Rach'll Fix It For You - And You - And You - And You - And Bah Bah Bah . . .

Well as Christmas is fast approaching I thought some of you might like an update on my progress.

Over the last few weeks I have been noting down my achievements as I made them. Here is a list:

Standing up while taking a shower
Standing while brushing my teeth / applying make up -
king a meal in the kitchen
Walking to the car without my walking stick
50 metre swim
Walking around the office without walking stick
Carrying 2 loads of washing out to the communal washing area
Taking rubbish out to the bins
200 metre swim (25 metres freestyle)
Forgetting my walking stick and leaving it in the office
Walking over to the shop near the office without my walking stick
450 metre swim
06.10.09 - One full day without walking stick
440 metre walk in 6 minutes unaided
Walk around business park unaided
Carrying my laptop bag around and up stairs
600 metre swim
800 metre swim (200 metres freestyle)

And yesterday at physio - 555 metre walk in 6 minutes unaided.

I saw all my doctors a few weeks ago and I have been given the all clear to get back to life and up the cardio. I think wrestling and Rugby are out of the equation - but swimming and stationary cycling are in.

I am still seeing Rod at physio but it is more sporadic now. I still have laborious and boring exercises to do to strengthen muscle groups but I can do so much more now - no more excuses!

I am attending a focus group through the social services department in a couple of weeks to air ideas on how better to support people with spinal cord injuries when they have left hospital. And whether or not a mentor or support person who has been through the same thing could be beneficial. I would feel a bit of cheat mentoring someone with a more severe injury as it is all becoming a distant memory now and it's only my slightly flat footed walk and poor cardio ability that reminds me these days. Saying that, maybe even them reading my blog might help someone. So I'll keep you posted.

I have big plans for next year...but let's wait for next year to arrive first. . .

I went to Hamilton at the weekend and more specifically the Dunkeld Races - Here's a lovely pic of us lovely girls on a lovely hot day. Chris, Gib, Nat, Marie, Mia and Rach

5 days AFO FREE!!

I can't quite believe it myself as my AFO's were supposed to be the last thing (if ever!) to stay and remind me of the last few months.

It started gradually - taking my first steps...oh melodramatic Milney. It didn’t happen like that at all.

The bloody expensive carbon fibre AFO’s started to rub and leave marks on my feet. These marks would not go away and the pain just intensified. I showed Rod. He was concerned as these pressure spots could easily break the skin and then I would be in trouble. So he suggested walking around my “..house and immediate environment with caution..” without AFO’s but in shoes.
Of course this just gave me the confidence to push it a little further. I went 2 straight days without them. I couldn’t walk far but managed breakfast and dinner dates with friends and generally, as long as I didn’t have to walk too far – I was fine!

I am now at least 5 days AFO free.

With a giant leap forward – you can’t help but totter a little bit backwards. It’s fatiguing. I’ve needed my sleep this week (10+ hours) but WOW.

The AFO’s really tighten up my calf muscles which in turn fight against the improvement of the dorsie flexion. Going calf naked has helped my muscles loosen up a little and so I have noticed an increase in the range I can dorsie flex.

I am back to my full time job, I am well rested and taking good care of myself. I didn’t mind as the season officially changed as I also had a spring in my step!

New Walking Stick

Okay so it's not as exciting as a new car or even a new pair of shoes - although I will probably spend quite some time with my new stick over the next few weeks.

So I needed a nice one.

I think it makes me look interesting. Maybe someone who works in "The Arts". A Playwright. An Art Critic.....Maybe just a girl with a walking stick

Sad News...

I know you all know about the Jeannie Little that caused a stir at The Alfred Hospital and while she was also my roomie at Hotel Caulfield. Real name Christine Mitchell.

The same Christine Mitchell that had a neck brace, a full back brace and hid her wine in the stroller trolley. The feisty Christine Mitchell that refused to stay in the hospital and got her stuff together and went to catch the bus home, the same Christine Mitchell who told the nurses what to do and not the other way round.

The same Christine Mitchell that died in her sleep on Saturday morning around 6am.

I was on my way to see her that day when her husband Gary called me to let me know. He is heart broken.

She couldn't take the pain anymore and Gary tells me she passed away peacefully.

RIP CHRIS

X

Doing The Lambeth Walk - OI!!

There are better things in life than alcohol, but alcohol makes up for not having them.

There are better things in life than alcohol, but alcohol makes up for not having them.
Terry Pratchett

Beginning of week 3 back at work and 4 weeks since my last update.

Week 1 was the hardest back to work. On the first day I felt like I had the stuffing knocked out of me – having to tell people what had happened and what my prognosis was – made it all a little real. I haven’t had my head in the sand by any accounts but I came back to a new job as a new me – a broken version.

I had got my groove on by Wednesday and then started to get very tired on Thursday and Friday. Week 2 was the same, although I feel my confidence is coming back. Work has been very supportive. I am still attending 2 physio sessions a week and have the odd hospital appointment that they are happy for me to go to.

I am taking it really easy in the evenings. I am still getting to the pool 3 or 4 times a week and enjoying the days I am home from work at 5:30 with nothing but peace and quiet.

It’s still dry July (now I know how Jesus felt with 40 days and 40 nights!) and I am a new woman! I can confidently say I haven’t done anything to hinder my recovery. Only aid it. I feel like Adam Ant is singing down at me: “don’t drink? don’t smoke? What do ya do?” (shuddup Adam you 80’s throwback!)

I now have my new lightweight, carbon fibre AFO’s. And I have purchased 2 pairs of knee high boots that fit and cover them well. After weeks and weeks of accumulating various versions of knee high socks, I finally feel I am reclaiming my legs! Those skirts and dresses Mum and I buried away a few months ago are now within my reach.

Dorsiflexion: Remember the foot action I am missing? The lifting of the foot – the dorsi flexion. I would gauge I have roughly 20/30% back. When my toenails are looking pretty I will post a new video – I have come a long way since “wiggle your big toe”

I hope you like the video of me showing off. You notice a much more upright me, with less wobble.

Most weeks at Physio, I am put through a series of tests I have mapped this chart to show my progression.

TEST 1 – TUG – Timed Up and Go. From a sitting position, stand up, walk around a cone that is 2 metres in front, walk back and sit back down. The aim is to do it in as little time as possible.

TEST 2 – 10 metre walk. Self explanatory but foot steps are also counted. The idea is to do it in the quickest time with the least amount of footsteps.

TEST 3 – 6 minute walk – Walk as far as you can in 6 minutes. UP and down the Breezeway at the Caulfield Hospital. I started on a gutter frame, progressed to zimmer frame, then onto crutches.

I am now being timed on 1 crutch.

It’s not all peaches and cream. I can’t sugar coat everything. But I am in a good space right now. I have come a long way and am nearly at the stage where people will be asking me how I got my little blue car park sticker!

My physio, Rod , and I have set realistic goals (well I set them and Rod tells me if they are realistic or not!)

These are my latest goals:

By the end of July, I should be proficient on one crutch (nearly there!).

By the end of August, I expect to be proficient using one walking stick (starting to practise with 2 at the moment)

By the end of September I envisage I can walk most of the time without support. Just with my AFO’s.

And I am getting away with myself if I go much further than that – Rod thinks – personally I think I will be 90% fixed by Christmas – no AFO’s for most of the time (but I didn't say that out loud as that would make it real!)

Again thanks for all your continued support, it's been appreciated and I will keep updating you all with my progress.

The Next Big Challenge...

This is the first time in 3 months I have been in my own company. I am becoming a little introspective.

Without the distraction of Doctors, Nurses, Physio's, Specialists, Visitors and my Mum, I am getting some time to think. I am still upbeat and positive, but it has been an emotional time for me. I think I am finally grieving. But before you all call me or email me worried I am spiralling into a pit of despair, I am not. I am just entering another level of acceptance and getting used to being on my own again.

I saw the Club Caulfield Registra on Monday. Dr. Richard said it was a good thing to get back to work as people who stay off work for prolonged periods, have disabilities that own them. I need to own my disability.

I officially go back to work on the 13th July now so have the next 2 weeks to rest, repair and get to the hydrotherapy pool as much as possible. This really keeps me spirits up.

I am still reliant on the crutches although the stability through my pelvis is returning and I do not have to put as much weight on them. I can take a few more steps without the crutches and without the AFO's and not wobble like I am auditioning for HAPPY FEET 2.

My next personal goal, is proficiency using only one crutch.

With incomplete spinal cord injuries, I am told, the major recovery happens within the first 3 or 4 months - then it plateaus and recovery slows down. After 2 years, if you have not recovered 100%, you are not likely to. So as I embark on my 4th month, I have had a word with myself. I need to rest and recover as much as I can.

I am already doing a lot with the exercise, healthy eating and not smoking. Just one more demon to face….

Although there is no scientific evidence to suggest that alcohol can slow the healing process (broken bones are different) after a few drinks you think you are superman and with the rains coming down here in Melbourne, the ground is wet. Crutches on wet ground can equal a disaster. Now add a few smooth reds with your friends down the local Pub and we could be looking at more time in hospital!


So, I have signed up for DRY JULY. The challenge is to get people to sponsor me for an ALCOHOL FREE JULY - The money goes to selected cancer charities.

You can sponsor me here: https://www.dryjuly.com/profiles/rachaelmilne
(it seems I put the wrong link in, I wondered why I had received ZERO sponsors - now you can try again, it's for charity you know - CANCER charities)

I get the feeling this will be harder than quitting smoking, but I will commit to it. Also on the dry July bandwagon are Nat and Kelly.

In the back of my car and ready to be returned to the hospital…is The KARMA Queen. I haven’t needed my trusty steed for weeks now so it’s ready for someone who does!



The pic at the top is taken from one of the wineries at The Clare Valley, South Australia. A gang of us went at the weekend and I just wanted to say thanks to them all for looking out for me.

Penguin, Weeble or Cockney Sparrow - you decide!

This is my 4th week out of hospital. And my Mum's last week with me. I don't know what I would have done without her these last 5 weeks. I really wonder how I would have coped.


I think I would still be wearing the same pair of pants and I wouldn't be able to leave the flat because of all the pizza boxes up against the door!

Mum extended her stay by a week as I still really needed her. I still really need her, everyone needs their Mum! It's times like this you subconsciously position yourself into the fetal position and suck your thumb.

However, there comes a point when the apron strings need cutting. That will be Friday night.
I just want to say a BIG FAT THANK YOU to my Mum and remind her I LOVE HER!


On another note, I made my first few steps without my crutches, this shows the stability in my pelvis area is coming back, I have signs of movement returning in both my ankles (this is what they thought might never come back) and generally I have got a little stronger every day.
I have my car, I am mobile and it's brilliant! I did a few hours work this week that I will be ramping up over the next month.



This won't be the last blog post as I still have a little way to go. For now though I thought you might enjoy these videos

Driving Test. . .

Martin Luther King Jr, said,

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom..."

I like this quote, I feel I have gone through a huge period of change since I wheeled into that physio gym, it sometimes felt like an uphill struggle. I want to straighten my back up and press on.

But then he went onto say.

"...A man can't ride you unless your back is bent."

So now I'm not so sure.

It’s been 2 weeks since I left hospital. It feels like a lot longer as so much seems to have happened in the same space of time where I have done very little.
For the first week I worked on my endurance levels. Mum and I set a daily goal, an errand to run or a place to get to. I built that up to being able to use the crutches for up to 750 metres non stop.

With all this walking , I had worn out the rubber on the bottom on my crutches. This resulted in me falling over, twice. Once in Safeway (safe, way, ironic really) and once in the showers at the local swimming pool.

The only thing I hurt was my pride and luckily I had practised how to get up from the ground in my physio sessions.

I have not used the wheelchair for 12 days. The KARMA QUEEN (the wheelchair brand is Karma - who thought of that?) is still parked at home like my trusty steed, but is now covered in clothes.

I went for my first outpatients appointment at the hospital last Thursday and met with the orthopaedic surgeon and the spinal surgeon who is responsible for the 4 inch line down my back. And the successful operation of course.
I learnt that the nerve that is damaged was actually cut during the operation. This is wide open for analysis but without being a spinal surgeon and conscious during the op, I won't delve further into it.

After the appointment Mum and I went on the hunt for new rubber bottoms for my crutches. We were successful and I even got a couple of spares. I always thought I would carry a different kind of spare rubber in my hand bag.

3 weeks ago I thought I would be driving a specially adapted hand control car. Today I passed my test in an automatic. I drove brilliantly. I only wish I had done so well 13 years ago on my first test...and my second test...
A big thanks to Marie for trusting in me and letting me drive her car round the block a couple of times last week. It gave me great confidence getting behind the wheel again, in a pressured situation.

So much confidence in fact I have already chosen my car, My friend Kelly was kind enough to give up her day off and drive me around to different car yards yesterday.

It's a mine field out there and I have decided that as well as politics and religion, cars should not be discussed over dinner. Opinion after conflicting opinion from guys who are currently auditioning for Underbelly 3. Of course the car I like was at the first car yard, but we still had to go to 3 others and drive for 6 hours - yawn!

I will hopefully be mobile by Wednesday…watch this space.

Its official, my Mum knows someone in every Country. Not content with meeting an ex prisoner in Thailand 8 years ago, she’s managed to drag up a cousin here in Melbourne, that she hasn't seen in 58 years. We are having lunch with her on Monday.

So onwards and upwards everyone. And thanks for all the votes of confidence!

I'm Coming Out, I Want The World To Know, Got To Let It Show...

So it’s really happening. I will be discharged tomorrow. I am required to check out of Hotel Caulfield by 11am.

How do I feel?

Well, good, I guess. Sort off…

7 weeks ago, when I woke up from the operation with little to no sensation and dull tingling in my toes, feet, legs, bum and saddle area – I must admit I panicked. I overwhelmed myself with thinking 6 months ahead and letting my imagination run wild. My head went into the clouds and I conjured up dark, depressing images of how my life will change, and quite frankly, I thought it was over. Ridiculous I know.

I remember feeling nervous about leaving The Alfred. I had no idea what rehab was (due to reading too many trashy magazines!) and I was still sore with the Medical Emergency Crew for passing up such a great storyline.

I managed to stay positive by breaking down my recovery into bite sized pieces. Initially one day at a time, then as more feeling came back, one week at a time.

While I have been in rehab, I have just focused on getting better and not worrying about anything. I spoke to my workplace and they reassured me my job was safe and they also told me to just focus on getting better. And I have done just that.

Don’t worry about a thing, just focus on getting better. Worry about everything later.

Ah!

Later.

Later is now,

Now is later.

SLAM!

That’s the noise I made when I came back down to earth.

So, it’s official. I am leaving on Friday. I’ve hired my wheelchair and crutches, my outpatients appointments have been made, I did a theory driving assessment yesterday and my practical driving assessment will be next week (this will determine if I can drive an automatic or only a hand control car). My flat has been fitted with all the modifications I require, The Pharmacist has the drugs ready and the nurses are talking about missing me. Ah bless.

So this next phase will be around integrating myself back into the real world again and eventually back to work.

I will have to change my world, although I still want a lot of my old world brought over, I can’t have it all.

Like I am 17 again, Mum is excited about me driving. She knows how much independence this can give someone. This is my next big project, broken down to bite sized pieces, next week the driving assessment, the week after the car. I hope it will be the automatic option.

My friend Petra hates the term ‘discharge” for reasons I won’t go into so I looked up the definition of discharge and here are my favourites:

To relieve of a burden
To release, as from confinement, care, or duty
To shoot
to relieve oneself

Let's hope I don't do a Frank Spencer down the Breezeway...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bec7FDJSKs

My Last Week

Dinner at the local Turkish restaurant

Art Therapy

Last week was a big week and although it left me feeling very weak., it was great to have Mum arrive and smash all my personal bests.

It was great meeting Mum at the airport. I wanted to be just on my crutches when she first met me, so I wouldn’t upset her, but after parking in a disabled spot and heading towards the front of the terminal, it was clear the distance was too much and Damo had to get me an airport wheelchair. However, Mum could see I was able to move my legs, stand and use the crutches for some of the way back to the car. So I think that set her mind at rest.

I am currently concentrating on endurance. Getting further on the crutches and relying less on the wheelchair.

When I was first told I was going on the treadmill, it freaked me out a little. The idea of walking on a machine that dictated how fast and far I walk, was a little scary.

But off I went, covering 400 metres in 15 minutes.

On Friday, I managed 600 metres in 15 minutes.

**smiles smugly**

Insert: 19.05.09 - I managed 1km today in 19 minutes

**furious clappimg, only stops when I make a "cut" motion with my hands**

This afternoon I decided I would use the crutches to get to the Post Office outside of the hospital– thankfully Mum was the bright spark who said she would follow with the wheelchair – she wheeled me more than I walked!

The fatigue I am experiencing isn’t cardio vascular and it isn’t a deep muscle burn like you would expect when you are exercising. The muscles are just not there, or built up yet. It feels very strange.

Still it’s all going in the right direction.

This should mean, due to my successes last week, even though I feel weak, this will be my last week in hospital.

Currently, my discharge date is 22nd May (this Friday) and although I don’t feel overwhelmed at the idea of going home, like I did a couple of weeks ago, I do feel a little uncertain.

The health farm has become my safe haven. I have mastered the breezeway (the 120 metre corridor that runs through the rehab centre).
I have a sense of purpose when I wake up as I know I have 2 physio sessions,
I can easily measure and track my progression in the safe, controlled environment that is the physio gym…..And I still haven’t finished my cheeseboard!!

I Now Have 3 Crutches...

Definition of "CRUTCH"

Crutches are medical tools used when a patient is injured usually anywhere below the waist. The word "crutch" can also refer to anything used by a person for psychological or emotional support.

Hotel Caulfield

I am not sure I have really talked about the hospital I am staying at. It's the Caulfield General Medical Centre and was built during World War 1 to house the diggers as they came back from the front line. The hospital was traditionally a rehabilitation centre, mainly for amputees. This is still its main specialisation, although there is an outpatient pathology and radiography centre.

I have tried to think of this place as a rehabilitation and health farm.

A little like The Priory Clinic, where lots of famous people stay.

Benefits include;

• breakfast in bed
• bed made every day linen changed weekly
• fresh towels left at the end of the bed every day
• 3 stable meals a day (that I have planned with a dietian)
• 2+ hours in the gym per day
• Personal Trainer
• exercise regime tailored to specific needs
• 4 x colonic irrigation since admission (near enough!)
• a team of specialists on call 24 hours a day
• own hairdresser and beautician on hand (as seen in pics)

This has paid off. I have been off the cigarettes 37 days and now I am an occasional drinker

So far this morning, I have had an influx of medical specialists interested in my well being.
Even before I got out of bed one of the nurses was offering to stick suppositories up my bum (which I refused - "of course my bowels haven't moved yet today, I am still in bed")
My psychotherapist came in to "have a chat"
My social worker visited and is arranging for my disability parking sticker (drive and passenger)
My Doctor briefly met with me and said he wanted to arrange a time to talk about my "sexuality, after the operation" - I told him nothing had changed and I was still heterosexual (he didn't laugh but my physio did)

I like it so much here I will be staying on. My stay has been extended until 21st May.

As I write this my Mum is airborne and although she laughed it off when I mentioned it earlier, is probably a 10 minute member of the mile high club. I can’t wait to see here.

At the weekend I had another night at home and managed a couple of cheeky reds at the local wine bar with Nat and KC. (pics above)

The Mummy Returns

Great news. My Mum comes over next week. She arrives on the 13th May and I can not wait to see her. My expected discharge date is also the 13th - although the physios are already talking about extending it - hopefully not for much longer.

In anticipation for my Mum's arrival and the possibility of still being discharged close to her arrival date, I am really focusing on rest.

I'm not really up for visitors this week, I am managing to extend my physio sessions and that means I need all the rest I can get. So if I can't be discharged on the 13th, I know it's not because I've been burning the candle at both ends.

Overnight Visit

On Saturday afternoon, I went home for an over night stay. It was very exciting, very tiring and beautifully showed off my shortcomings. I am not ready to go home yet.

Short trips from the sofa to the toilet and back, took more energy than a 20 metre walk. When you are learning to do something, you have to engage your brain and maybe mentally run through what you want to achieve before starting the action. When I am walking with the frame, I have to concentrate on what muscles to use. After about 5 metres of this repetition it takes a little less concentration for the muscles to work.

Short trips, 3 metres to the bathroom and back, it is all about getting there. So I found I was just using upper body strength and hauling myself around. Therefore putting extra strain on my back.

I did have a good time, some friends came round and we got some take out, played board games and finished off with a game of "celebrity heads". I think Marie was the only person who didn't cheat! She was (a) Babe.

A big thanks to Nat for being the responsible adult for most of the time and Kell's for the rest of the time. I know having to watch someone for 24 hours can be tiring.

Going back to the hospital, was, well, like going to work and doing a job you don't like, but know you have to do to make the rent and save for a holiday, to get as far away from the job as you can.

If you ever put your parents in a Nursing Home and take them out on day trips - that's the feeling they are experiencing as you take them back to the home.

Unless you have kids whereas they are probably just pleased to get away.

The pic attached are my new shoes - they are all the rage in physio, everyone is wearing them. Get used to them, I will have to. These are the AFO's or ankle-foot orthoses I have spoken about before.

Videos - Walking and Cheeseboard Progress...

Translation:

"This is Roger sanding my cheeseboard, I have just manuallly sanded it. Cheeseboard - yeah!"

Nerve Conduction Study Results...

My Nerve Conduction study was yesterday. The morning went without a hitch, I find the Ambulance journey's a bit dramatic, if anyone has ever been on an Ambulance stretcher - you become acutely aware of your weight and girth - they are fairly slim!

The Consultant I had was an interesting bloke who obviously liked his specialised subject. I got a bit of a history lesson before he started to shoot electric signals up my nerve to my spine to see what messages came back. Think of what Doctors would use on Smurfette if her heart stopped.

Then the pin came out. It was 2 inches long and was rammed into various points around my hips, down my legs and my feet. Acupuncture it was not! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

I am not really sure of the etiquette when it comes to Doctor's notes. The Consultant handed me a sealed envelope I was to give to my Doctor back here at Caulfield Hospital. I opened it immediately.

As expected, most of it I didn't understand. So I skipped to the conclusion...

"There is electrophysiological evidence of relative severe L5 radiculopathies bilaterally. Preserved Peroneal sensory responses indicate this is preganglionic. The absent recruitment in TA and TFL indicates complete conduction block proximally. There is a mechanical twitch of TA bilaterally indicating at least some preservation of axonal integrity proximally despite the presence of fibs and positive sharp waves. Likely early recovery due to the remyelination of neuropraxic fibres, however full recovery is likely to be protracted. (1 - 2 years)"

So I am sure you'll all agree this is great news!!

This video is from 28th April. I did a Zimmer Walk to the hospital cafe. It was about 300 metres. Yay!

Home visit

I am not sure i like occupational therapist's. Like the scorpion, they can look you in the eye with a sugar sweet smile on their face, then when you least expect it, strike you from behind, severing a main artery.

The artery of Hope.

You see they are actually lovely people (I have met 4, I am qualified to judge). Their job is to ' maximise my capacity to carry out my Activities of Daily Living ' (ADL's). They introduce apparatus that will assist me during this transitional period. Their job is to make sure i'm safe.
Of course their scorpion like sting is rhetorical. But it does feel like a slap in the face when they talk about: wheelchair access, adjustable shower seats, safety bars or bedside commode's. What they don't understand is that I won't need these things when i dance out of here. I might be on crutches but i will be dancing!
Why move the furniture in my front room for wheel chairs when i won't be in one? Why would i sit down in a shower? Isn't that the same as a bath?
I am not completely opposed to some of their ideas. I must admit the safety bars could be advantageous. I would prefer to put them on the wall near my front door so i have something to hang off when i am trying to put the key in the lock at 3 in the morning.

The bedside commode can stay.

Maybe the OT's are being a little OTT, but they have given me permission for a HOME VISIT on saturday night.

That will improve my ADL!

A Pivitol Week Ahead. . .

Just a quick post to let you know what a big week i have planned. Apart from my 2 hours of physio a day, i will also get my custom built AFO's, or leg and foot splints. They will be more comfortable and allow me to wear them for longer. On wednesday i get to go home with the occupational the rapist's to check what changes i need in the home. Make any quick changes there and then and inform the letting agents of any major changes. A quick thank you to Nat for cleaning my apartment and hopefully hiding anything that may cause red faces. Like BOB who might be lying on the bed. On thursday morning i head back to the Alfred hospital for nerve conduction studies. Not sure how it works but it will give me an idea of longer term objectives i MIGHT need to think about. I know it involves big needles! Then i may well be allowed a sleep over at chez raquel on saturday night. . . With the view to go home on 13 th and get home physio. Wow! I do hope i get my cheese board finished this week!

A Patients Patience. . .

. . . Can wear thin. It's just after 5 am. My friends wheeled me down to a lovely little Turkish place down the road and we had a fun night. Got back to the ward just after 9 and could tell jeanne was quite plastered by then. At 1 am she was still topping up her plastic cup. 1 30am she was still wheeling outside for a ciggie. 2 am she drunk dials her husband and at 3 am with the tv still blearing i call the nurses to put her to bed. Since then i have laid here listening to the grunts, groans, snore's and incessant chatter of a content woman on the same dose of downers they would give to kill a horse!

Meet my new roomie - "Hello Daaarling!"

Meet Christine, my new roomie. Aka Jeanne Little. Quite fabulous, even with her neck and full back brace. Poor Daaarling!

I first met Chris in the Alfred hospital and knew immediately what a character she was!

I like Chris, she is tall, very skinny with fabulous cheek bones. She had a fabulous shop in trendy South Yarra and a 40 year marriage to Gary that is still going strong.

Chris talks non stop in her sleep. I have never heard anything like it. Even with my foam earplugs I hear the odd, "Jackie Daaarling, how are you?" and "too true Pru, too true!"


Chris "loves a champagne Daarl!" and a ciggie it would seem, as she zips to and fro every 10 mins.

She's not too popular with the Nursing staff. For someone with a fractured neck and her back broken in 3 places, she doesn't like to wear her brace and it seems only on certain nights she will remember to use her Walker....


The last couple of nights I have heard the occasional cork go pop from behind her curtain and tonight I watched her husband hand her a bottle of white.


I now notice that Chris only remembers to use her Walker, after she has filled a plastic cup with wine/champagne, hidden it inside the shopping pouch and decides to go out for a ciggie!

Genius!

A Day On The (s)Tools...

Well I have had a busy day today.

I will summarise for you all.

• 4 (four) poos. Varying between 4 and 5 on the Bristol Stool Scale


• Dumping the large gutter frame you saw me staggering around on in my video


• Sporting a smaller, sleeker zimmer frame that I can use independently.


• Successfully trained on wheelchair to car transfers (freedom here I come - If someone can pick me up!)


• Cycled 5.5 km's (obviously not out on the open road)


• Started my woodwork class. (pic attached - it's going to be a cheese board)

Yesterday at Pyhsio, my physio the rapist, Emily, tried Functional Electrical Stimulation for those that can't be bothered to look at the link, I have attached an action packed video. Ah well, actually no, not actioned packed. It was for me anyway - as the muscle that controls the Dorsal flex (means flexion of the ankle which makes the top of the foot turn toward the body) moved my foot up by 2 cms! More than it has done for a few weeks.

The session didn't actually work as we had hoped and we probably won't try it again. But it is still early days, as I constantly get told.

I did manage to get 4 burn marks on my legs from the pads.

Fleeting Romance

Doctors and Nurses are obsessed - with shite.

On the first day here, I was sent down for an xray to see how "backed up" I was. There I met Elliot. A lovely young radiologist. We candidly discussed how much faeces was floating around my Transcending and Descending Colon, I didn't need the x-ray to prove it - I was full of shit!

My bowels are talked about like a close relative that must visit daily.

The general bowel movement law of the Medical Industry is that if dear old "Bowel" doesn't "visit" or move one day, he gets talked about, like you forgot to tell him what ward you were on!

If Bowel hasn't visited the 2nd day, he is sent a little reminder of how to get to where he needs to go. This is usually in pill form, sometimes known as a "softener" or a "pusher"

If bowel hasn't visited by day 3, he is sent the equivalent of a taxi, to get him here quickly. The suppository form - this chains you to the bed for at least 20 mins and helps you improve you commode transfer skills as you need to roll over in record time.

And by Christ if Bowel hasn't arrived by day 4, he is chauffeur driven to the airport, is put through priority check in and fast tracked for boarding his first class flight.

And believe me it's long haul.

When he does arrive, he is made such a fuss of. People come from far and wide to see him and get close to him. Analysing what type of food he likes and what time of the day he is at his most entertaining.

This first class ticket is called FLEET. It comes in a 125 ml bottle and tastes like snails and puppy dog tails. They recommend this...gruel once for patients who need a bowel operation.

I had 3 doses.

After day 1, my arsehole turned itself inside out.
The nurses told me it was "absolutely fine" if I shat the bed.

After day 2, mind power kept bowel away.

Day 3 - my arsehole could feel the cold of the water in the bottom of the pan and although it was temporarily soothing, it was pleading with me to never, never drink fleet again.

After physio this morning I went for another x-ray. Elliott rather glumly told me I hadn't shifted as much as I should have.

I am currently in negotiations with the Nurses to give me an enema to release the chocolate hostages under my terms.

Here's a little video of me walking with my splints on at physio this morning.

17th April 09 - Since writing this a few days ago my Doctor has signed me up for

4 x softeners

2 x pushers

2 x suppositories

1 x sachet mix

2 days of fleet.

Not happy Jan

Bye Bye Betty, Betty Goodbye...

I said farewell to Betty today who has finished her rehabilitation. Here is a pic of me with Betty (82) and her husband Jack (89). They have been married 61 years and attribute their good health (apart from the odd knee replacement and heart murmur) to not smoking or drinking.

Betty was a great room mate who was of sound mind and had a sharp tongue. We talked about a few things including the secret to her marriage. She told me as quick as a flash that she would have left Jack numerous times but didn't know how to drive back then. So she stayed and they worked it out.

Jack was also quite the character. Last time he was at the heart clinic the Doctor asked him if he would live to 100. Jack replied, "you tell me!!"

He also got pulled over by a booze bus a little while ago and when the officer asked him when the last time he had a drink was, Jack thought about it and replied - 1962.

Wiggle Your Big Toe - Day 10

Since my hospitalisation on 1st April, I have spoken to alot of friends who are not in the same State or Country as I am, a few who aren't on the same continent or in the same hemisphere and let's face it, a few who aren't on the same planet! Most of them have have expressed a sense of frustration at not being able to physically be here for me.

Just so you know, the flowers, phone calls, text messages and emails I have received have made you all feel alot closer, so thank you.

I thought I would start this blog for those of you who might not be able to be here and follow my progress as much as you would like.

Let's start at the beginning, you all know I have suffered with back pain for the last couple of years. Anyone who suffers from chronic pain of any kind are able to manage it well, and unfortunately some of us don't recognise when the pain changes and just carry on regardless.

I started to get pain towards the middle of March and thought I was developing sciatica. I got shooting pains down my legs that came and went (It was at it's most painful on 28th March. I now know this to be where the disc was hitting the nerves) I got stiffness the next day and had trouble getting into a friends car and lawn bowling with my usual skill (!). On Monday 30th March it was still painful and I thought a good session of Bikram or Hot Yoga would stretch me right out. Within minutes of the class (the start of the warm up!) I started to get a cramping feeling down my legs and practically laid down and suffered the pain for the 90 min class, getting up occasionally to try the odd yoga pose. I now know that I had slipped the disc by this stage and each position I tried, made it worse.

The next morning I felt pins and needles in my feet and calf muscles. It really hurt. No, no, in fact, it was excruciating. I laid on the bed and the sensation went away, I got up, it came back, I laid down, it went away, I got up it came back, I laid down...... this happened 7 times. (I know this now to be where the disc was starting to damage the nerve.)

I drove to work and my left foot gave out from under me when I got to the office. I worked for the day and my foot did the same thing 2 more times (this was the nerve shutting down that controlled that part of my foot). By the end of the day, I couldn't walk 3 metres. I had a hot bath and wore DVT socks to bed and barely slept. The next morning I could not walk and could hardly move. I called 000.

The hospital explained what had happened to me and they dosed me up on anti-inflammatories and I had a couple of days bed rest. The movement in my feet deteriorated over this time and spread to my right foot. I was scheduled in for a lumbar laminectomy for discectomy, that evening.

In layman's terms, the op consisted of an incision in my lower back, moving the nerves to one side and slicing the herniating disc part off. Then sewing me back up. Simple really.

Moving the nerves made them inflame and sent them into shock so on waking from the op, I had little to no feeling in my legs. Just a pins and needles feeling that intensified if they were touched. Horrible.

After 2 days laying completely flat (in case my spinal fluid leaked out of the surgical wound) I started to feel more like myself again.

I am now in a rehabilitation hospital where intensive physiotherapy (twice a day) bed rest, early nights and stable balanced meals should see me up and around in no time (hopefully 3 weeks)

I thought I would video my progress as I am sure you are all having the same thoughts as I had about maybe, well, let's just say, not being 100% on my feet again. These videos also help me monitor my progress to keep me on the same positive thinking track.

Rehab starts with small steps. This video shows how I can wiggle my toes 10 days after the op. It's a vast improvement and deserves to be celebrated.

In case you are wondering about the picture at the top, that is my friend Paul, who realised my feet were getting alot of attention and came in to paint my toenails!!

Love to you all,

Rach