There are stories to tell...

I have been very busy with Rehab at Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney, where I have been assessed (and passed with flying colours!!) to use the SAEBO Flex! This is huge, because our Rehab Centre has had no-one to research the product and now, they do!


As you all probably know, the internet is a wonderful tool for anyone to find out about anything, but it is especially useful for disabled people for whom the trauma of going to the library or school or anywhere to learn about what new discoveries or inventions are available to them are immeasurable. I am one of those. I trawl through countless pages to learn whatever I can and one day, I just happened upon the SAEBO company and it sounded interesting, so, I down loaded the papers from the internet and took them along to the next appointment with the lovely Lisa - my OT and the wonderful Medical Director, Dr Brian Zeman.


Lisa (as if she hasn't enough to do!!), went home and looked up the SAEBO company and looked at the DVD's on-line and decided that the SAEBO Flex was a really good idea and so, she spoke to Dr Zeman and together they have made it possible for me to be 'assessed'. 


Lisa together with another gorgeous OT from Canada, named Julia (who has had the SAEBO training, but no-one to try it on!) had a list of measurements of what you must be able to do with your arm, elbow and shoulder, for the assessment, fortunately I was able to do all of them, then Julia had to work out which of the funny looking 'finger things' fit each of my fingers and then we ordered the device last Tuesday!


I am soooo, excited about this new technology for helping to 'train your brain', and this is what the SAEBO flex does. Once I have the device fitted to my right hand (the stroke affected arm), I should be able to pick up these balls with a sort of sticky surface and then place them in a container - as far as I know, I have to learn the how, why's, and the wherefores of picking up and putting down these balls - and you have to do it over and over and over again (the same as the exercises that I do now, but with a lot more finesse!) and huge differences have been been seen to be made, so, it is really up to me and how much work I put into the exercises. So, for me, the idea is to end up with a 'functional hand', that doesn't mean that I will have hand movements like a normal hand, but hopefully, I will end up being much more able to do things like. hold my toothbrush in my right hand, or hold my my fork, that sort of thing.


Unfortunately, I now have to have my tendon stretched which really hurts!! I have my affected arm in a cast which looks like I have broken my arm, except my hand is held at right angles to my arm as if I am saying 'stop'! It is a very awkward cast to say the least and as well as hurting, the cast can't get wet as it is a softish kind of cast not really hard at all, just heavy, so, showering is very hard and washing your hair, forget it until the cast comes off!  I will have this cast on for 5 days, until Monday afternoon when Lisa will be taking it off - yayyyy - so, sleeping isn't very comfortable either as when you turn over the cast doesn't come with you and wakes you up to turn over!

Many people who see me wearing this cast, say 'oh you poor thing, what has happened to you, you must have a bad break' (if only they knew), because of the way it has my hand sticking out from my body, but you know what, I wouldn't have it any other way. Since finding myself one of the 'broken people', I have learned humility and thankfulness and they don't realise what an amazing place Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney is or what human angels the staff are.