Week 16: It's Now Frustrating, 21 July 2014

This past week has been frustrating! I have started the strength part of my rehab and its going really well. From a fat zero on my cross trainer when I first started, I am managing 2 miles in 10 minutes. Not an Olympic record but not bad progress in a week. 

In fact, I am not that far off my normal pace for 45 minutes. So the frustration is I'm getting on well and need to translate that into getting back to work. I can drive a car, walk 3 miles, with the aid of my crutches and feel like I have made good progress. My physio is going well, I am down to one session a week just for soft tissue work. So I am happy but frustrated. So this week has been very much groundhog day, with a heavy dose of exercise..... There is not much else to report this week apart from my frustration. Going to see my GP on 30th to see if I can get my Fit Note amended. So I can get my life back into some sort of normality. 

Week 15, The strengthening begins

This week has been an extremely positive moving forward week; but one full of frustrations. Monday was groundhog day, have to wait till Tuesday to see my Physio so we can get on with the strength work. Range of movement is coming along, but the strength in my quads has completely gone. And of course theirs those pesky little Proprioceptors,  Proprioception is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement. It is provided by proprioceptors in muscles and in joints. It is distinguished from exteroceptive, by which one perceives the outside world, and interoception, by which one perceives pain, hunger, etc., and the movement of internal organs.

Proprioception is what allows someonee to learn to walk in complete darkness without losing balance. During the learning of any new skill, sport, or art, it is usually necessary to become familiar with some proprioceptive tasks specific to that activity. Without the appropriate integration of proprioceptive input, an artist would not be able to brush paint onto a canvas without looking at the hand as it moved the brush over the canvas; it would be impossible to drive a car because a motorist would not be able to steer or use the pedals while looking at the road ahead; a person could not touch type or perform ballet, and people would not even be able to walk without watching where they put their feet. So one of my big problems at the moment is my proprioceptors are shot, hence walking downhill even with crutches is difficult. My Proprioception exercise requires me to shut my eyes and stand on one leg, go on give it a go. I can manage 5 seconds and I have shot proprioception, whats going to be your excuse. Its similar to the sobriety  test they use in the US of A. 

So Tuesday came and Hayley my Physio gave me the ok to start my strength exercises. Shes coming over to supervise my first session on Friday. But I can start working on my cross trainer straight away. I have enough range of movement now to get on, I was worried I might get stuck. It went better than expected, Hayley said two ten minute sessions with no resistance. F………..ck, the first effort was pathetic.

I couldn’t get a reading from the control panel I was going so slow. But Wednesday was better, still no reading!!!! But Thursday red letter day for two different reasons. First and I imagine contributed to the second managed to register a distance for the 10 minute session not record breaking but 1.41 miles better than a slap in the face. I normally do 6 miles in 24 minutes. So Thursday 1.61 Miles, Friday 1.72 miles  and today day of posting 1.9 miles, soon to break the two minute barrier. A small step for Mark a giant leap for my quads. The second red letter thing on Thursday, I had a shower; the first since I left on that fateful day at the beginning of April. I had enough strength to push myself up into the shower, I stood for half an hour with the water cascading over me, bliss. All I need to do now is to be able to sit on he toilet. But it will come. I thought you would not want to see me in the shower, so this is just an illustration. Anyone got her number?

Friday Hayley came and supervised my other strength exercises. I do them mainly out on the stairway of the apartment block. There’s a warm up of going up and down on step 10 times, walking up and down one flight twice with the aid of a crutch. The lunges 10 each leg, then the killer “The Crouch/Squwat’, that’s painful if you did it first you wouldn’t be able to do the others. So I’ve been doing them for three days and I can see a definite improvement. I can actually feel it.

Oh other thing that happened this week not related to my injury, my daughter brought the family to visit grumpy gramps. We had a great time, by the time they had gone grumpy gramps was worn out gramps. Ah there they are….  Saturday walked over to the office, the cover had blown off the car so decided to see if she would start. Its a 4 year old 7 series BMW so it should even though she not turned a wheel in three and a half months. She started, a bit lumpy, but what you expect after that amount of time. It was amazing there was any whack left in the battery at all, I had a little maneuver around the car park; all was ok. Sat in her for an hour watching TV got out not too stiff. I think things are looking up. So that was week 15, were in week 16 so I am expecting good things in the week to come.

Week 14 and all still going well.

This week has been a good week, I can now get out and do all my shopping; that's to say what I can get in my backpack. So its lots of trips to M&S. I can walk virtually anywhere, but at tortoise pace. Been to physio twice this week, hopefully should come down once a week soon. My range of movement is improving 110 degrees in my right and 100 in my left it's catching up. Went to the office on Saturday to pick up my backpack, while I was there tried sitting in the car. Can get in ok, driving position ok, batteries nearly flat so need to sort that. Monday my OAP chair and Commode went of to charity, gave them to the red cross, hey they couldn't help me, but I don’t hold a grudge.

It's been a fairly quite week, been doing some online research for the office, trying to get a story finished for my other blog.

Got in to see my surgeon on Friday, he has given me the green light to start the physical work, which is great news. So at 14 to 15 weeks I think I am doing well. Went to the Captains Club to celebrate, it was a fine sunny afternoon. Also got a new Fit Note, apparently I can go back to work, but not to do what I'm employed to do? So that's a bugger.

Dampened a bit by an email I got from my prospective solicitor. Remember last post I said I had sent them all that they had asked for in the form of a 50 page booklet. I said in the last post bet it would not be good enough, and I was right. The email asked if I could mark the spot where I fell with an X. See picture, apparently, what I put was that not good enough, its hard to tell yourself 'I told you so.' They went on to say could I remember the size of the defect in the pathway? Note to self, remember at all times to carry a tape measure, so when you're writhing around in pain you're able to measure the fucker that's tripped you up.

Week finished on a positive note, had a great lunch Saturday at Westbeach, free wine again! Nice to be popular. And managed to get onto my cross trainer, so physical work can start in earnest. Its not me in the picture but it is my Cross Trainer, anyone got her number? Till next time.......