Cecilia and I have now been working together for 4 years. When I first started private sessions with her, I was a mess. Cognitively, I felt very spacy. My body became uber tight as my muscles were extremely rigid and on the verge of atrophy. My entire right side was weak and felt disconnected from the rest of my body. My walking had become very labored, especially when trying to lift my right foot up. I also had a difficult time standing up from a seated position. On top of all this, when I was touched without warning, I would practically jump out of my skin. Emotionally, I was still in complete denial that I had PD. Although I was telling certain people about my diagnosis, I didn't really believe it myself. I honestly thought it would go away. To say the least, after so many years of deep stretching and intense workouts, it was mind boggling that I could no longer control my body, nor do the things that I did so easily before PD. My frustration level soared to an all time high.
No matter how many times I cried or said "I can't", Cecilia never gave up on me. She had much more faith in me than I had in myself at that time. Because my brain was so foggy, it was hard for me to remember what she had just said 5 minutes before. We did a lot of stretching and walking movements in the beginning. I did not see any progress, which only made me feel worse. But the real problem was that I was on the wrong medications, so it was impossible for me to get any better. I remember her telling me over and over again, how important it was that I exercise daily, even if I just went for a short walk around the block. Although I heard her, I didn't believe that it was necessary to do what she was saying, because I knew my body much better than she did. I almost felt like she was patronizing me. Because I was very over medicated and being tossed around between different doctors, I didn't stand a chance of getting any better.
It wasn't until I somehow realized that my body and emotions were completely out of control for the second time, that I finally woke up and took action. I ended up back in the ER (for the second time) this past February, completely over medicated and hallucinating. Talk about scared! After the nightmare of being in the hospital again was over, I ended up (through a weird set of circumstances) back with a Dr who I had consulted with a few years ago. He has made some big changes in my meds, and because of those changes, I am bouncing back to life! More on my wonderful Dr. later.
Cecilia and I took a break about a year ago. As soon as I started feeling better earlier this year, I started thinking about her again. Great minds truly do think alike. A few months back, she came by to say hello. The rest as they say is history or in my case "herstory"! We have just finished an intensive six week Pilates program (Pilates4Parkinson's), and I am feeling wonderful and very flexible. It is amazing what happens when you get off of medicines that are hurting rather than helping. Since I can think clearly again, I realize that everything she told me all those years ago were absolutely correct. I credit her with bringing me back physically. We are not done working together, by any means. Cecilia, I thank my lucky stars that I met you! Your help means the world to me. May G*d Bless you always!
♡ Cecilia, Her beautiful daughter Helena and Me ♡
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