Well its official, I had my cheeks injected yesterday...which cheeks I hear you ask? In fact I've had both cheeks injected with the same solution, I wonder if that means when I'm up walking if people will know if I'm coming or going!! Cause most of the time in India we never quite sure who's coming or going. Having my face injected is certainly an experience, the nurse put some numbing gel on first but Dr Ashish was doing his rounds and it wore off so Gaye buzzed the nurse to put on more, it actually didn't help much. The face has so many nerves its really sensitive, it really made my toes curl! It felt like wasp stings. But its done now and lets see what changes occur over the next 6 weeks or so. Actually yesterday was full on with 2 in my face, 1 in my arm, each thigh injected and finally 1 large dose in my veins (which the 5 nurses standing around me at the time hate giving to me, I said to one nurse I bet you'll be glad to see me go, she said yes without hesitating!)
Monday I had my last procedure where Dr Ashish did a deep muscle injection, he goes in close to the spine and its amazing how I can feel the solution running along my spine and then into my right hip, then he injected the left side and i could feel the same sensation into my left hip, its like a cold pressure running along your spine and into the area where it settles.
Its hard to believe 5 weeks has come to an end, I fly out early Friday morning. Dad and Gaye have pulled through and feeling better. They are not the only ones here who have been sick, its common, touch wood I haven't been sick!!
I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on the 26th August, hopefully I can have surgery soon after that and be ready to come back here in November.
Even though I'm looking forward to coming home there is always a sadness to leave the people I've bonded with, my heart has 2 homes. This time around there have been a lot of couples here and its been so lovely to experience there unconditional love for each other. I met a lady from the States who was in a car accident, she was hit by a drunk driver killing her sister and breaking her neck, she had been married 1 month. When the psychologist came to see her he said that she needed to give her husband the choice to leave. Can you imagine losing your sister, breaking your neck and then giving your husband the option to leave! But she did give him this option and he said no, they've been married 9 years. I could tell you more stories of love over coming tragedy or they met after the accident and I realised something, it doesn't matter what relationship you are in, if you have a disability or not...problems don't leave...people do.
The role that the carer plays here is vital to our treatment and not always easy for them. I found a poem by Elizabeth Kubler Ross which is for the patients who come here with hope in there hearts, the carers (my carers past and present) who cheer us on and for those at home who don't realise how important it is for us to hear from you, and for looking after my precious angel Sabine, I couldn't come all this way if I didn't know she was ok (thanks Mum and John...oh I believe I'm coming home to Sabine doing tap dancing lessons, I have floor boards at home and its never going to be the same again, thanks Michelle for buying her the shoes and Jess for taking her to lessons!!) Gaye and Dad are real troopers sticking this out for me, love you both, sorry I tried to kill you!! :-)
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known struggle, known loss and have found there way out of their depths. These persons have an appreciation, sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. Elizabeth Kubler Ross 1926 - 2004
Gaye has gone to the markets to pick up some last minute things and Dad is out doing a coffee run.
Thank you again for continuing to support me and I look forward to seeing some of you on Wednesday night at my fundraiser, the plays are brilliant, it will be a great night.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Photos
Dr Su Deep giving me injections in my shoulders before tying me up for an hour. The t-shirt i'm wearing was a gift from a patient here.
I'm just tied up at the moment!!
Friends in our room
Lunch at Spaghettis :-)
Who's gonna walk Claire??
Its the question of the day, whos going to walk Claire? Last week after Gaye recovered from Delhi belly she was hit with a flu and sinus infection, took her a couple of days to revover with a fever and sweats. Then Dad came down with it, its taken him even longer to recover as he's had a high temperature and his blood pressure has been up. So its been a bit of a toss up as to which one of them has the strength or energy to stand me up. Gayes hurt her back so Dad does it but the poor guy was so weak, I was really worried about him. His temperature has finally broken today and he's feeling better but is still fatigued. Gaye went for a massage today which has helped her pain...OMG I'm killing them!!! It really has been hard for them, hopefully by the time we are ready to fly they will feel better.
When I go to physio one of the male physiotherapists helps me to stand so I can get on the bed, its a technique they use for spinal cord patients where they grab the back of there pants and lift them up, lets just say this took me by surprise!!!I had an image of bart simpson with his undies pulled up over the back of his head! So the next day I made it quite clear that this technique didn't work for me, the male physio laughed but followed my instructions. Physiotherapy is going quite well, I'm improving slightly, particularly my right leg which was always the more dominant. I almost slipped over walking at the beginning of the week as the floors are very shiny and slippery. Since then I've lost a bit of confidence and make Shivani hold my frame, when she does I feel more confident to take a bigger step, especially with my left foot, which I use to drag a bit, but now I take a more controlled step, not perfect but its a little better
Dr Geeta decided to inject my deltoids muscle to encourage growth. So on Tuesday Dr Sud Deep injected large doeses of cells then instructed that I have my arms in slings, the nurse put the sling around my neck and crossed my wrists at the front, but this didn't help because the aim was to push my arms up into my shoulders so the bones are sitting correctly which will take pressure off the deltoids muscles, nerves and tendons. In the end Dad and Gaye made a sling, Gaye held my arm in place and Dad banged from my elbow up to my shoulder, on both sides! I couldn't do anything for an hour. I'm meant to do this three times per day, but it pulls on my neck, so I figured out that if I lay flat on my back my arms will sit correctly in my shoulders. On Friday I had the same injections again into the deltoids muscles, so hopefully this will encourage growth over the next few months, and surgery too will relieve the pressure, but one at a time! I had another IV on Thursday and slept for a few hours as my body ached. Generally I have 2 injections in the morning where they inject a large amount into my vein and then 1 intra muscular injection, at night I just have 1 intra muscular. I haven't had any more in my face yet but I'm going to ask Dr Ashish on Monday to inject my cheeks before I leave, I have a procedure on Monday but I don't know what its is! Thats just the surprise of India, you just never know what procedure your going to have, when dinner is going to come, when is the taxi coming and does he know where he's going and will the lift be working! Talking of lifts working, Dad and I got stuck the other day, we got in started to move and the power went off, you have no idea how dark and hot a life can be. I told Dad to pull open the doors and yell for help, which he did, nothing happened. We were stuck between floors so Dad had to yell up wards which he did a couple of more times before we heard the familiar flip flop sound of the nurse coming, she didn't know where the sound was coming from, so Dad yelled, down here..oooooh! She called the ward boy who ran up stairs and we could hear tinkering, the power came on, so we had light but still no movement. A few minutes later we moved and went to the basement as the doors opened I told Dad to get out and go up stairs to the reception area and wait there with Gaye, no point in both of us being in there. I waited a few more minutes then went back into the lift with the ward boy and to my delight we went to the correct floor. The whole ordeal was probably only 15 minutes but in the dark and heat it feels much longer. You've just got to laugh...what else can you do! I think its the friends that you make which helps your sanity as we are all feeling the same emotional highs and lows. Its Saturday night which means pizza night, I wasn't too keen at first but Jarrad said ..'they also sell cake'!! He's an Aussie boy with the cheekiest grin who's room I visit to harass him and his Dad frequently...so that changed everything for me, looks like pizza, cake and poker tonight!
When I go to physio one of the male physiotherapists helps me to stand so I can get on the bed, its a technique they use for spinal cord patients where they grab the back of there pants and lift them up, lets just say this took me by surprise!!!I had an image of bart simpson with his undies pulled up over the back of his head! So the next day I made it quite clear that this technique didn't work for me, the male physio laughed but followed my instructions. Physiotherapy is going quite well, I'm improving slightly, particularly my right leg which was always the more dominant. I almost slipped over walking at the beginning of the week as the floors are very shiny and slippery. Since then I've lost a bit of confidence and make Shivani hold my frame, when she does I feel more confident to take a bigger step, especially with my left foot, which I use to drag a bit, but now I take a more controlled step, not perfect but its a little better
Dr Geeta decided to inject my deltoids muscle to encourage growth. So on Tuesday Dr Sud Deep injected large doeses of cells then instructed that I have my arms in slings, the nurse put the sling around my neck and crossed my wrists at the front, but this didn't help because the aim was to push my arms up into my shoulders so the bones are sitting correctly which will take pressure off the deltoids muscles, nerves and tendons. In the end Dad and Gaye made a sling, Gaye held my arm in place and Dad banged from my elbow up to my shoulder, on both sides! I couldn't do anything for an hour. I'm meant to do this three times per day, but it pulls on my neck, so I figured out that if I lay flat on my back my arms will sit correctly in my shoulders. On Friday I had the same injections again into the deltoids muscles, so hopefully this will encourage growth over the next few months, and surgery too will relieve the pressure, but one at a time! I had another IV on Thursday and slept for a few hours as my body ached. Generally I have 2 injections in the morning where they inject a large amount into my vein and then 1 intra muscular injection, at night I just have 1 intra muscular. I haven't had any more in my face yet but I'm going to ask Dr Ashish on Monday to inject my cheeks before I leave, I have a procedure on Monday but I don't know what its is! Thats just the surprise of India, you just never know what procedure your going to have, when dinner is going to come, when is the taxi coming and does he know where he's going and will the lift be working! Talking of lifts working, Dad and I got stuck the other day, we got in started to move and the power went off, you have no idea how dark and hot a life can be. I told Dad to pull open the doors and yell for help, which he did, nothing happened. We were stuck between floors so Dad had to yell up wards which he did a couple of more times before we heard the familiar flip flop sound of the nurse coming, she didn't know where the sound was coming from, so Dad yelled, down here..oooooh! She called the ward boy who ran up stairs and we could hear tinkering, the power came on, so we had light but still no movement. A few minutes later we moved and went to the basement as the doors opened I told Dad to get out and go up stairs to the reception area and wait there with Gaye, no point in both of us being in there. I waited a few more minutes then went back into the lift with the ward boy and to my delight we went to the correct floor. The whole ordeal was probably only 15 minutes but in the dark and heat it feels much longer. You've just got to laugh...what else can you do! I think its the friends that you make which helps your sanity as we are all feeling the same emotional highs and lows. Its Saturday night which means pizza night, I wasn't too keen at first but Jarrad said ..'they also sell cake'!! He's an Aussie boy with the cheekiest grin who's room I visit to harass him and his Dad frequently...so that changed everything for me, looks like pizza, cake and poker tonight!
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