Things started getting better...

Thanks to a loan from a friend, along with a lot of help with errands from friends here at my building, I made it into the New Year.

I had stabilized in some minor ways compared to 2014, but was still losing muscle, so out of sheer desperation, I posted this photo (below) in a private Facebook group, asking if anyone had any suggestions.

2014: Note the bony legs, despite heavy jeans, and arms covered by four layers.

After almost four hundred replies (that went off into about 300 different tangents!), a doctor who specializes in chronic conditions saw the post and offered a free 15-minute consult. This will probably sound melodramatic, but he basically helped save my life by pointing out two simple, but very important missing pieces of my puzzle. 
 
As mentioned earlier, things had gotten so bad I was very close to becoming bedridden. I needed a cane to (barely) get out of bed, and required a walker about 90% of the day to move just a few feet in my apartment without falling. Within just 2 weeks, I went from depending on that walker 90% of the day to only 20%. 

And although I've had a few dips since then, I can finally say that for the most part, I've been able to hold onto those gains. I currently need the walker maybe once or twice a week inside my apartment and a wheelchair outside my apartment. But even though my activity is still very limited, I've also started experiencing other small improvements as well, which I'll write about in future posts. What seemed completely impossible 17 months ago, no longer does. 

The next step is to build on these gains so I can finally put together the rest of this puzzle or get really close to it!  And that's where I need your help.

Please join me and click here for more details!