Hah, Hah fooled you, I'm a Submarine!

The next paddle trip was at Edisto Beach in South Carolina on a tidal creek. My friend Rose took a quick what-am-I-supposed-to-do paddling class from me giving word descriptions from the forward position in the kayak. The aluminum "gripper" brackets on my paddle were bent just enough to allow my hands to slip out from under the pads as before.

The really cool part of that tidal creek experience was observing a dolphin surfacing about 150 yards away. It surfaced perhaps a dozen times at that distance and then disappeared. Approximately 10 minutes after the distance sightings that curious mammal having swum directly beneath my kayak reappeared at a 1 o'clock position five feet off the bow. It was swimming in the same direction we were paddling but far more efficient with its mobility than we were managing. That dolphin was every bit as big but probably bigger than the kayak. Thankfully dolphins are friendly. I was hoping one would surface with its nose by our side so we could reach out and greet each other. Not to be this time because he never surfaced again within our site after leaving us rather in a hurry.

The pressure on the grips apparently proved to be too much stress on the plastic shields because they ended up cracking and eventually breaking the entire width of my hand.

The next prototype is on the drawing board and being produced at the machine shop. I'm hoping to field test these new grips before the weather turns cold.

The theory behind these new grips is for hand placement to remain in place because of at least but not limited to 4 factors.

1. Forward slippage is supposed to be prevented by "grasping" a T-post with my fingers. The grip handle that my fingers wrap around is 15 degrees at an inward tilt from vertical, bringing my thumbs closer together at the top in an ergonomic position.
2. A lightweight padded plate made from 3/16 inch aluminum is the foundation of this grip to which everything is attached. This plate also provides a "wall" for the palms of my hands to press against for allowing "grip" to be maintained via adduction (inward towards the center) motion from the shoulders through the arms.
3. The forward power stroke of paddling is accomplished by keeping my wrists held in place at the bottom with a padded "wrist shelf" and at the top with an adjustable pin that is also padded.
4. The left and right grips are fastened to the paddle shaft with a pin that couples down to a clamp housing fastened to the paddle shaft. This pin will allow the grips to pivot on the paddle shaft such that I won't have to paddle in an arms held out starch in the deodorant stiffness.

One of these days you will hear the familiar tune "Row, row, row your boat gently down ..." echoing between the river banks once I have this gripper thing working for me. Hopefully the second line won't be "Hah, hah fooled you, I'm a submarine." Stay tuned for progress as it unfurls.

Gettin' Snug with an Octopus

Sitting around in a wheelchair is something I have pretty much grown to accept. But sitting still is not something I do well so while driving around town one day I found myself spending some time with my friend Sam Sallee.

When two outdoor Bloke's come together you can be assured the topic of conversation will sooner or later come around to activity in the outdoors or at least how to get there. This particular conversation turned outdoors sooner than later. Sam asked me if I had ever thought about getting back into paddling. I told him, "yes, but have shrugged it off for lack of a support group willing to help make it happen for me."

A couple months later a friend of mine from the Adirondacks of New York said I was going paddling if she had anything to do with it. That was all the nudge I needed so I headed to Outdoor Experience where canoes and kayaks are sold. Who owns the store? Sam and Heather Sallee. I started drooling all over myself considering the possibilities of a kayak that would get me back on scenic waters.

Sam ordered a Necky tandem without charging me before first trying it out in a swimming pool. He made arrangements to have a crowd of guys at the pool to help insert me into the kayak. I came having done my research for keeping my non-gripping hands attached to the paddle shaft. The method of choice and most affordable was to use strips of bicycle inner tube and zip ties.
Test day came and I was in the kayak. Slipping my hands between the inner tubes and paddle shaft proved to be an unsatisfactory challenge. I kept slipping out from under the inner tubes which significantly limited my ability to contribute to the paddling momentum. That experience turned on the inventive processes in my head in favor of a better grip system for the paddle so I bought the boat.

The first thing I tried was having the hook portion of Velcro stitched to the palm and grip side of the fingers on a pair of water ski gloves. I had long strips of the loop part of Velcro wound around the paddle shaft where I desired my hands to be placed. Getting my curled fingers into those gloves was a major battle for anyone willing to help me. The job description required whoever helped me to have a major element of patience. Once the gloves were on I found them to be extremely effective for scratching what itched... if I could come loose of the paddle. Not being able to open or close my hands challenged the proper placement on the paddle shaft. It was kind of like hugging an octopus when I came near the paddle shaft with my gloves.

Each pull of the paddle rendered me less stuck to the shaft and also feathered the blades ineffective for forward momentum. But I was on the water and it felt good. It was a good thing I was paddling tandem with Susan who had an effective grip on her paddle. The next prototype was coming together "upstairs" with each ripping sound of Velcro.

The grips I put together next were made out of aluminum. I designed them while I was involved with my CAD classes and had access to a program called Inventor.

After carefully measuring angles where I intended padding to press against the back of my hand and across the top of my fingers distal of the first knuckle I drew something I thought could work. Rather than painting a word picture I'll let the actual pictures contribute to the explanation how they worked.

The whole idea was to slip my hands between the paddle shaft and the padded brackets such that would hold my hand in a "grip" position onto the paddle shaft. I first tested my hands-on position in my bedroom with the paddle blades against my foot board of the bed. My hands seemed like they were going to stay. The true test came on a section of the Hiawassee River that included class I and II sections of white-water and a final class III that showed my brother Darron and me the kayak remains on the surface even with it completely submerged with me still seated in the kayak… sort of.

Before getting in the kayak at the put in, I requested sunscreen be slathered over vulnerable sections of skin as a sunburn preventive. The sunscreen on the backs of my hands proved to be a bad idea when the water splashed on my hands. Each time I pulled on the paddle my hands were slick as grease and they came out from under the padding like a fresh watermelon seed being squeezed between a finger and thumb. I spent most of the trip down the river reinserting my hands under the padding.

I decided that padding needed to be thicker so that it would create greater force against my hand. Larger pieces of padding were cut and glued into place after returning home from the Hiawassee trip. I tried using this arrangement twice. The challenge was getting my hands in that tight squeeze. It took somebody helping me to get my hands in place. Once they were in place the squeeze was so tight my hands started going numb. Fortunately the trial was no longer than 30 minutes at which point it required some serious tugging to get my hands free.

So Far so Good!

The ever lurking UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections) has been a battle that has had me buffaloed for many years. I have tried so many different tips communicated to me from other SCI's (Spinal Cord Injuries), doctors, nurses and health minded friends but I could always count on eventually spending some quality time networking with my friends at the ER or doctor's offices.

My record for being UTI free is eleven months. Three or four UTIs during the span of a year is considered good for me but I started battling these little devils every three or four weeks to the point of getting involved with a transurethral sphincterotomy... twice, about 14 months apart. Bladder retention eventually came around to what the sphincterotomy was supposed to accomplish but I was still experiencing UTIs far too frequently. All I could do was take more antibiotics. The flora in my GI (gastrointestinal) was getting way out of balance with so many antibiotics. Not only was I having to treat the UTIs but was also attempting a GI flora balance with acidophilus and non-dairy yogurt.

The whole experience was getting to be a faster juggling act than I could keep up with. I was becoming allergic to some sulfa antibiotics and resistant to others and the UTIs were coming at a 10-14 day frequency. I started wondering if this was eventually going to be my exit from this earth. My prayer was, "Lord, have mercy! I need a good answer for staying healthy and UTI free."

A fellow SCI and friend, Mike Lamb, from California called sometime during the second week of August to "catch up" and asked how I was doing. I mentioned my challenge with UTIs and he asked if I had ever heard of D-Mannose. Mike's mention of this nutritional supplement was the first I had ever heard of it.

The next day I did an Internet search and found very positive testimonials from people that had experienced the same infection challenges I was having. I was still a little skeptical because the testimonials were coming from web sites that sold the D-Mannose product. I expanded my search to web sites that included unbiased studies on the use of D-Mannose. They were not quite as optimistic but still showed very positive results in favor of preventing and even attacking and eliminating UTIs.

I figured I had nothing to lose so I ordered my first bottle. August 15 was my last day on a five-day round of Levaquin and also the day my D-Mannose order arrived in the mail. Urine clarity that day was still not as clean as I had seen it after antibiotic treatment. I started the recommended maintenance dosage of the D-Mannose that day. About four or five days later I noticed a lot of visible particles floating in cloudy urine. I started the recommended three day treatment for UTI using this newfound (to me) supplement. It worked like a charm.

It has been a few days greater than a month since starting D-Mannose and I have remained UTI free without the use of antibiotics. My GI seems to be thanking me and I am feeling like my energy level is returning to a healthy voltage.

Anytime I consider the urine clarity to be questionable I take a second serving of D-Mannose that evening. By the next morning everything is running clear again. I am still operating cautiously optimistic with this product so stay tuned to my updates. I believe God uses our friends to help Him answer our anxious plea for help. Thanks, Mike, for the heads-up!

I have told my family doctor what I am doing. He wants me to keep him posted. I will be sharing this venture with my urologist at the next checkup. If this simple sugar from a European ash tree is doing such a terrific job at keeping users UTI free why hasn't the word flamed hotter?

I have found the D-Mannose product to be about half the price on the Internet as compared to the best price in town at a health food store. I am buying at iHerb.com. If this product proves itself with enough of us maybe we can start the LONG process of convincing insurance companies it would be far cheaper for them to pay for UTI prevention using D-Mannose than to pay for ER visits, doctor visits and even hospitalization.

Learn more about D-Mannose here.

Brutal to Jess-rat

The summer heat in the South East neck-O-da-woods has at last turned from brutal to jess rat a.k.a. just right. The August church campout I attended called for daytime attention to anti-heat stroke measures down by the river side having my shirt dipped in the chilly waters of the Obey where the temperatures are influenced from the bottom depths of Dale Hollow Lake. 103 degree daytime highs are not good for spinal cord injuries seeking activity in the outdoors. Towels dipped in ice water from the ice chests and then wrapped around my neck was my salvation during the day.

Night time lows are now entering the upper 40's to mid 50's and daytime highs in the mid to upper 70's or mid 80's. That's what I term jess rat for camping. I have got to pull plans together for the next campout... SOON!