Ok, trying to recall a typical day in
rehab recap: sleepless night, rush to eat, dress, wash up, brush
teeth, and dress, maybe meet with doctors and then OT meets me in my
bed at 8am. OT work with dressing, getting into wheelchair using
slide-board technique, getting in the car, and eventually getting home
and into the house!
It's all a blur now, but I think I had
a period of time after that which was filled with a variety of
appointments. Sometimes my doctors, a social worker, therapist, and
calls from Kaiser. I also had to squeeze in lunch, medicines,
bathroom schedule (because I was not yet going on my own and they
didn't want my bladder to explode like a popped balloon;). And
sometimes I would just grab a nap if I could. I believe I was
scheduled for group exercise in the gym, but I often missed it or
only went some days because of all of the above. I felt frantic to
make my appointments and felt horrible when I missed them, but I had
to take care of these things and the schedule was SO tight. Finally,
I came to the point where I accepted that a nap was as much a part of
my recovery as exercise. Plus, I really wanted to feel good in my
favorite class: Physical therapy. I had a GREAT therapist. Her name
was Jennifer. I loved her! She was firm, but fun. And very
encouraging. She would get excited with me. This is me my first time
standing up in a standing frame.
When we were done, I had some free time
for dinner. Then there was an evening class that everyone was invited
to. It covered topics related to spinal cord injury. Alot of it was
self-care: Checking your skin (because you don't have feeling skin
can become damaged or cut without you knowing), bladder care, bowel
programs (you don't want to know), spine injury levels and getting a
better understanding of spinal cord injury. One thing many people
don't know is that your central nervous system regulates your
temperature and blood pressure. I remember how cold my feel felt when
I got home and was going without my blood pressure binder.
There were one or two evenings that was
based more on us sharing why we were there with the group and
questions we might have. I loved those times. It was great to talk
about what was going on with people who understood and to hear their
stories. There were several of us with young families. We also had
former patients come back and share their recovery stories.
I think by 8 or 9pm, I was pretty beat.
It took a little to get ready for bed.
I should mention that most of the day I
had my mom or Sam or my sister with me. I often had the kids brought
by in the evening for dinner together. There were some days I was
just too tired. But when they came, they did great! They played in
the courtyard, we ate together, and just were happy to see each
other.
I guess that covers what my days were
like. Busy, exhausting, productive.
I knew I was in the best place for me.
I was shocked to learn I would only be
there for 2 weeks!
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