None to go
Hi everyone, I’m starting this on Monday a.m. And no doubt Mike will finish off tonight while I’m immobile! It’s the last jab today and I must admit I’m not looking forward to it. But if it provides some benefit, then jab away! It’s been a really strange kind of week. Jab last Monday was a bit different and they had to have two goes at it as they couldn’t get any spinal fluid out the first time. You have to withdraw the same amount as you are putting in, cos there’s only a limited space in there!!. Consequently, my back was sore for a few days. During that week, we did some shopping, arranged a sightseeing venture for Sunday (yesterday) and continued with the treatments. On Thursday, the nursing staff swept in and tidied the room and told us to keep it tidy as there was to be an inspection by the military (this is a military hospital) and they wanted everything up to scratch. Not a problem. The BIG problem was when they switched off access to the internet because the military said that we “were not allowed to have itâ€. It has been a constant frustration ever since. And not only to us. There are people here who still work and have to keep in contact with their businesses at home, and that has arbitrarily been taken away from them. The only concession has been by Tony, the Beike rep who lets the patients, when possible, use the office computer to send and receive but of course this is only at night after the mililtary have gone home and before he goes home. You can imagine the level of frustration amongst us all. Especially for me, who cannot talk on the phone, and whose only method of communication is by email. Still, we only have six days to go now and are looking at packing up and coming home. So it is no longer a case of “well – maybe next week….â€. We’ll be HOME by then!!!
Yesterday we went out to see the “Strange Slopeâ€, which lies about 30kms outside the city. It is an unbelievable thing – it is a slope, only about 90mtres long which defies gravity. They give you bikes to ride so you get the sensation, and going downhill, you have to pedal like mad and coming up, take you feet off the pedals and you sail up as if you were going down!! Really, really weird. The only thing was it was FREEZING and I mean freezing. We couldn’t stop shivering, so the day was not as happy as it could have been. Last night the temp was -6 and we had snow. It was still here this morning when we woke. Adelaide weather seems very attractive to us right now.
Carer 5 report 29/10
We are back on air after USA and Aussie, (with Pommie training), reps tackled certain powers that be and succeeded in obtaining a new IP. For that we are grateful and appreciative.
Well S. has had her last jab and is having the long rest. Things went well this time only on the table for 20 mins.
We hope to blog again later this week with another update. And will include a summary of effects after treatments.
Meantime we can say that the positives have been an improvement in swallowing, more force and direction of toothpaste removal and a big increase in strength of left arm and grip. We now wait for a period of about six months to see if these pluses are maintained.
I will record here our thanks to the nurses, cleaners, doctors and Beike staff who have all given of their best to a whole lot of patients and carers with individual and some common problems. All of them have listened and acted in our best interests, and have made life here as comfortable as cicumstances allow: (Syntax on that bit of writing not the best!!), but is sincerely meant.
Keep on blogging it does help tremendously.
Bye for now
8 comments October 29th, 2007
