Rehab Rules

I have a lot to tell you today and all of it good news!!

Last Wednesday, my sister Maria and her husband Milton, drove me to Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney, because it had been quite a while since they used to spend their days out there with me, and boy did they get a shock to find that all of the buildings (except one the out-patients use) that they had spent a good deal of their time in, were gone!

They came into the out-patients building to see the nurses and Dr Zeman and my lovely, long suffering OT Lisa. When we got to Lisa, Maria asked her what else she thought that I should be doing (uh oh!), and was there anything else that I could be doing (more than using the Saebo Flex, the Saebo Stretch, using the mirror therapy, the tens machine, the balls little and big) to help my recovery. 

They chatted for a bit while I picked up and put down the special balls from Saebo and Lisa told Maria that I was extremely lucky, as I was to be given another dose of the Botox in my wrist! As I have mentioned before, the government gives stroke recoverers, 4 doses of Botox/Dysport (providing it is having a beneficial effect) for the treatment of upper limb muscle spasticity due to the stroke, I have been given this amount of the drug quite some time ago and since then, the other doses that I have been fortunate enough to have used on me, are for Dr Zeman to teach different doctors how to use Botox/Dysport, how much and where they can used for the treatment of the spasticity.

When I went into the clinicians room, Maria came with me to see what Dr Zeman does and how many Drs are getting the benefits of Dr Z's expertise. Then they were ready, and it is not a pretty thing as I am given an electric probe to help find the correct muscle and when they do find it, the probe bounces up and down as my heart beats. Not nice at all, but I am very, very grateful for being a research specimen!!

After they have given me a dose of Botox, I then have to do as many exercises as I can, until two weeks have passed when I will get my affected arm cast in plaster again. I returned to rehab for the next appointment and although I had done a lot of the necessary exercises, a dear friend is in Royal North Shore Hospital ICU as he fights a virulent virus and that had got in the way of the amount of exercises that I did do.

Lisa has been very patient and kind with me, and I know, that I have been ready to give up on me long ago, but she is NOT, so, I am trying to do a lot more of the Saebo exercises than I have to do, so, when I return to have my arm cast again, I hope that I will have done everything that WE can to have a successful outcome this time!

26.8.2012