On the 2nd February Courtney came in early to spend some time with me. She wrote this in the family diary: “I came in at 9:30 to find all the curtains closed around you. You were with the Neurologist and his team. I find it hard not to think the worst when the curtains are…
I was on the stroke ward of the hospital because I didn’t need the ICU anymore but I hadn’t been approved for the rehabilitation ward yet. Now that my trache had gone, it was time to try to get to rehab. It had been arranged for the Rehabilitation consultant to come and assess me. Dawn…
Its 2 years since I’ve written. My progress had stopped, I was exhausted and I accepted that my recovery journey had come to an end. I stopped trying to get better, made peace with where I was at. After all, I had already recovered far more than I was told I ever would. At the…
Being out of ICU gave me greater opportunities to access therapy. On my first day on the Stroke Ward, the Occupational Therapist came in for an hour. We worked hard on improving the movement in my right arm. I went to the gym for Physiotherapy and saw the Speech Therapist about my upcoming trachy removal.…
I have spent months putting off posting this because nothing ‘interesting’ really happens. I’m determined to just get it done now so that I can continue getting my story on paper. I’ve found that my memories of events back this far are starting to fade a little. The day to leave ICU had arrived. This…
The Covid-19 pandemic has rocked most Australians this week. Last week social media was flooded with jokes about panic-buying of toilet paper. This week the implementation of stage 2 restrictions combined with the rapidly increasing number of confirmed cases, has many of us scared. This week 2 of my family members have tested positive to…
I’m calling this post “The Road to India”. Let me explain why. We want to go on an overseas holiday at the end of next year. Our children are getting to the age where they spend holidays with friends, girlfriends/boyfriends. That is the natural progression in their lives and I am happy and proud to…
My final days in ICU were spent readying me for the rehabilitation Ward. I hadn’t been approved for rehab yet, but that was my hope and the plan of my medical team. The rehab Ward won’t accept patients with tracheostomies. The nurses in rehab are not experienced enough with the care of tracheostomies, nor do…
When we think of gratitude, many of us think of it as simply ‘being thankful’. Thankful to someone for what they have done for us. But gratitude is so much more complex than that. Gratitude is about feeling and expressing appreciation for everything we’ve been given and all that we have (big or small). It’s…
My stroke is the worst thing that has ever happened to many members of my family and me. My beautiful sister-in-law lost her dear Mum suddenly after complications arose from fairly routine surgery. And my Dad lost his Mum in a terrible accident when he was still a boy. Other than that my family had…
After 6 weeks in ICU, I was well and truly medically stable. The only thing keeping me in ICU now was my locked jaw (and the need for a GA everyday to clean my teeth). Keeping me in ICU longer than necessary was bad for many reasons. ICU is often full and I was occupying…
By the time I had been in hospital for 6 weeks, my neck was pretty strong. I was much better able to support my head. I continued to go to the gym on the stroke ward a few times a week. Most days we worked with my arms and legs in slings. One day toward…
I have mentioned previously that I had a nasogastric (NG) tube put in on my first day in hospital. An NG tube is a thin, rubber tube inserted through the nostril, down the esophagus, and into the stomach. An NG tube was used to deliver food and medicine straight into my stomach. As a Dietitian…
After a few weeks my head started to clear. I felt much more like myself. I figured I was here so I would be happy. Although there were still plenty of dark times, I was now able to enjoy many fun times too. With the world’s best cheer squad (my extended family), how hard could…
My days in ICU were driven by routine and soon became monotonous. Every morning, I was taken for a shower. This was always very stressful and exhausting, and sometimes painful. I was rolled to and fro in bed so that a sling could be placed under me. The sling was then attached to a hoist…
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BROKEN BUT NOT BEATEN 