Week 2 of Restoring Pathways is part of a weekly series written by Health Services Navigator, Teena Marie Johns. Here Johns shares some of her experiences living with Multiple Sclerosis as well as her observations and learnings of constructive health practices.

Today was pretty good.  I was at work and started to feel my confidence dropping.  I worried that I couldn’t make it out on my own, that it would take too long, etc.  Meanwhile, I realized I’d done the exact same thing earlier in the day when I was leaving medical records to go back to my office.  But I managed well, sending messages to my legs and practicing shifting my weight from side to side to help me. My Chinese therapist, who treats me with external  Qi Gong healing, helped me connect with the feeling of shifting my weight from side to side with each step.  It really has helped.  So, when the end of the day came, I tried 10 deep breaths visualizing my route and took off.  It went well and I even was faster!  I also had some extraordinary conversations along the way.  People are so helpful holding the door for me.  I make a point of always saying thank you and telling them that I try and do something for someone else so that the goodness gets passed forward. It makes for a nice win-win contact.

My pool is now functional and there’s nothing like a glacial dip to help with pathway restoration.  Last week when I was working out with Chelsea, I went on the treadmill after my swim.  It was incredible how well things went.  That’s when I decided that no matter what, I would do some walking after my swim.  I think, for me, that is the best time to restore function.  It helps my body remember how to function normally.

I’m never giving up hope of recovery.

Read the next post from Teena Marie on Restoring Pathways
Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis

Read the previous post from Teena Marie on Restoring Pathways
Transitioning to Forearm Crutches
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Teena Marie Johns is a registered nurse with over 35 years of expertise in the field of vaccination, pediatric infectious disease and more recently as a health service navigator. Living with MS since 1998, she manages her health through rehab therapy, meditation and Qi Gong.

Qigong is a form of Energy medicine. Considered a major branch of and precursor to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong incorporates Mind-Body Interventions, and is also a Manipulative and Body Based Therapy.