What A Girl Will Do For Botox

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…

Mirror, Mirror …..

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 Really Am Disabled!

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…

Finding A Reason To Laugh

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…

Monotony

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…

Reckless Parenting?

Sometimes people judge, and label parents as reckless. As parents, we make decisions that are thought out – we choose not to wrap out kids in cotton wool. Each of our children’s personalities suggests they will live lives of adventure. As parents, we believe we have a limited period of time to teach them to…

Joy Comes in the Morning

I’m in two minds about posting this. I feel like it doesn’t really have a point. But, it’s all part of my journey so decided to include it. None of us can really plan for the future. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week, next year. I know all too well that…

Meeting Kate

Within just days of my stroke, my Dad had gone in to overdrive – reading everything he could find on brainstem strokes and locked-in-syndrome. He was not willing to accept the prognosis given to me by the medical team. Dad soon came across a young woman in the UK who had suffered a brainstem stroke…

BREAKTHROUGH

PROGRESS On the 1st January 2012, I started to move my head from side to side. Just a few centimetres each way, but it was voluntarily moving muscles in my body! Doctors told me that it was highly likely I would never move a muscle again. So needless to say, this was a big deal.…

Unsung Heroes

ICU at Canberra Hospital is an impressive ward. The staff there work in pretty stressful surrounds. Many patients in ICU are critically ill. Many are in intense pain. Hearing someone cry out in pain must be stressful for the staff caring for that patient, the staff working tirelessly to ensure the patient’s comfort. In ICU…