Just thinking out loud...

I wanted to point out that I put a "Contact" tab up at the top, and made an email address just for Reilly, as so many people have told me they can't comment on this page.  If you choose to email us, let me know if you mind if I put your comments in the blog or if you'd rather I didn't.

Also, I never came back and mentioned how I solved the treat bag issue.  A belt pack did work fairly well.  The best, though...a pullover hoodie with a pocket on the front.  I could reach into that from either side, with either hand, and didn't have to unzip or open anything.  It obviously won't work well for warm weather, but I'll devise something by then.

And....drum roll please....I think my leg brace is finally fixed!  I was asked to attend an orthotics conference three hours from here yesterday.  Since I have no classes on Friday this semester, I went.  Of course the dang thing was working properly when I got there.  But three of the big shots from the company, the wonderful woman who fits and works with my brace locally, Katrina, and her boss were all there to see what they could figure out.  They came up with a plan to make another adjustment, in such a way that I can fine-tune it myself.  And potentially there may be something in my stance that is part of it.  But between fixing the mechanism and fixing my stance, I think it's going to be okay!  That means that I can probably go back to using one stick all the time instead of two.  I can only use one with Reilly anyway, so it would be easier for me not to have to switch back and forth, and still be stable (which I'm not on one stick right now.)  Additionally, the CEO of the company told us about an research article done by Mayo on IBM people and when accessories for walking may need to become wheels.  Katrina is going to look that article up for us.  He said basically once you're less than 40% of "normal" then wheels may be a better option.  Except for a small percentage of stubborn people like me, where the mental and emotional impact of being non-active may be worse than the alternatives.

So, I'll be getting used to wearing my brace, and seeing how my balance adjusts.  I wore it home yesterday, and Reilly didn't even blink at the contraption.  Yay, Reilly!

All for now...
Meg and Reilly