Bad Schinznach Day 19

Had no one noticed?

I was a day wrong?! Anyway I have sorted it now! No need to worry!

So an early morning for me and Cecilia. As there had been lots of threats of hue snow storms and bad road conditions Cecilia had decided to leave at 8.30am to give herself two or three spare hours to get home to pick  her kids up from kinder garden. She scored a little higher on the test I gave her yesterday as she hadn’t done the second page. She had scored 9 points on the first page and I said she was not allowed to score more than 3 points on the second page as that would make her in the risk zone of being depressed. I think her leaving early because of bad weather maybe is another indicator that she is more fragile than me in my plastic bubble, but I’ll give her a break. Thanks again lovely cousin for coming down here and having a good time with me!!

So my day started with breakfast that now came out very fast. They actually knew `cecilias extra order by heart now. Double expresso with hot milk. Impressive!

9.30am Ergo therapy with Caroline. She couldn’t believe the difference in my arm after the magic tape. And neither can I. 3 pieces of tape put on my body i 3 different places to me all unrelated to my shoulder but apparently not. The shoulder is so fine today even though Ennio’s crazy swimming yesterday had pulled a few more things in the shoulder wrong. I am a believer. of the magic power of the tape put on by Angelina! But on my way down to therapy I heard Ennio’s voice in my head “go slower, like Thai-Chi in stairs”, so I was trying to walk down so slow and I nearly fell down. Luckily I fell sideways and could catch myself on the left railing. Well that slow shit isn’t for me I tell you. I hit my left foot against the step but no blod and as it was left side, no pain!

So I went in with Caroline. We shared a room but soon scared the other patients away by being me. I had to stand up on a prickly blow up plastic thing, whilst doing a game of removing pins by “jumping” over them. First time I got it all wrong and I had 7 left on the board. The second time I had 3 left. It’s so annoying. You should be able to do it and only have 1 left. I will find out how. Then we did some volley balling with a ballon. And then a bigger ball. And lastly smaller balls. I managed to catch the smallest ball 15 times! Last time it just bounced off me!

11am Marlene that was not ill today for my last lesson with her. We were in the gym and started off on the trampoline. Then we went on a machine that is like a cross fit, only bigger and heavier. I went on it on a 7 degree incline and she said I could go on this for between 3-5 minutes, but today only to do two minutes. After that we went through to lift left and right leg up. Funnily I can lift my left leg up well but the right one isn’t as good. I was doing some walking in squares again and finished off running in squares, Double vision was not so bad early in the morning.

I got a phone call from Cecilia telling me she was home! No snowing on the way back but very pretty scenery as all fields were white.

Lunch was eaten alone. Luckily my internet worked on my phone so I could check out facebok and twitter.

Have become a little bit of a loose canon here. Not that I will turn around and fire at anyone but I have no newspaper I can read and only CNN on TV for updates on what happens in the world. Well what happens in the world of CNN that is. And my internet in the room is on and off and I normally just check out the BBC news on telly but today I gave both BBC online and CNN a bit of a watch. Depressing, even inside my plasic bubble, the world is coming to an end, surely I could feel it from thw “news channels”.

Well today it’s the opening of hotel Valluga in Sant Anton. Thats some good news at least! Their new swimming pool looks amazing! And they already have snow in the slopes so great if you are a skier and healthy enough to ski.

Today my mum is coming as well! She is landing late from the Birmingham to Zurich plane. She will probably arrive here around midnight, so I will be fast asleep I would think.

My second therapy was with Ennio. I was telling him off about slow walking. But he didn’t listen just made me do more of it. Ice skating reall Thai-Chi slow, when I used my arms to hold a pretend club and score a pretend goal, Ennio was just tut-tutting. Asked me to do it again without trying to play hockey. When I tole him about the incident in the stairs this morning he took me straight to the stairs for some exercise. So slow. And so hard! My legs were wobbling. Oh I don’t make a good patient. To hell with all the slow, get there in time stuff. I want it to work now! i have known how to walk for years now! I have been if not a professional stair walker, I have walked in many stairs. I have run and skipped and jumped. I have known how to do it all. But my frickin’ body has forgotten…

My second Ergo therapy with Caroline I was almost late for. Just all the annoyance from not doing everything perfect had made me forgotten that I had another session. My double vision is back with a vengeance so I have to chose which square or what telly to look at. Very annoying! Caroline concentrated on treating my left side. She was very impressed by the difference in two days. But I think it’s the magic tape.

Let’s put some magic tape on my brain and maybe by whole body will come back again?!

I asked Caroline if they can see what a person is going through depending on how they walk. She said yes you can see if a person has Parkinson’s, MS or some other diseases. They all need different treatment so there is no one way to treat patients with similar problems. I look like a mixture of Mike Tyson and a wounded animal when I walk. At least in the beginning before I loosen up and warm up a bit. After a while I look a bit more like I’m not sure, you can probably still see there is something not right with me but you might think I am drunk?

Maybe my plastic shield is coming off? Maybe it’s time for me to face reality now? Not sure la la la la la… ah the music is still here, bubble still on. I am still protected!

Keep Smiling 🙂 You know you will feel better when you do!

 

Bad Schinznach Day 18

So today I was hoping for good weather as I was going to try out my new running style outdoors. Was woken up by a gentle splatter on my window. I looked outside only to see what I feared, it was raining, with a threat of snow imposing too.

We went for breakfast and then my first therapy.

8.30am Ergo therapy or occupational therapy with Angelina. She was worried about movement in left arm and we spent a lot of time trying out my “numbness” or lack of “numbness” in key areas of my left arm. She then taped a lot of spacial healing tape to help my left shoulder. I have the tape on 3 places. 1 on the shoulder. 1 on my back and a surprising one on my tummy! Have no idea how this works

but it’s doing something!

For the record: I am getting more sensation back in the left arm. It’s not only good news, as all the sensations I have are pain-related. Andd when Angelina is involved it’s a lot of pain. She also informed me that Marlene was sick. Oh no, then there will not be any running outside I thought. Angelina said, -You will have Ennio instead. Aha I thought, he doesn’t know about the deal with Marlene about the fair weather. So I just went and found him in the gym and said -I hope you have good outdoors stuff as we are going for a run outside today. Ennio looked a little surprised but fair play to him he agreed!

10:40am Physio therapy with Ennio. We met up by his changing room. He asked – Are you sure you want to do this? -Yes! I said and out we went.

It was just a light drizzle more than this mornings heavy flow of constant rain. There was also the odd snowflake mixed in with the light rain. Ok here we go. I started by warning Ennio about my resemblance of a shot animal whilst running he assured me he would be able to help with technique.

I’m not sure what I had expected but first we run up behind the hotel towards the railway. I was running in my usual style as there was no squares to put my feet in. Ennio then asked me to skip. Like twice on one foot then twice on the other. Funnily enough this worked better on my left leg than my right leg. Skipping has never been that hard before, Ennio is very good at finding out what in your movement is wrong and what to change to make it better,

What was happening was when i skipped on my right leg my left leg was swinging forward making it impossible for my body to come up. So i changed and instead lifted the left leg upwards and it made all the difference. Then Ennio told me to lengthen my stride to allow the body to pass my legs when I was running and sink down more and all of a sudden I didn’t feel as awkward any more. We went back to the hotel again and when we got there he said -You want to go there again? -Yeah, alright! I said impressed I was going to get let loose on the grounds again. We ran up and back down again and at the end I was feeling it! It’s close to 500m to the rail track so back and forwards twice makes almost a 2km run. Amazing as I have only walked un aided for 4 days!!!

Ok there is still lots to be asked about my style of both walking and running but I am improving every day. Cecilia wanted to video me today but I said no. For the same reason as before. If I would take a photo or make a video of anyone else with my level of disability and then post it online people would find it offensive. So I just wait until I am better.

After a good rest we had some lunch and after lunch i went to my

1.30pm Psychology with Sylvia. We were talking a lot about different things and all of a sudden she asked, -Oh I know you don’t seam like you are depressed but I printed this test out for you so you can see where you are really. So I am still in my plastic bubble so my score was super low. I scored a 5.5points You are not depressed if you score lower than 13. I gave the test to Cecilia, she scored 9, so there, maybe she should get one of these plastic bubbles? Or maybe when I do this test in 3 weeks time I get a higher score?

I won’t bore you with the questions now but I often found myself between 2 answers giving me half points. That seams fairer. One of the questions for example is about sadness. How often do you feel sad? 0. I never feel sad 1. I often feel sad 2. I feel sad all the time 3. I’m so sad or unhappy that I can’t stand it. As a hospital visitor with a poorly father in-law, away from my entire family I do feel sad at some times but not often as 1. states. So I’d give myself 0.5 on that one as I can still feel something, even though I have my plastic bubble on I am not totally without feelings.

2.30pm Ergo therapy with Angelina. Weight lifting. Don’t get any massive weights in your mind we are talking 500grams max. Then lifting straight arms without zig zagging or waving arms backwards and forwards. Not easy.

3.15pm Swimming with Ennio. Or should I say looking like a fool in the pool with Ennio. I was trying to balance 2 floaty plates under foot and nearly fell over. I walked in the stair getting in and out of the pool to try and control the wobbly wobbles from my legs protesting. Having to wobble up and down a fair 10 or so times before I was let go. -You have to work on that. was Ennio’s parting words. Think about Thai-Chi. To make it slower.

Alright I thought I am going as slow as I can. If I slow it down any more I will seize living. So this is how I need to live more like a Thai-Chi person than a speedy show jumper. Gosh, well there is always time to change!

Cecilia has swam 1.5km in the rain. But the pool was warm.

Cecilia also found out that you could order “the swedish cake” Prinsess tårta! In the coffee shop where they have the live piano player. So we had a coffee and a piece of cake (not really gluten or lactose free but who cares?) It was delicious! With green marzipan on!!!

Oh after all the training today I felt very tired. Almost like going to bed, but I stayed up and went for a pedicure. My toes are a sparkly gold now. There was very little sensation in the left foot compare to the right. But all of a sudden I could feel some trims under my foot. Result! It was not pain this time it was more tickle!

Lets hope for more of this sensation!

Dinner and Skyping with Danny and my daughters and Nicola! So lovely to talk to all my girls!

Keep smiling 🙂 There are some people that run for no reason! But they can run!

Bad Schinznach Day 17

So on my 3d day of walking around unaided (it’s going ok I only just look a little disabled) I will tell you the story of last nights sauna time.

Me and cousin Cecilia had heard you could wear towels in the sauna so we were thinking of wearing the towels on top of our swimsuits! Oh how illegal and very naughty! Right up my alley!

So we got our towels wrapped around us hiding any straps from swim suit and then we went in to the “no textile” zone. There was a hamam sauna where you could have a foamy treatment by a half naked man, you being starch naked of course. I was more impressed by the cold pool. A classic 5 degrees. Brrrrr… There were other showers and a lot of steam. We saw 1 man with towel luckily. Then we found a room with warm stones that you could lie on. There was another man there that in german told us (Cecilia) that the other saunas were on the second floor and we had to use the lift to get there. He asked her 100 question to which she answered no to all of them. We decided to leave the warm stones room and took hi tech lift up to second floor. The lift stopped in the entrance of the spa so I can see how confusing this could have been for Mercedes and Dan that had to try and find the way back trying to avoid naked people.

Once we got to the second floor there was a lot more people. A guy that previously had been wearing work uniform from the spa was now close to naked. All the people were queuing to get in to the 80 degrees wooden sauna where water on the fire was promised. Avery exited and the first naked lady we saw tried to get us to join but I had found a much more appropriate sauna at 60 degrees that was empty. Cecilia told me the german rules for naked sauna. You can look but you can’t stare. Well with my short attention span I was ready to leave in 5 minutes or so and we went to the hot outdoors pool. It was magical and afterwards we had a green tea and some multi vitamin juice before finding the last sauna. By chance. It was dark. With warm stone seats that i love. Not too hot and empty. There was a live fire glassed in but really making the sauna cosy. The other people that joined us had also got a dressed in swim gear approach to sauna, so we got along alright! It was pretty special but I think I lasted maybe 7 minutes….

So today

8am wake up!

8.20am breakfast

9am Ergo therapy with Angelina, I did tricep dips from the bench but there was a lot of pain in my left wrist! Pain is feeling so I was almost happy although this pain was a bit too sharp for my liking. She pushed my wrist around and I did it again, now it was better. Cecilia was with and she was commentating on how bent i was like a banana. Seriously? Not helping! I told her off and if she wants to join in more sessions she has to stay quiet. Apparently she when I did this saw the old me and saw this as a good sign, hmmmm I am not sure if that was the old me I’m sorry everyone! Don’t need to be nasty really….

I then did some weight lifting with left hand but i couldn’t get my arm straight so Angelina pushed some muscles in my shoulder and hourrah! More pain! Although the pain in my shoulder was so painful, I still find it fascinating just to feel anything! Anyway we finished off with her massaging me a bit more and then I went to see Dr Koch.

9.30am Dr Koch. We went through all the results from monday. He thought it was wiser to start riding again after my next brain scan in April also thought I should do another MRI scan to see why my double vision has become so bad. When i go downstairs now i can only hold on to side rail and feel with my feet for the steps. If I look down I see thousand of steps that aren’t there. It has spread in my vision now where it used to only be double if i looked to the right and down it now also goes double if I look forward. So annoying. But apparently they can’t do anything here so he thinks it’s better I wait a week and see someone in spain!

A week and I am back! 7 days! It’s incredible how little time I have left. So much to do.

11.00am Physio therapy with Marlene in gym. Started off on wobbly wave board. Rubbish! Then standing up on one leg also rubbish! When i tried and failed the scissor on the fit ball Marlene asked if I was tired and I was.

I went back to the room at 11.30 to sleep until 12.45pm. At that time Cecilia came up and got me for lunch. At lunch I was still asleep almost.

2pm Physio Therapy with Marlene again. From this mornings bad session I felt I had to bring some more to this session. She stared of showing me a thing with 4 wheels. Whats that i asked. A pedalo-she answered. She then got on it with both her feet moving them slowly forward and round in a cycling motion. I said it looked like something that would kill me. She said it could but we were going to use the rack to hold on and go slowly. I got on it and managed to go both forward and backward without killing self! Unfortunately Marrlenes shin won’t feel grest and I think a bruise will have developed by now as I reversed a bit uncontrolled in to her. Oups, sorry!!!!

I asked -When can I start running. She said -Why don’t you start now? So I ran around the gym looking like a wounded animal more than an athlete. She then told me to walk and put my feet in every square on the floor (like children do) avoiding the lines. Then she said to do every second square. And then to try to run. I was battling not only with fatigue but also with my double vision when looking down, but I did it! I was running for real and it felt great. In the end I was just running around not looking at the squares. Then she brought out her last toy: The trampoline! I got a rack in front of me I could hold on to but it was so much fun bouncing up and down. It wasn’t a veery impressive trampoline. Myrna would have ignored it, but for me it was ok!

She said if the weather allows tomorrow we will go outside for a proper run! Can’t wait!

3pm Ergo therapy with Caroline. I was still feeling the left shoulder so she spent a lot of time stretching and massaging. It made a huge difference! All of a sudden I could move my arm in to areas  where it has not wanted to go for a long time.

4pm facial and manicure at spa. Very nice got a proper clean up and got purple nail varnish to finish off good day.

The tiredness can be a side effect of the epilepsy tablets. I was a little bit extra dizzy today which also is a side effect so maybe thats why.

The double vision is taking it’s toll. I am sick and tired about being sick and tired but the double vision I could really be without.(Although I am thankful I have some vision thinking about Jolly!)

I am hoping for ok weather tomorrow so I can release the wounded animal that is me in to the woods for a run!

Keep smiling 🙂 if yoou can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing!

Bad Scinznach Day 16

Breakfast alone. Not often here but the day it happens I notice it. Especially today as their news letter was all about dental decease and rotting teeth and I am so worried about my teeth. Really need to go to dentist soon. (Read now) AAAAAAAaaaarrrggghhhh….. I am not frightened about many things but dentists are on the scary list.

8.50 Physio therapy with Marlene. First on a fit ball sitting on it not holding on to anything as I had managed yesterday. I wasn’t as good today as the ball was stiffer. Then she tried to get me to stand up on one leg but I had already peaked with my muscles so I just wanted to fall down on floor.

I am walking everywhere without any aid. Zimmer frame gone. No crutch needed or used and I do not use the lift any more so walking self up and down stairs. Going downstairs is a bit scary as it hits my double vision.

I have double vision all the time in certain areas. Looking down to the right is my worst area, but this area is now spreading further up. So now watching the TV is a double encounter. It’s easily solved by closing one eye but I don’t really want to patch up one eye. Not a good look.

9.20am psychology 1 hour. She was kind today and said many kind things. About my adaptable brain, how I look for new solutions and never look back and how quick I find and see patterns. Oh there was something else but my brain has chosen to forget it.

I talked to my mum again today and she is really coming on friday! I cannot wait!

11.15 Ergo therapy with Angelina we did proper planks. Where you keep hovering your body flat about a foot over the ground and stay there, also the moving stones and in a bucket full of coffee beans. I got to move stones  with left hand. Some where so heavy I almost couldn’t do it. In the end all 4 stones went in the bucket and I had to carry it with only my left arm…. gosh hard!

12.00pm waiting for Cecilia to arrive again

12.20 Lunch with Cecilia!!!! Yihaaa!! No more lonely me!

2.00pm Ergo therapy with Angelina. I played a game where I put 40 odd screws in to a board. Then I started to take screws out by jumping over them with one. The aim of the game is to have only one screw left at the end… I had 2. Angelina said she had never seen anyone get less than me, but I still see I can make an improvement. Next time I will get this!

2.30pm in the gym. With Marlene. So we went on my blue plastic pony again. It hasn’t got exercised all weekend or yesterday so it was really fresh! I nearly came offf it twice. In the end I let go of the reins and it settled. Still not showing any ability to jump..

We then took to 2 round fit balls and went stomach down rolling on top of ball. There stop and balance self with legs in air. Then turn hips and scissor legs both directions. Gosh hard! So we did this until my arms and legs were shaking out of control. `Then Marlene showed me a good stomach exercise I could do with the ball. Between my legs sideways and up and down. I have a problem with the lower back with the up and down one so will just stay with right and left until further notice.

Cecilia brought with her lots of candy! (that is real love) and she was watching Hart of Dixie when I came back. I had managed to watch 10 episodes without her… How is that even possible? Need to buy new series, will see what it will be,,,

Now awaits dinner and then a swim in the hot pool. Maybe we will brave the hairy men in the sauna area. Update tomorrow.

Cecilia is reading a new book. As scary as something I would not read at the moment. Its about the second world war. One person died every 4 second.

I heard from mum the end of the world was scheduled to the 21/12/12 but my psychologist Silvia claims that it’s a translation problem. This was the Maya indians that had this futuristic insight and people that had translated it had changed the meaning from the world will enter a new phase to the world will end.

She explained that this new phase could be a positive. For me it would really be. Whatever it brings let it bring change and positive energy!

Keep Smiling 🙂 The world is still a mystery

Bad Schinznach Day 15

Wow! I have survived 2 weeks here!

Today tough cookie day.

8.30am Physio with Ennio who claimed he can do the moon walk for everyones knowledge out there. He heard from the greek psychiatrist that I had written something aboout his below average skills in moon walking. This means 2 things. First Ennio might be a liar as I have seen no evidence today of his so called skills. I have a greek follower on this blog. We have about 200 people reading the blog every day! We work a little on jumping with Ennio. I get to jump and land “softly” on both feet. I jump (not high at all) and land with no silence what so ever. Think was more like tank than ninja. Practised and got a little better. Nearly fell twice and pulled my own shoe of once.

9am talking to doctors office to find out about missing files and adding appointment with doctor Koch later on this week.

9.30am Rosi picking me up to go to Zurich to epilepsy specialist. We got there early and headed in Rosi’s car in to the centre of Zurich. The neuro specialist centre is in Bellevue close to the Globus shopping mall. We headed in for a Starbucks coffee before the meeting. Coffee was awesome! Mmmmmm

I went in to have my brain scanned. An EEG I think it’s called. Basically a net is put on to your head then 30 or so metal bits are attached. Then some grey foul smelling putty is put underneath metal on top of hair and skin to make you look and smell awful. It also makes it possible to scan your brainwaves.

I have got a photo of me with said contraption on head but can’t upload it….

I had a 2min EEG and they make you hyperventilate and look at flashing lights etc. Had it done to me in Mallorca but here it was serious business.

We then went for lunch at a very nice french restaurant in Bellevue, close to the Opera. I had a risotto and a salad. It was great!

Back for my 1pm appointment with specialist. He was so happy about my brain scan. He said brain looked almost normal so this could be either I have a very normal brain or more likely my brain agrees with the medicine I am on and he told me to stay on that medicine until october 2013. He also said I could try to start riding again given I feel alright and it will bee safe to get on in beginning of february. 3 months after a major head injury with a brain bleed is what he said.

I have developed a more acute double vision since last week and he said Dr Koch would be able to sort that out. So hopefully without taping one eye shut, because I know thats not a great look. Going down stairs is dangerous as i see steps that are not even there. We headed down a lift and only thanks to the back wall I didn’t fall over!

Today is the first day for me without walking aids!

I must say for Zurich I brought a stick but only to keep people aware of me. That kind of worked. The woman that walked in to me super hard probably have a very sore shoulder now, luckily she hit my left side so no worries. She better watch out next time she sees someone with a crutch! She should slow down step to the side or something. My pink hair should also have scared her or something…

Back at clinic 2.30pm an hour rest before walking down the stairs for swimming gymnastic with Ennio 3.30pm. We did the snake under foot exercise as well as the jesus hands turning direction. I was most impressed by left hand that managed to pull down a ver floatable floaty thing that Ennio didn’t think I had the strength to pull under water and put my foot on top. Ha! I did it!

4.30pm Ergo therapy with Angelina. I got to do the putting in lego sticks as well as pulling them out on time as well as hand strength test. The plastic sticks I did a 19 second on my right hand (previously 20 and 28 seconds) and a 41 second with my left hand (previously 49 second and deemed non fit!) on the hand strength test where I last week scored a 4kg on my left hand I now managed to score a 7kg! (On my right hand I instead lost a kg. Down to 17kg but Angelina says this is normal so I’m  not worried!)

After all exercise I went back to my room for some chilling out time before dinner. Today dinner was interrupted by facebook messages from Sammy in England, thats 2 bonuses already 1 there was internet connection 2 got a lovely update on Sammy. It’s so good to have a little sister I never had for real.

My plastic bubble is almost deciding to leave me but then I realise I have a lot of further mending to do so I beg for bubble to stay as it’s making me stronger. Angelina today tried to prepare me for “plateuing” basically when you are getting stronger and better when you train all of a sudden you don’t feel like you are moving forward and this can happen to any of us. It’s like a step on a set of stairs you pick up new muscle and learn new tricks then it stabilises and you don’t feel like you are moving on any more. I think Angelina is worried I would lose my fighting spirit if I didn’t move forward at this pace all the time. She doesn’t know the fighter in me. It takes time to become a real tigress. We wait until the time is right and as a guide it’s not until I come back to Mallorca I will have to set the record straight. With some hospital workers. At Son Espases. As well as some very nice nurses and one very nice doctor there were terrible people I have heard about now. What was done to me. I have a hickey the size of a big coin, big and purple and it was from a needle. Maybe if I have the entire story told I would get it but now it just does not make any sense.

I am planning my going to bed now after such a busy day! I have not had a proper lie down or tried getting to sleep. Starbucks might be to blame for that who knows?

Keep Smiling 🙂 You never know sometimes you get a smile back!

 

Bad Schinznach Day 14 Sunday

So end of my second week here in bad Schinznach- try to pronounce that with a half sleeping tongue!

The year 2012 has had an awful lot of energy in it. Good and bad it seams. My family were supposed to be here now but the last “casualty” of the bad energies were Millie catching some throat infection and staying in hospital 3 nights. Now she is back safe home so we have to be thankful and happy for that.

I have received my schedule for next week and other than a few mistakes like doouble bookings it looks pretty full on!

I have another tuesday with 6 sessions. They are mad aren’t they? On monday I have only 3 but also my trip to Zurich to see specialist.

Today we had decided no workout. So instead we started with breakfast in our own pace followed by some chilling in our room then I went for a massage. It was the first full body massage I have received after my accident. As my feeling is very low or non excitant on my left side I was worried about how it would feel. It was ok. It felt nothing like other massages I have ever had.

The strangest sensation was when she was finishing off on my face. Well my left side of my face has no normal feeling. There is some feeling, I can for example feel her hands on my face. But thats it. I can’t feel what they are doing. Thats kind of freaky. So I slip back in my bubble.

After the massage Cecilia awaits to help me back to lunch. She has been over to the fully naked area of the bath to check out. She heard you could/were supposed to wear a towel so she felt empowered by this information, but on her way in she saw the flash of a hairy bottom and she decided to brave it when there are two of us.

We decided on a quick walk before lunch and today I was listening extra carefully out for some birds and I heard some twice. So not too Hitchcock like today.

Lunch was delicious but Cecilia and I were both thinking about our new series on computer “Hart of Dixie”. Oh how totally watchable for me. Very slow paced, romance and kind people. Just enough for me!

Good things that happened to me in 2012:

I became Mallorcan Champion in show jumping with Eva Lux.

I finished Vatternrundan a 300 km bike race in Sweden.

We had a successful triple christening of our girls in Sweden.

So many of our friends and family have gotten married or had children so thats all good energy to take forward.

Sometimes I start weighing the good against the bad but that only drives me crazy. So I revert back in to my bubble again.

I took a few photos of my zimmer frame as this is what the pony is called in English. But I have mislaid my phone now where the photos are on so I will post pony on here tomorrow as I am returning him to the lady in charge tomorrow.

How will I survive? Without the pony? And no crutch either. I will see what happens tomorrow. My first session is at 8.30am so I will walk down straight from breakfast.

You would not believe it but now I can walk unaided for a lengthy distance. And stay on my two feet staining up on my own for minutes without rest. It’s just this change to become pony less tomorrow, I lose a little bit of the identity I have managed to get here.

Now I am going down to dinner. As Cecilia left at 3pm (she is coming back tuesday) I am eating dinner on my own. Hope you all have good company!

Thanks for reading and thanks for all your support!

Keep smiling 🙂 Have a thumb held tomorrow that all tests go well!

Bad Schinznach day 13 Saturday

Apparently we all just have one month to live. The world comes to an end on the 12/12/12. Why? I don’t know. For me it sounds like a happy date not a end the world date.

So today I was awoken by the phone calling me to say my physio session had been confirmed for 9.40am. The time when they called was 8.50am so I’d better get my arse in full gear so I’d have time to eat breakfast before the session.

9.40am Physio therapy with Caroline. She was this weeks Saturday worker. We played lots of games and did a lot of throwing balls and catching balls with my left hand. I was average. I really don’t like the averageness of my being sometimes. I get a flashback sometimes to what I used to be. Never a good thing so I head back into my plastic bubble.

I went for a lie down for an hour after my session. I ate a whole bag of m&m. Felt a little bit better so I decided we should go for a walk.

Cecilia and me went to the river. It’s so huge and it was so still today. It was really quiet outside. Not a bird sound actually. Only the wheels from my rullator (what do you call them in english? They have wheels on them and you walk behind them holding on to them and using them for stability instead of crutches) We call mine the pony as he is really handy when we decide to go places and we don’t want to carry something for example.

After the walk we had lunch, with coffee. And after that we got changed in to gym stuff and headed down in to the gym. I did a 10 min cycle on effort 8. I burnet enough calories to eat half an apple! Then I did sitting on a fit ball without holding on and I actually did it!

Cecilia did some stomach stuff and then felt it necessary to watch over me so I wouldn’t crash in to something. The mother of 4 really couldn’t let go…

When we finished in the gym we head straight to the pool. We did both hot pools today. Cecilia also went down the scary slide and we walked against the waters direction inn the fast flowing stream! We stayed for some bubbles as  well and finished off in a turkish sauna with strong smelling mint smell. It was awesome. But for any normal person I think I would have been terrible to be with but for a saint like my cousin, she just joined in, yes of course we can just spend 2 min doing this. Sure no problem you want to change the pool.

I have an attention span of a 5 year old. `That together with my double vision makes reading a real problem.

After the swim I got really tired again and went to lie down and take it easy for an hour.

Cecilia came and woke me up for todays entertainment in the lobby. Real Swiss music and singing and dancing. We came down just ass a man started to play on a broom. It was one of my favourite brooms from the stable. Like the ones witches like to ride. So that makes an interesting instrument in Switzerland!

We then went and played 2 board games. I won one and Cecilia won the other one so it’s 1-1.

Then we went for dinner and Skype calling families in other countries. My daughters are so cute. I talked on the phone with Nicola and Millie and on Skype with Dan Myrna and Melonie.

So lovely to have a moment of close to normality.

My left side is really annoying me today. I’m  getting these small indications that I’m getting some feeling back but then like today I realise there really is not so much sensation. In my face for example I can feel nothing on my left side. Not in my mouth on my tongue or anything. Sometimes I think I am feeling more but then when you walk in to walls/doors or something hard and the only way you notice is because of the change of direction you are going… sad really.

So even though I yesterday was upbeat about no sensation, I’d like some back now please.

Tomorrow Sunday and I am doing a lot of resting. Monday I am going to an Epilepsy specialist in Zurich. A friend of my family is taking me as my family won’t be able to come tomorrow. Actually getting a little bit sad under my plastic bubble over that. Cecilia is coming back on tuesday so I wont be alone for so long. She is a saint!

Keep smiling 🙂 There is grace and goodness in this world

Bad Schinznach Day 12

So Cecilia is here and in her true fashion I started the day with high spirits. Also because of yesterdays high energy I was thinking my tired self was gone… how wrong was I?

9.30am physio therapy in Rund bau- means round house- we were working on standing up  on one leg both left and right holding the other leg up. Then we sat on a fit ball and had to keep both legs up. That is seriously hard. I only managed for a super short time and only after I was sat balancing with my right arm in front of me. There is lots of improvement to work on.

My new hairstyle and colour is making a lot of talk around Bad Schinznach. One of our regular old friends today said he was going to be depressed if I was leaving this weekend. We said don’t worry I’m not leaving for another week and a half so that pleased him.

I remember sitting next to him on the exercise bike singing yesterday, so maybe some more of that singing to spread around Bad Schinznach? Cecilia is just singing  for Viggo her son and it’s the little snail song in Swedish so maybe we can do a duet later?

 

10.45 am Ergo therapy with Angelina. More volleyball with a balloon. Sat on a small ball. Then stand up push ups both with and without balls and finished off with a screwing game. I had to remove bolts from different types of screws. Coordinating my thumb and pointy finger on my left hand.

 

A last coffee with my lovely sister. And some macaroons that Cecilia had baked. They were amazing!!!! Delight! Hugs goodbye to my best ever sister and she also reached inside my plastic bubble. Will miss her but only a week and a half until I go back.

 

A lunch with Frau Muller. She was delighted with the  wednesday desert buffet. I nearly fell asleep at lunch.

I went up for a 30 min sleep before my

1.30 Physio Therapy with Marlene again. She has never seen me so tired so I got a massage by her instead of me working. That was the first time I think I was pleased not to have any feeling in my body as she really didn’t hold back anything. As she was working deep tissue massage on my shoulder I could kind of feel it behind my ear.

Ah well, I think maybe the feeling will come back some time.

Dan is back in Mallorca now and Millie is feeling better. Thats good!

After my quick chat with him I had another lie down.

3.30pm still tired for Ergo therapy. Caroline this time. We played the dice and rubber band game again. It was good fun and it gets easier to use my left hand every day. Typing here is getting easier each day.

The progress I have made here in nearly 2 weeks is incredible. Not really counted on this progress. I hope this will continue. I have work to do each day now and a lot of muscles to build.

Cecilia and me went swimming in the hot spring. It was awesome as always. We went in the grown up pool as it was so early and it’s a bit cleaner than the kids pool. We didn’t get lost like Dan and Mercedes but we did see that you had to take off your clothes if you were to go upstairs. Sometimes it helps having a german speaking/reading relative with you!

 

Now we are talking to our families in Sweden, Germany and Mallorca, then of for dinner.

 

Keep Smiling 🙂 You learn something new each day!

Bad Schinznach Day 11

Early start

8am Therapy of physical variety. Marlene did the walking test again. 2 minutes walk as far as you can. Last week I did 77 meters.

I’m only a little bit competitive as you know so I was just going to try and break it a little. I did a flat 200 meters in 2 minutes. Even Marlene looked impressed!

I then went up on some step training. I was stood with my left foot on the ground lifting the right one up and down on and off the steps. I was doing that until my left side was shaking uncontrollable. Its just the muscles trying to do their work. I asked Marlene about massage and if it would be good for me she said oh are you not getting any in your therapy. Then she said yes 2 times per week would be good especially now I am working muscles so hard.

8.30am I was waiting for my Ergo therapy to start. But I was an hour early.

9.30am Ergo therapy. We wer working a lot with plastic bands (fit bands) I was seated on a red ball and first we played volley ball with a balloon sitting on the ball. It was awesome fun. Even with my legs pulled up I didn’t loose my balance. I managed to get the balloon back every time. The fit bands we pulled to get the shoulder working. It was hard work but all very rewarding. I have done similar tasks last week and failed. This week I can do it! Very good.

11am Physio at the gym. First 10 min on the bio. This time it’s easy to keep speed over 70 rpm. `It’s also easy to keep going for 10 min. It’s the first 3d lesson I have startrd with this much energy!

We work on standing up with only my left leg. Try and do that and see how you go. All weight on the left side. At first too hard but with a change of technique it’s working all of a sudden. I finish of climbing o the wooden climbing frame. Here only allowed to use my left arm to pull me up. Gosh they really know how to work me!

I had a lunch with Johanna after I tried to find her in the spa for 30 min. Maybe my german really isn’t getting any better?

Then we had some more bad news. Millie my youngest daughter is very poorly and is in hospital in Mallorca. It’s a chest infection so she needs to stay in hospital 72hrs which makes every bodies plan of coming here next week has now vanished. Dan and Nicola  are now staying at Mallorca with all the girls. Never mind. I stay in my plastic wrap, but this almost touches me.

2.30pm Ergo therapy with Angelina. We play this game were you are supposed to pick out wooden sticks without making the tower fall. Here they call it Jenga. I was only allowed to use my left hand and I won! Then we did it backwards. Putting the pieces back. That was so much harder.

3pm hairdresser. I had ordered new pink colour. They sadly had not got the colour, so I got a flamingo cooer that they had. It was still very awesome. She cut my hair as well. Short back and side windy fringe. So cute!

Dan is in the UK again and I am wishing him all the best of luck with every thing. I think about him all the time and he is on the inside of my plastic bubble, so I do actually feel for him.

I am tonight going to welcome my new guest, my cousin Cecilia is coming all the way from Heidelberg. She arrives after dinner is served so we will just take her swimming!

Johanna is now hooked on once upon a time! It’s really great! I have seen the whole first series! Anyone knows when the next series is out?

Today I have had 4 coffees, but no sleep at all during the entire day. I will see how I sleep tonight but I think it will go well!

Keep smiling! I think some of my energy has returned! More in the body than the brain….

Bad Schinznach Day 8

So it’s the first day of the second week. Not sure it means anything to them but they have clearly upped my work schedule.

Today I had 6 lessons.

It started at 8.30am with Ergo therapy. This time a lot more push-ups against the door followed by different arm lifts and a pretend swim at the end.

This was followed by playing with girls when Dan was having some important treatment for his back. The girls and I played with their barbies then we went down to reception where I changed some times. This time I was driving them in my wheelchair! A great way to walk with aid (somehow the wheelchair does balance the driver!)

10.30am physio therapy. Marlene she took me for a long walk from the therapy rooms to the gym. There she put me on top a double fit ball. Like on a horse. Then she told me to pick up my feet. Then put them forward. Then she gave me reins. Then she told me to get on and off it from the left side like a real horse.

It’s blue. Plastic. And very hard to sit on. As a horse I’d give it no hope. It felt sensitive and scope less! No worse combination really! I will practice on it every day. I have made it my mission to make that useless piece of gym trash my new lovely pet! If it goes like my other “projects” it will probably jump a small course by the end of the week!

11am 1 whole hour of psycho therapy. The girls and Dan were swimming at this hour! They had fun whilst I was prodded by Sylvie the head doctor. I left with a new technique ffor relaxing and hopefully to sleep soundly.

12pm I got to see my girls one last time for a quick lunch before they went to the airport.

12.30pm Dan and the girls left.

1.45pm a neuro something doctor session. He was checking my ability to think and recognise things and patterns. We spent about 1hr on a computer. First I got to answer lots of questions on what I remembered from before the accident etc. I told him I have forgotten nearly all names of peopleI know and shops etc. Its sadly true. If I need to call someone I can no longer find them in my phone because I can’t remember what they are saved as.

It gets a little better each day. Every time I get an email or text from someone I remember more. I must look a bit odd though when I go through my phone not really knowing who is in there. Ah well you are all getting your 15 min of fame. In a week or 2 I will make it my mission to get all of you back!

3pm Ergo therapy. This time first i got to roll 3 dice. 2were normal and one had 6 colours on it.  There was a board with 25 nails in it. If I got a blue and a 2 and a 6 I needed to take a blue rubber band from a bag with my left hand and with the same hand put it around 8 nails on the board. This went on for a while when the board looked pretty full of rubber bands. Then I just threw the dice with different colours. This decided which colour band I could remove from the board. Very tricky, all left handed.

Then I got to play colour suduko. It was awesome! Just using my left now long suffering side….

4.30pm Water therapy! How awesome! In the small indoor pool with Marlene. She gave me some floaters to keep under hands and legs and arms then she showed me techniques  of how to turn in water using very little power just technique. folding your shoulders forward. Well I never knew that was important until now.

I was very tired after all this exercise. Posted something like don’t know if they want to cure me or kill me on Facebook and twitter.

Then I had dinner. And here you know you are lonely when the name tag on your table only says your name which it did tonight…. I miss my girls but they called to say they had a good flight back.

I went down to dinner in a wheelchair. Its impressive how much more the left hand can turn the wheels than before. I’m getting pretty quick!

I also wanted to say something about typing here. It’s getting easier every day. There is no change in how the left hand feels (or doesn’t feel) but there is a huge difference in what it’s willing to do. I wished now someone had filmed my attempts at blogging just a week ago. It’s a huge difference.

For me every day here is a challenge. But I am getting stronger and more like me every day. Don’t know if I will ever be