up ahead of me and the quick thought of “Oh no!” swept through me. Others were passing me, taking on what seemed an unbeatable feat. I looked around for other possible options. None, and things weren’t looking good. I then searched for someone who understood my situation. Ah ha! My father was just a few yards away. I gave him a helpless glance and he gave me that knowing look that said “I’ll be right there”.

This is a situation that I’m faced with more times than I can convey. What could this horrible thing be? This thing that’s encountered so often? A step. Yes, a step. Over the past year or so stairs have become much harder for me, and most are relatively impossible for me to get up (alone) without a railing. Let’s just say this makes trick-or-treating a lot harder. It makes going over to friends’ homes a lot harder. It’s something that most people don’t think twice about, and don’t realize that I might need help with. This is where you have to be honest with people, let them know that you need their help, in my experience they’re usually very happy to oblige. I can be a little bit prideful, and I’m naturally independent so this can be hard for me.

Last week I talked to my physical therapist about the stair situation. I was saying how my dad thinks it’s a balance problem, but she thinks it’s a mix of things, including strength. She had me do numerous stepping exercises. She had me step onto these solid box things, with the box in front of me, behind me, and to the side -- this apparently works different muscles. It was extremely strenuous for me. Another lesson: Let people know when you need to stop/take a break! I didn’t. My legs hurt for five days. Steps were a horror with a railing. However, that just tells me that I really need to do these exercises. My dad found some wooden boards in the garage; he’s going to put a nail through the end of them and keep adding one more as I get better. (they’re about ¾ inch high each) This is a very helpful exercise for CMT, and I would recommend it if you think you might be having trouble in that area, or have been. Just take it a step at a time!