Caroline House Specialist Brain Injury Rehab.

June 2011

Leaving the Norfolk & Norwich hospital was a very emotional affair, after five months a special bond between the staff and myself had developed so there was tears, mainly from me, as I faced my next challenge ‘rehab’ though I wanted to go when the time came and the ambulance drivers arrived to transfer me I could have quite easily said I don’t want to I want to stay here but I knew I couldn’t, however, the thought of having to learn to trust strangers was daunting.

I arrived at Caroline House mid-afternoon and was pleasantly surprised by the welcome, which immediately put me at ease. Once in bed, I was assessed, and they immediately started work on me. I was transferred with a few medical aids such as my PEG to keep me hydrated, fed and give me my medication, I had a plaster splint on each leg which was hurting like mad all the liquid food that would need for a month and the machine to give it and a full months’ worth of medication. The first thing they did was to take the splints off, which exposed angry pressure points which were about to break down; no wonder my feet were sore. My PEG stayed in, but they stopped feeding me via the PEG, so normal eating and drinking from now on though due to my swallow problems, I had to be supervised while eating and had thickener in my drinks, and I had to have penicillin for an affected ingrown toenail.

The first morning, I was hoisted onto a shower chair and was given my first shower since Australia. Yazzy and Steve the two nurses looking after me were a laugh making me feel at ease for the first time in 5 months but they to made me work by sticking a flannel in my good hand for me to try and wash my face which at first was difficult they washed the rest of me, there are many things that I will never forget one of them was my first shower.

Each patient had their weekly rota with specific times for physio, gardening, relaxation classes, group meetings, rest periods, cooking, etc., and they kept to it. In my first week Matt the Physio started putting me on the ‘Tit Table’ I hated this at first as I kept feeling faint when approaching vertical though I don’t believe we ever got to vertical, and I always felt I was tipping forwards. After a week or so, I was managing 15 to 20 minutes, which gave me confidence, so I started pestering to use the gym, which didn’t happen for about a month.

Barry the staff nurse was next, in the first week or so I was given my medication as usual through my peg when one day he came in and said that I had to try taking them orally, I thought “who do you think you are telling me that don’t you know I have difficulty swallowing” but he persisted and I succumbed and found that I was able to swallow tablets after all and I ended up managing my own daily doses.

Gardening was good, we had to help Jane to either sow seeds or thin and pot young plants. This too was quite difficult as my fingers were not working correctly, but it didn’t stop me nicking the radishes.

Jane also did the relaxation sessions every Friday afternoon. I would lie on my bed and Jane would darken the room, put some watery music on and quietly read to me a therapy tale. They checked my pulse before and after a session, and it dramatically reduced for about 20 minutes.

After about two months of intensive and sometimes painful therapy involving various machines, psychology, memory tests, strength tests you name it I did it I was up on my feet using three wheel rollator at times it was torture getting up and standing as I was still very week but I was determined to walk out of the hospital on my discharge which I did on the 28.08.11.

My first experience of independence in 6 months, my first day in rehab, meeting Jeannie at the front door, there were lots of tears at this point,t but I will never forget the experience. At this stage, I was still being hoisted in and out of bed.

Rehabilitation

A typical hoist, this contraption was used to hoist you in and out of bed; we used to call it the hanging basket. At Caroline house, they had ceiling hoists which made it easier for nurses but had the same effect on me.

I started to use the tilt table at the N&N I think it was a about three times but each time they got me to nearly upright I began to feel sick and faint not a good experience but at Caroline House the physio had me on it nearly every day and eventually I was managing 15 to20 mins. This helped to stretch my calf muscles and get me used to being vertical, though I don't think we ever achieved the full upright position, and unlike the poor soul on the table, my arms were free.

(Ross Return) There came a point when I didn't need the hoist but I still had serious mobility issues the idea of this machine was to help transfers say from the bed to your wheel chair, one would pull oneself from bed or chair stand on the foot plates with your knees on the rest and hang on while the nurses turned you to your new position then you would lower your self into it, this was very difficult as at this point I was very weak and my body felt like a tun weight.

The treadmill was one of my favourite pieces of machinery, one would be strapped to a parachute-type of harness and then suspended over the tread. To start with, they took about 70% of your weight off your legs and gradually each week would reduce the % until you were carrying your weight.

Getting between the bars was magic, as I knew then that I would walk again.

This exercise is self-explanatory; it's amazing how much we take for granted, like being able to go up and down stairs. I tell you it's not easy, but satisfying when achieved.

When I first got into a car or transferred to my wheelchair, I had to use a banana board, I remember once or twice it slipped off the car seat, and Jeannie had to drag me into the seat using my belt.

And sometimes they would let me outside, it was fun for all the family, and I felt FREE.

Jeannie's birthday, July 2011

I've just come across a couple of photos Jeannie took on her birthday, July 2011. I was just two weeks out of the Acute Stroke Ward and in rehab, I couldn't walk, use my right hand, still wore a pad and had a leg bag on, and I couldn't even smile properly. We were at one of our favourite restaurants but I didn't want to be there but I couldn't let Jeannie down on her birthday as she had been through so much with me taking ill, she didn't know, but, I felt so unwell but stuck it out and was glad when I got back to the safety of rehab. Jeannie is aware now and gets upset that she didn't realise how bad I felt, but she is worth every effort that it took me to be there.