Against the odds England beat France in the Rugby Six Nations tournament this weekend however my amount of exercise was curtailed by a bacterial growth in my urine requiring antibiotic intervention.
I felt fine but it took the edge away from me to be able to go out and do any ‘proper’ aerobic work. I believe having extensive contact with those with spinal cord injury – both at work as clients and as friends – that we all have at least one Achilles heel. That is to say a real weakness that wasn’t there ( or to the same extent) before paralysis that now has a profound, and often acute, impact on our lives.
These weaknesses tend to fall into 3 categories,
- ‘Bowel malfunctions’
- Skin complaints – pressure sores, skin breakdown
- Bladder – in particular urine tract infections, to which I am prone.
With an eye on the 1st National Disabled Triathlon championships in June , despite feeling under the weather, I forced myself to pick up the dumbbells for the first time in years.