I’m on my way ......

A very quiet couple of days that saw me feeling very flat. With it being the weekend I had no formal therapy sessions scheduled and that, along with my being confined to my room made me feel I wasn't doing anything constructive. However, on reflection the chance to rest and heal is also an important part of this process. We have covered a lot of ground in the first fourteen days. I'm sure that the coming week will re-energise me and see even more progress.

A quiet day Wednesday spent side-lying and exercising in bed. Without someone to do a formal exercise session with me its difficult to know how well I'm completing each movement and takes a real effort to self motivate. Especially when I could easily just lay here and watch TV. I could just say I'm focussing my efforts keeping off my bottom. 🙂 In all honesty, the side-lying is starting to pay dividends as when my dressings were changed on Thursday morning the team told me that there are noticeable improvements in my wounds, even since Monday. This is key in getting me up and moving around. The day continued with even more activity when casts were taken of my arms. This will enable the Prosthetists to manufacture some arm supports to help me with walking and some arm adaptations to allow me to do everyday things for myself such as washing. I even got to choose the colour so went for red to match the colour of my legs! Back at home we had someone else come out to look at adaptin

True to their word, the team pushed on with my progress by taking casts of my legs ready for my prosthetics. With any luck we could have them as early as next week. 🦿🤞 Continued my physio on the bed with lots of side-lying and stretching. Stayed very much on my side for the rest of the day in order to protect my bottom.

Week 2 and a routine Monday morning starting with dressing changes. As a result we ran out of time to go to the Gym so got on with some physio in my room. We've started a new regime of keeping me off my bottom as much as possible during the day and the night to help it heal. This involves lots of lying on my side and arranging pillows to keep me there and while previously I would usually lay on my side to sleep, Sods law dictates that I'm now constantly trying to lay on my back. Finally got the green light for David to come and visit. We got straight on to it and booked tickets for Friday only to have everything thrown up in the air when 30 minutes later I was informed that during my weekend trip to St Georges I had come into contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid. Consequently I now have to isolate for 14 days which means David's visit is postponed.☹️ I'm also not able to use the Gym or mix with other residents but the team have assured me that it wont

A very up and down couple of days that, after wanting so much to be able to venture a little further afield than my room, prove once again that you should be careful what you wish for. Friday started with a visit to the gym where I was able to do an individual workout using weights. This was immediately followed by a group stretch and relaxation class using bands and breathing techniques. Due to the Covid restrictions over the last months,  my physio has been restricted to a one on one basis so it felt great to be part of a bigger group and just be around other people. I really got into the relaxation part as I'm fairly sure I dropped off.  The tiredness continued throughout the day and I just put it down the increase in my exercise regime but by evening the doctors were saying that my blood pressure and iron levels were low. A little too low even for me and it was decided that as a precaution I would need some blood tests. Unfortunately, as it was a Friday evening there was no one

Freedom at last!....A clear Covid result meant that I was able to venture out of my room and meet people properly. But no time for socialising as it was down to the Gym and straight into it with a 4 minute Butt buster session and some bridges. After not being able to do my weekly Pilates classes for so long it was good to have something that challenged me physically, but in a good way. It felt great this morning but I'm sure I'll feel it later. Made my way back and had lunch where the challenges continued. I have been eating sandwiches cut up into small bite size pieces that I can then feed myself with a fork strapped to my arm. Today I tried picking the sandwich up whole, gripped between both arms and eating it as it was. I managed pretty much all of it! It's amazing that something so seemingly simple could be so satisfying and spark such a feeling of regained independence. After lunch I had a brief call with my eldest son as it was his birthday .. Happy Birthday Daniel ..

Day 2 was a much quieter day. After the excitement of Monday and being allowed to venture out on my long trek south, I now find myself once again confined to barracks until we receive the results of my 25th Covid test. They say things get better with practice. Unfortunately, regularly having your nose poked with a stick isn't one of them. My morning was spent settling in and meeting the team. I had the dressings on my legs changed so that they could assess the progress of my recent op then moved on to having my legs measured for some compression stockings. Not the look I was going for but at this point I'm giving up style for practicality. I think the excitement must have all been too much as I spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping. Evening was back to our normal family routine. To explain. The lockdown restrictions have meant that I've been able to spend very little time with my partner and our kids this year. Instead we FaceTime and every evening I join them for dinner

Today my journey back home literally started with an actual journey. I was transported by ambulance from Ward 35 of James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough to a dedicated and highly regarded rehabilitation unit in London.  Leaving Ward 35 was a bitter sweet experience. On the one hand I was starting the next stage of my journey but on the other hand I was leaving a wonderful team of people who have treated, encouraged and cared for me and have been like a surrogate family. I’ve been truly blessed to spend these last few months with them. While it was emotional leaving them all this morning, today marks a new beginning for me and my family.  I’m starting this blog in order to share this part of my recovery with others and to celebrate the fact that I am still here and now I’m on my way... home!