[nagdu] one more time

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Stepper,

Oh, I am so happy for you and wish the very best, and more energetic
pain-free years to come.  The fitness to work to recover from chronic
illness like that is hard and sometimes grinding, but well worth it!  Can I
have your exercise room, please?  /smile/  I've been learning to be creative
to get muscles and muscle groups exercised and built up, and keep making
progress even though I can't afford acupuncture or anything like.  Diferent
way of making progress with fibromyalgia, and one has to be super careful
not to overdo or get to go 7 steps back and do it all over again.

But the results are worth it, especially when you start seeing the real
payoff -- real life!  It's a whole new world, ain't it!  Keep up the good
work; I love your gung ho.

Best on the dog.  Home training should make a difference, since you won't
have to survive the trip there.  So that's really exciting!  Only a few
years ago, it appared to be impossible to get such out here in the
uncivilized west, but it's more and more available.  Woohoo!

Thanks for the update, and all the best.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Stepper
Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 12:46 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] one more time

Hi to all listers.
This is Stepper once more.
Those of you that know me from being here on and off for years, and those
that don't I will give some  background to this writing tonight.
First of all I have been sitting here for a couple of hours trying to decide
if I really wanted to say anything right now or not?
I have come to I can't stand it another minute.
But first, for those that are new to this list.
I have been working on recovering from multiple cancers, and all the
horrendous treatments that go in to that.
Plus as a result of all this, my back is trashed after being pretty much
home bound, and bed ridden for almost eight years.
I have been working towards my recovery as far as building my strength back
up for the last couple of years now.
I have had two dogs for a total of 17 years.
I haven't had a dog since 98.
I have tried twice for guide dogs from GDB in the last 5 years, and failed
both times.
Both times I failed because I wasn't strong enough. but didn't realize until
making the trips first to the Oregon campus, and the second the California
campus.
I after getting to each because the trips themselves took my strength right
out of me, and I couldn't recover once there to continue.
My last try was almost a year ago to California during Spring break at the
end of March in to the month of April.
What has made the difference now for me is this.
I have a pain pump for my back for the last couple of years.
The drug in it was and is Dalottid, which is 100 times more powerful than
Morphine.
Plus I was taking after getting my pump still Narco 10.5, of three to four a
day, and it wasn't enough.
What has now changed all this, is now I have a new non narcotic drug that
is, and this is no mistake, is "one thousand times" more powerful than
Morphine.
Its made from what started out as from the venom of a south seas snail
believe it or not.
You can look this up on the Medtronic's web site.
It has taken months to get this wonder med to where it started working,
because they have to give it in such small amounts or it will really screw
you up.
Fast forward now.
I now, and have for several months been getting better every month.
I can walk a couple miles, and during that time walking I stop at street
corners and do 10 to 15 push ups each block, at the beginning and end of
each block.
That can mean getting in from 150 to 200 push ups in a walk.
Plus at home in my home gym, Where I have the following equipment, in a
separate building in my back yard which is also my office space.
My building is 10 by 20 feet.
Its totally finished as a office would be.
My exercise equipment is. Which I can use once again is.
1. Nordic Track Elliptical which is electronic, and will tilt up to 30
degrees, and 10 resistant levels.
2. A York Stepper with upper body levers.
3. A Shwinn Air Dine that I rode 3256 miles in 2010. It has 21856 miles on
it since 1985.
4. Nordic Track Skier
5. York weight machine with butterfly and leg attachments.
6. A Minnie trampoline.
I have my computer TV and all that stuff across the far end of my
office/gym.
I also am working out an hour now daily, and plus in my workout every five
minutes I change equipment, and drop down and do 15 push ups throughout my
workout, which is about 150 a workout.
The next I do weights, for 30 minutes after warming up.
This time in 2009 I weighed 210 pounds and was 28 percent body fat.
Today I am 165 pounds and 15 percent body fat.
Ladies and gentleman I am not telling you all this to brag, I am trying to
show what this new miracle new drug called Prealt has done for me.
Its unbelievable!
Please! If you have back trouble that seems beyond help write me, and I will
send you a article written by my pain doctor about this stuff.
I have three crushed disks, two bulgingdisks, and ten of my twelve faset
joints are fractured. Fasets joints is what your hips hangs off of.   A
surgeon will not touch me, none of them.
I am getting my life back!
I am 64 years old.
By the way I am now after 10 years off Narco but for a pill once in a while
meaning several days.
I tell you all this to tell you this.
Tonight I was the speaker at a meeting where I told my story of recovery, of
about 120 people I was told.
I haven't been able to stand for 45 minutes in once spot for more then 10
years.
But I was able to do this tonight.
While up on stage I for the first time surprised my wife by telling her I
had a surprise for her.
What she didn't know, was I had applied at GDB once more on October 8th
2010.
I felt if there was going to be a turn around, after all the time and money
they had put in to me, GDB should be able to get the miricle story of this
if I can do it. I told her at the end of my talk that in two weeks, on Feb.
19, at 9 a.m. I was to have a home visit, interview, and yes, Juno walk from
GDB for the third time, to see if I couldn't receive home training for a
guide dog.
My wife started crying, I started crying, and she came up on stage and we
held each other crying together and laughing.
The place went nuts!
Without her knowing I had worked through it with GdB on the computer, and
asked that they not call my house because she would see the number on caller
I.D. and wonder way GDB was calling.
I haven't have told a soul but for my best friend including my three
children because I just if it doesn't work out didn't want to go through all
that with them one more time.
I have sworn my wife to not saying anything as well.
I know this was pretty long, but thought I may encourage someone out there
not to give up no matter what.
You know, there's only so much diing you can do before diing."
Thanks, and please think about me with this third chance, which is known at
times, the third chance is the charm
Stepper

stepper12 at cableone.net.


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