Share
Don't Worry. Do Wheelies!
There Is No Crystal Ball | Episode 56
People send Abbie their injury level, their scans, sometimes the doctor's notes and ask what's going to happen. When she asks whether knowing would change anything, they say yes: they want to know the outcome before deciding how hard to work. This episode is about why that's a bad trade.
Lorie's surgeon told her it was one of the worst spines he'd ever operated on, and that he didn't expect her to feel or move anything. She internalized it, expected a bad outcome, and did every single thing her PT asked of her anyway including a paraplegic obstacle course she mostly did because it looked fun. She walks now, and she's clear that she can't tell you what made that happen.
In this episode:
- Why "will I walk again?" is the wrong question to gate your effort on
- What an ASIA score actually tells you — and what it doesn't
- Lorie's rehab ward: obstacle courses, transfer competitions, and why a room full of 16-to-24-year-olds changed everything
- The health problems that arrive WITH walking, not instead of it
- Rehab regret, and the difference between "I tried and it didn't happen" and "I gave up"
- Why a successful rehab is defined by what you gave, not what you got
More episodes
View all episodes
58. The Full-Time Job You Never Applied For | Ep 58
19:59||Season 1, Ep. 58Abbie told a client of more than 20 years that spinal cord injury is a full-time job, and the client wrote back to thank her because in two decades, nobody had ever said it out loud. This episode is about what that sentence does for people. Lorie and Abbie talk through why existing itself becomes the workload, why naming that isn't a pity party, and why falling behind on chores and appointments is the expected outcome rather than proof you're failing. Lorie is honest that she hits this wall every single day, not once. Plus a candid stretch for the clinicians listening: when the system measures units and cancellations instead of whether anyone felt heard, it gets easy to say "I hear you" and move on and it takes about two seconds to say it differently.57. Walking Is the New Running | Episode 57
13:53||Season 1, Ep. 57Almost everyone starts with the same goal: I want to walk like I did before the injury. This episode is about why that framing quietly sets people up to feel like they failed and what a more useful picture looks like. After a spinal cord injury, walking is your running and wheeling is your walking. Lorie describes the first months back on her feet, when ten minutes of walking bought her three hours flat on the couch, and the constant calculation she still runs today: when is pushing productive, and when is it doing damage you'll pay for later? Abbie offers the clinical test for that line: did you lose function the next day?55. They Were Waiting For Her To Crack
17:34||Season 1, Ep. 55Lorie's doctors spent weeks waiting for her to break down after her spinal cord injury. She never did. This episode is about grief that doesn't look like grief, why there's no correct way to process a life-changing injury, and what actually goes wrong when you fake someone else's process.54. You're Not a Rehab Failure | Episode 54
21:00||Season 1, Ep. 54Everyone says the goal after spinal cord injury is walking. It isn't. In this episode we make the case for independence as the real goal, the highest level you can personally reach, and push back on the idea that not walking means rehab failed.53. Rethinking What Walking Does For You | Episode 53
17:54||Season 1, Ep. 53Walking after spinal cord injury isn't one thing. We break down functional walking, actually getting places, versus non-functional walking, where standing and stepping serve your body instead of your destination. Non-functional doesn't mean purposeless: bone density, circulation, and bowel health all benefit.52. "No One Will Love Me Now" is the Most Common Lie After SCI
16:50||Season 1, Ep. 52Spoiler: Lorie has a husband who thinks she's the greatest. Abbie has watched newly injured patients find love, start families, and build lives that look nothing like what they feared. In this episode, they tackle the grief of the "old self," the reality of dating after SCI, and why your injury is not the end of your love story, it might just be chapter two.51. Stop Fearing the Future. Start Building It | Ep 51
27:13||Season 1, Ep. 51Aging with SCI comes loaded with fear and very few answers but there's more you can do about it than anyone told you. Abbie breaks down the real connection between muscle mass, cardiovascular health, and longevity after SCI, and Lorie brings the lived experience that turns science into something you can actually act on today.50. Pool Noodles & Drowned Walkers | Ep 50
07:29||Season 1, Ep. 50Abbie and Lorie bring it back to the clinical and practical side of aquatic therapy. They break down what water therapy is actually useful for and what it isn't, so you can go in with the right expectations. From spasticity and tone relief to maximizing muscle coordination with less joint demand, they cover who benefits most and at what stage. Plus, pro tips on doing it affordably without a fancy facility, including throwing your walker in the pool and strapping on a life jacket.