Learning More and Preparing

It is the first weekend of December, and it's feeling like a repeat from last week. We received more snow yesterday and the night nurse wasn't able to come. I pray this doesn't become a trend until spring. Thankfully, this week was fairly calm and provided time for work and learning my chair.

When my chair was dropped off a few weeks ago, my caregiver and I checked if my feet would reach my bike petals. They did, and we left it at that. This week was my first time actually biking while sitting in my chair, and it took some trial and error.

I started using the FES bike in July 2015 with my Action Arrow. In August that year, I received my TDX SP and used it for every bike session since. Therefore, we expected to have a learning curve in using the new wheels.

First time biking

Thursday took nearly a full hour of adjusting electrode placement, testing wire reach, and seeing how to access connections. Getting the four electrodes on my glutes was the biggest challenge. We quickly discovered that the placement we used for the last decade won't work, but further on my hips did. Eventually, after some popping knuckles and wrists, my caregiver and I figured it out. Friday went more smoothly, but we still have a few areas to adjust.

Since early November, I have been putting drops in my trach button to try to open the plug at the end of it. They have helped some, but the month of use hasn't completely cleared it. In some positions, it's just as blocked as it always was. It is also making suctioning very difficult. The catheter can get through, but any junk it picks up gets scraped off by the flap at the end of the button. Friday night, my caregiver tried clearing my lungs twice, but wasn't successful. I was eventually able to clear it on my own, but that isn't always the case.

This coming Thursday, I am scheduled to have surgery to open up the trach stoma again. The last time I had surgery on my trach area was around third grade. I'm thankful it has been over 30 years since I needed more serious work on it, but it is still frustrating to need intervention. Since I have full feeling of my trach area, it will also be one of the very few procedures I've had that I will fill the aftermath. I don't expect it to be anything major, but still a different experience.

Even after 40 years of living the quad life, I learn new things. Heading out to Des Moines in December is also something I haven't done in many years. Whatever may come, I know God is in control and I look forward to my neck being fully open again as it should.

A Weighty Issue

Since early August, I have been recording multiple nights per week without help. Thankfully, my second night caregiver was able to return and I once again had a fully filled schedule. It has been nice getting to go to sleep a few hours earlier, but I'm especially thankful to see my parents get a full night's sleep again.

Like most people, I get an annual physical. However, it is usually a very boring appointment that just consists of chatting and answering a few questions. This year, I worked with my doctor's nurse to arrange it so I could get weighed. It had been over two years since I last updated my weight and that was for surgery.

The nurse found a wheelchair scale at another doctor's office, but within the same building. I met her at the planned time and location and I was soon parked on the measuring device. It is difficult to get me in and out of my chair, so we just weigh everything at once. Due to the surgery in 2023, I know what my chair and equipment weighs. Therefore, it's just a matter of subtracting 393.5 pounds from the total and we have my weight.

In just over two years, I have gained six pounds. I was also wearing jeans instead of a gown like last time, but it's likely close enough. I have noticed my belly sticking out more when I sit, but I attributed it to my gut problems that seem to frequently occur. While that still may be some of it, that likely isn't the only culprit.

Granted, 121 pounds for a 5'3" man in my early 40's is well within the normal range and not a major concern. However, it is very hard for quadriplegics to lose weight and obesity is an issue that many quads deal with. The heavier I am also makes it harder for my caregivers to move me around. Therefore, I need to be more careful of what I eat and try to burn calories however I can.

On Friday, my legs did well on the bike with pedaling for nearly 8.5 minutes on their own. Unfortunately, this activity only burned 0.3 calories according to the machine's computer. Therefore, I need to make sure to keep typing by "hand" as much as possible and maybe try head lifts or something for further exercise. I already eat very little for candy or sweets, but maybe occasionally skipping my nightly protein or fiber bars before bed may help.

Such is the quad life. I'm thankful that my doctor's office got it arranged so I could get weighed so I know what's going on. It's likely I'll get my new wheelchair this coming week as well, which will require learning how much it weighs with all my stuff on it. Now I can join the multitude of watching calories more closely and see how I do whenever I get weighed again. 

To Lift or Not Lift

Lately it seems like it's one thing after another that gives problems. This week, it was a device that has been working well for decades that decided to stop.

In 1994, a few months after moving into our new house, dad installed a lift on my bedroom ceiling. At that time, my nurses used it daily to get me in and and of bed for school. Now, my caregivers still use it every time I get up, just not as often. This past Monday, I went to get up to bike, but the lift's hook wouldn't go down to connect to the sling underneath me.

That night, dad looked at it and couldn't find obvious problems other than some green goo in the main control wire. He tried cleaning it out Monday and Tuesday evening, but couldn't get it completely clean. It was a mystery of where to look next or how to fix it.

Wednesday, my caregiver noticed a phone number on the machine. I figured it had been disconnected long ago, but it actually rang and a very helpful person from the lift company answered. He gave direction on other areas to look and emergency controls that none of us knew existed. That evening, I relayed my new lift knowledge to dad and, after some ingenuity, he was able to get it cleared out and working again. I got up on Friday and Saturday with some slight lift hiccups, but they were successful flights.

We often take things for granted, until they stop working. I've been thankful for the last three decades that I can get out of bed without relying solely on dad. My parents were able to take a few days away, and I figured I would be stuck in bed all week. I'm glad that wasn't the case and the problem was solved before they left.

Matthew 6:34 says to not worry about tomorrow as each day has enough trouble of its own. That has been the quad life this week, but I'm thankful to know God has every day, and minute, covered.

Vacation Week

I have said before, I am primarily a home body. I am perfectly content to stay around the house or go to attractions and events nearby that don't require much travel. I do enjoy seeing new areas, but hotels are hard for me to use and managing caregivers while away is challenging. Therefore, I haven't been anywhere overnight since my last year at CHAMP Camp in 2019. My parents, however, do like going out on excursions.

This past week was spring break for many schools in the area. My college intern caregiver, Brenda, wasn't planning to do anything during break and volunteered to stay with me in the evenings if my parents wanted to get out. It may have taken 2-3 seconds for them to happily say yes, so my parents went out during spring break.

They left early Tuesday morning, before I got up, and returned Saturday afternoon less than 30 minutes before Brenda was scheduled to leave. That meant Brenda worked four evenings in a row as well as the regular ten-hour shift. This allowed me to have 24-hour care without my parents for over four-and-a-half days.

It has been a busy time for me in various projects, which means I didn't do much out of the ordinary. However, it did allow me to bike five days in a row and be on "my own" again. Mom and I planned meals before she left so that Brenda and I mainly just needed to thaw frozen meat a few times and put together whatever was planned. Just the two of us didn't eat much, which made for plenty of leftover choices for Saturday night.

Brenda will be graduating soon and plans to return to her home in Arizona to continue her education. Therefore, these extended times of freedom will soon be gone again. I'm thankful for the time we do get and the relaxation it gives to everyone.

It looks like another busy week ahead which started by preaching this morning. The quad life continues through every day and I'm thankful for the blessings God has given.

Three Down, Three Up

It seems like some weeks have their ups and downs. This week had three each, but I'm thankful it is done.

As we knew, I had three nights without caregivers this past week, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. It is unusual to have open nights during the week, but my primary night nurse was off for his annual hunting week. Open nights isn't anything new, but it keeps getting harder for my parents as the decades accumulate.

It is hard to watch mom brush my teeth as the few minutes of standing on her already painful legs makes it unbearable. Dad was also still dealing with coughing and not feeling well and having little sleep wouldn't help the situation.

Thankfully, all my day hours were covered and my intern caregiver volunteered to help with my

bedtime cares two evenings. That allowed dad to go to bed earlier and made less for mom to do. I'm very thankful for the caregivers God has provided and all that they do. When my bedtime needs were finished, I could play games on my computer or watch a movie with mom to help stay awake and pass the time until dad got up. These were the three down times, but that wasn't all that happened.

I started biking in summer 2015. In the more than eight years since starting, I have pedaled more than 2100 miles. It took a long time to figure out good settings for my legs, but early last year seems to put everything where it needs to be. However, we still never know what my legs will do.

This week, I got on the bike four times and set new personal records during three of the sessions. My previous record was a little over 11 minutes, but my legs went for more than 14, 12, and 13 minutes. Everything seemed the same as it always does, but for some reason my lower half was more energetic. In total, I officially burned 1.1 calories over the four bike rides. It doesn't quite allow a lick of ice cream, but it's getting close. After Friday's time of 13 minutes, I even felt tired like I had actually exercised.

Living the quad life is indeed full of unexpected times. I am thankful for what God has provided for my family and will look to Him in both good times and bad.

Reading, Writing, and Watering

Once again, I had the house to myself this week. Unlike last time, I didn't have any appointments and could actually enjoy the at-home vacation. However, that didn't mean I wasn't busy with something.

For household chores, I needed to make sure to get the mail and water plants every day. It became a routine that my evening caregiver would start the shift by getting me in my chair. We then did our chores before biking and having supper. The schedule adjusted depending on day-time help, but it worked pretty well.

Biking continued to be odd early in the week. Tuesday morning, I was half asleep while my regular morning exercises were done. Working with my left leg, my caregiver and I heard a small pop, likely around the hip. We were concerned, but everything felt and moved fine. Later in the day, biking went much better than it had been. At the end of the week, after ten sessions in a row, my legs did very well with pedaling over seven minutes. We guessed my hip may have been slightly out of joint and caused the earlier reactions, but we don't know for certain.

Sermon Notes

My book that has been in progress for several years is very close to completion. I recently received it in PDF format with the internal layout complete. Since this is the final phase before printing, I was told to proof everything again and to have someone new read as well. Even with editing multiple times, both my publisher and I, several errors have come up. I don't know how they have been missed, but I have noted each one and what needs changed. I am about 25% of the way through and am finding fewer as I go. I'm hoping to have it out by early September, but I'm starting to doubt it will happen.

Also this week, I got to prepare for the sermon I gave this morning. It was a recycled message, but in a different environment from the previous presentation. My "notes" consisted of the Scripture I was reading and very little else. I may have had half a line available for text in a few spots without going to a third page of notes which would no longer fit on a music stand.

I was very thankful for the calm week while working on different projects. Having a busy quad life is fun, but it's also good to adjust and take on different responsibilities for a short time.

Calm Week with Questions

With all the trouble with my trach lately, it was nice to have a calmer week. However, I did visit my ENT on Thursday again. Since it was my third visit in three weeks, I wondered if I could get some sort of frequent visit perks. Unfortunately, no such options are available. He slightly adjusted the button to be further out, but I hope to not see him again for a few weeks.

Biking has been my main oddity this week. For the past several months, my legs have consistently pedaled for at least a few minutes without the motor's assistance. I have biked four times this week, and three of the sessions have had unusual reactions.

Twice, my left leg has been jerked with spasms much more than usual and I can see my foot even pushing and flexing much more than normal. However, it doesn't register as anything productive on the bike's electronics and at the end of the session, I only recorded 12 seconds of peddling on my own. One time, my legs decided to be energetic and, for a few seconds, peddled at 54 RPM instead of the set 30. For the entire 30 minute ride though, I only recorded a little over two minutes of not using the motor's assistance.

Since I can't feel my body, I can only monitor and guess at why things happen. During biking, I've also noticed other irregular reactions such as sweating. One thought I had was my pressure sore getting irritated and perhaps painful. The wound did get worse a month ago, but it doesn't look red or having extra problems. So far, it is only a mystery that I will need to keep investigating.

This coming week, my parents are again taking a week-long vacation. It's rare they go out in summer, especially twice in less than a month. However, it's just how my caregivers are available and they likely won't be able to go anywhere this fall as they have before. That means I will have the house to myself again while figuring out my body's oddities.

Such is the quad life with strange reactions. I will continue to learn and be thankful for what God has allowed me to do.

2000 miles with more added

In July 2015, I first used an FES bike at Younkers Rehabilitation in Des Moines. It was a great experience that I was thankful I could enjoy. Now, eight years later, it's still an activity that keeps on giving.

I have written frequently about the benefits of biking. Late in 2022, two of my skin sores were officially declared healed. When I'm able to bike, my skin tends to do well. A month ago, I wasn't able to get on it for a couple weeks and my remaining sore became much worse.

Every Monday, I receive a summary of my previous week's bike sessions as well as a total of all sessions. The latest report showed I have officially pedaled more than 2000 miles in 609 sessions. According to Google maps, I could get from my home in Iowa and go to either Seattle or Los Angeles and still have miles left to go around the city. Alternatively, I could nearly make a trip to New York City, or Houston, TX and back. Averaging more than three miles per session, these would be very slow trips, but they at least happened.

When many people look at my legs, they may think they never move or do much of anything useful. However, they have done a fair amount of pedaling under their own power. In a 30-minute session, I've

seen them do anything from 0 seconds to more than 11 minutes without the bike's motor assisting. Looking at the graphs, it's a very bumpy roller coaster for how much they do (red line). It isn't at all close as to how other cyclists perform (blue line), but my legs have been lazy for several decades. Getting them to do anything productive is a reason to rejoice.

However much time they give, I'm thankful God has allowed me to use this technology. As I said initially, this is something that wasn't even dreamed about when I was injured. God has used this to increase my muscle tone, decrease muscle spasms, increase circulation, and help improve skin problems.

With my parents gone this week and having extra caregivers, I was able to bike three more times since the latest report. Adding more than nine miles to my total is fun, and I look forward to seeing how long God allows me to use this device and everything done through it.

Finally Updating

I have heard an old saying that, "the cobbler's children go barefoot." It is implied that the person who made footwear in a town was so busy working for other people, that his own family was ignored. My theory is that the cobbler knew shoes were bad for children's feet and he therefore didn't have his kids wear them. However, that's generally not the point of the saying.

For over two decades, I have worked on websites for a variety of clients. Some major changes are coming this summer in site tracking, so I warned a few of my clients with older designs that we will need to update their sites. While I want my client's sites to be the best they can be, guess which site I neglect. If you guessed my own, you're correct. My personal site, joelvm.com, is fairly current with modern programming. However, my work site is very outdated and needs major work before summer as well.

Last week, I started to work on updating my site and see what I could use from the existing design in the new. In this process, I realized I had pricing listed from 2013 and affiliations with companies I haven't worked with in years. Therefore, I took off some of the irrelevant material and just made it more generic for a temporary fix.

With constructing my new site, I'm also teaching myself different plugins, or software, that allows for more customization. I have used it once before for a client that requested it, but it's still a learning curve. That has slowed down my progress as well as the ever-present up/down cycle that limits my time I can work. I'm hoping to finish my project before a client is ready to start their redesign, but I am not confident that will happen.

Daily health also has been an added challenge. My trach area continues be sore if I lay wrong and my lungs still have a lot more congestion. However, while biking on Friday, my legs pedaled on their own for nearly 10.5 minutes. My record so far is around 11 minutes, so it was a nice surprise to see.

Such is the quad life sometimes. I have many things going on at once and I have to prioritize time to each item. I'll see what the last full week of January brings, but I hope it's more progress and not added projects.

Tiring Week

The first week of the year has started off quite slow with challenges. Unfortunately, I continue having a lot of congestion in my lungs even a full month after returning to a trach. 

I have had to suction more often and try to clear my lungs on my own as much as possible. It's a fine balance of deciding what to try in order not to make my lungs sore. Suctioning is generally faster, but can take several tries to get the correct area. Clearing on my own can take quite a while and a lot of tiring work, if possible at all.

Tuesday, I had planned to ride my bike and record a video. Unfortunately, with lung and stomach issues, I ended up staying in bed all day working on health issues. The change in plans did help me get first of the month billing and paperwork complete at least. Thankfully, by the time my day caregiver left at5:00, I was feeling better.

On Friday, I did get to take a bike ride after more than a week off. For the last several sessions, my legs have been quite active. On my last run of 2022, they pedaled on their own for nearly eight minutes. I was quite impressed that I burned an entire calorie with combining about three rides. On this week's ride though, they didn't get up to three minutes.

It has been 7.5 years since I started using the FES bike. I'm very thankful for the improvements it has given in my muscles, circulation, and pressure sores. However, I have yet to figure out why my legs will do more one time than another. The settings are always the same and my daily routine doesn't really change either. Whatever the cause, it is great seeing my body doing some work with my own muscles.

For 2023, I gave myself a challenge of posting a daily Bible verse on social media that corresponds with the date (such as Genesis 1:1 for 1/1). It has gone well this week and will be a fun exercise that has gone well so far. I'll see what another week brings, but I hope it will be more energetic with easier breathing.

A High Start to Low End

Life in general tends to be full of roller coasters. Editing my book, most chapters end with a cliff hanger about insurance funding or something else. Some people may think it's just to make you read more, but it's all true. This week has been one of the transitions from a great start to more concerns to watch.

First, early in the week started in the low to upper 70's for highs. For mid-November, that's very unusual for Iowa, but I won't complain. Thursday started around 71 and was quite warm at lunch, but the day ended with high 20's and ice hitting my window. Now it looks like the seasonal temps will stay with highs in the 30's and lows even colder. I always know it's coming, but it's never fun to see. Weather wasn't the only change though.

On Monday, I didn't notice anything unusual when I did my morning skin check, but my caregiver said something about a rash on my leg. When I checked again in the late afternoon, I easily saw a red area on my upper right leg. Further investigation on Tuesday found a small opening in my skin where a wound had been deemed healed a year ago. It isn't big and we caught it early, which is why I check my body multiple times a day, but it is something to keep an eye on.

Second, I have started to have drainage around my trach button again. I just said it was nice not to have to deal with it, but that only lasted about a week. Thankfully, it also isn't doing bad and I have plans to start treatment again, but it's another item to watch.

Living the quad life, it is a frequent balancing game of monitoring and treating one area, but not ignoring another. This week's findings aren't unusual, but just constant reminders to trust in God for His control over everything.

Finally, I'm beginning to notice I am having trouble remembering some things, such as Bible verses I've known and typed many times over. I also haven't slept well some nights, so I attribute that as the likely cause. Last night was also long with no nurse. However, like it or not, I am getting older and should expect some changes. This week looks to be another cold one with staying inside and plenty of time to work on exercise and helping any areas that come up.

Juggling Week

This blog's tagline is about dealing with the unexpected. While that doesn't happen frequently anymore, this past week was full of unexpected events that needed to be handled in their own way.

Early Tuesday morning, my day nurse Sara called to say that she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be able to come until later. Therefore, my night nurse got me up at 6:30 before he left. Getting up an hour earlier than usual, I slightly dozed through some YouTube while mom and I waited on Sara. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to come at all and dad stayed with me all day.

The caregiver switch went well though, as I put my legs in the sun while watching dad wash my van. We then ran the errands I had hoped to do that day and had a pleasant afternoon. Around 4:30, the phone rang again with my other day-time caregiver, Leah, on the line. She had an unexpected death in the family and wouldn't be able to work on Wednesday.

For the second day in a row, I got up early and had the day with mom. Dad came home from work as needed to help with my cares, but wasn't able to stay home again. Thankfully, a family friend was able to stay with me in the afternoon so mom could work in the basement. It was interesting spending time with a 15-year-old, but he did well.

Thursday, Sara worked a few hours as normally scheduled, but it still meant I had to get up early. I was thankful to see she was improving and looked forward to a regular day on Friday. Finally, the last day of the work week, I could sleep to my normal time. However, after three days of getting up early, I was still awake early.

As I went to take my first bike ride of the week, the tablet that controls the system needed to do an update. While waiting, I called my doctor about an issue I've been having and then had an early lunch. Two hours later, the bike was still updating, so I started getting setup to record a video for my YouTube channel. Just as we were finishing setup, my doctor called back and wondered if I could come in immediately as he could work me in the schedule. Sara put away my camera and we headed to the doctor.

By the time we returned, my bike had finally completed updates, but it was too late in the day to get on it. What I had hoped to get accomplished didn't happen and it turned into a very busy day of waiting and guessing.

The Bible says to not boast about tomorrow as you don't know what may come. In this week's quad life, the was very true. I'm hopeful that tomorrow's holiday and the remainder of the week goes well. However, I will wait to say plans until after they happen!

Vacation Week

Iowa weather, like much of the country, has been up and down again this week. While my parents were gone, I had the air conditioner on early in the week and had trouble with over heating. Yesterday, I switched back to the furnace with indoor temps struggling to stay above 70.

When setting up my caregiver schedule, I was careful to arrange it so that I had someone every day that could get me on my exercise bike. Therefore, I had a new record of biking six days in a row. I wasn't able to record everything to the bike's database, but the sessions did at least happen.

I wasn't sure how my body would react to all the exercise, but it went pretty well. Monday through Thursday, my legs peddled for 3-4 minutes on their own each time, but only a little over two minutes on Friday. I thought maybe they had given up working, but then did over eight minutes on Saturday. I never know what to expect from my body, but I'm thankful I could have a new record of consecutive rides. This week, I will likely only get to bike once, if even that much.

It was nice having the house to myself again for the week and to see my parents have a break. The college student I have had this year offered to stay in town for an additional week after school to allow my parents to go. Now, she will not be in Iowa for most of the summer and we'll be back to a few open hours every week. Thankfully though, I am very blessed to have as many hours covered as I do.

Yesterday, I was reading a friend's comments on Facebook about caregiver experience. She, and her son, both need some assistance and rely on help. My friend had four interviews scheduled this past week with some perspectives not showing up and others declining the position an hour after being accepted. One accepted the position, trained for the job, but then didn't come for her first shift and blocked any contact.

Living the quad life has it's challenges in multiple areas. While I don't know what to expect next, I'm comforted knowing God is in control.

Feedback Trouble

It has been another week of juggling responsibilities and trying to keep everything accomplished, but it doesn't always go well. Problems with technology and debating theology only add to the challenges.

I am very thankful that I can continue to use the FES bike at home to exercise my legs and help improve circulation. Starting each bike session requires my setting to be downloaded from the internet, The conclusion of the ride is then uploaded to a database for long-term evaluation. Recently, my Monday bike report showed I have officially ridden 500 sessions for over 1650 miles. However, that may be the last correct report for a while.

My small town started offering high-speed internet about a year ago. I got it last fall and have somewhat liked the service, but it is new and has some bugs to work out. Just over a week ago, a technician came to try to fix slow browsing speed we were experiencing. His work helped, but the bike will no longer connect to the wireless network. I have worked with multiple technicians for several hours, but without any progress. I can still bike without internet connection, but it means my settings can't be adjusted and my sessions can't be recorded. One affordable possible solution still exists, but I will need to find hardware to test the theory yet.

This week, two large web projects also officially started. For one, I have been communicating with the site owner for a few weeks and was eager to get started. However, I keep finding unexpected issues that delay starting on it. I feel bad telling the client I have more areas to solve that start, but I hope to get started and make significant progress soon.

Next week, I am also scheduled to preach at a church in the Des Moines area. I was very reluctant to agree to preach as I know the denomination and congregation have different views on the Bible than me. I did end up saying I would preach with the thought that maybe what God has given me would be helpful to the congregation. I sent my service material to the worship team a few days ago which sparked some lengthy message exchanges on uncertainty on my message and its acceptance for the congregation. I am still going to give the message, but I'm praying more earnestly that God uses me to help teach His Word in truth.

Starting tomorrow, I also have the house to myself for a few days while my parents take a much needed vacation. It has been a busy quad life that looks to continue for a few weeks, but I'm thankful God has continued to help me stay active and be used for His glory.

Six Years and Four Minutes

In July 2015, I first used an FES bike for my legs. Since then, I have regularly used the system and written about on here before. In the nearly six years I have biked, my legs have pedaled over 1,450 miles over hundreds of sessions. Those numbers are impressive and I'm very thankful God has allowed me to do it. However, I have been concerned about other results during my times on the bike.

As a review, the bike provides electrical stimulation to my leg muscles through pads that are placed on them. A motor in the bike moves the pedals while giving stimulation. If my muscles react strong enough to the provided pulse, the motor turns off and my own body does the biking on my own.

Early in 2021, I had a number of times during my 30-minute ride that I would go for a full minute or more on off the motor. My legs responded to the stimulation correctly and were able to bike without the motor taking control. It also meant for nearly 29 minutes I was just along for the ride, but it was at least something. Unfortunately, my legs have gone lazy the last several months and only done 7-30 seconds independently each time. Biking is still great for circulation, some muscle building, and bone maintenance, but it's best if my own muscles can put forth effort and also burn calories.

Thinking to my bike history, it has been 3-4 years since any of my stimulation settings were adjusted. On Thursday, I connected with a remote support therapist from Restorative Therapies (the bike manufacturer). The physical therapist took my history, connected to my bike's computer, and made a few changes. She slowed my speed from 40 RPM to 32, increased the power going to the electrodes, and other adjustments.

As I watched my legs slowly go in circles, I noticed the computer recording much more power coming from my muscles. At the end of the 35-minute ride, they had gone for 2:55 without the motor. On Friday, the time increased to 4:04 without assistance. Both of these times are new records for me in the years I've been cycling. I now go about 0.2 miles less per session with the decreased speed, but I would rather have quality than quantity.

Even though we live in a sin cursed world that includes disabilities, God has not abandoned us. I'm thankful He has provided technology like this bike to help with many areas. I look forward to this week's biking and to see what results come. After years of occasionally burning 0.1 calories, I may even double that amount for a full bite of ice cream!