Part 16 - Me n my bonce

Not sure who was more excited me or the physio's? We are going to start taking you to the gym can you get trainers brought in for you? A big hell yeah!!! Although I still had no phone with me I had to wait for mum to arrive that day to call dad to tell him to nip home and bring a pair of my trainers in on his way up! The gym I thought! Wow I hope it's no boxercise or bums, tums n thighs class especially as getting off of my air bed mattress and standing was hard enough! Occupational therapists (OT's) also took me to the gym sometimes for their sessions, balancing at the plinths and throwing a ball through a hoop in the end! How'd I initially get to the gym?? In my bed of course! Like a G! I was wheeled along the corridor with my NG tube blocked off and pegged by a clothes peg to my sexy gown! What a catch I must've looked! No yankeur when I went to the gym though, which I panicked about as thinking back i was pretty addicted to this by now, but the big red emergency trackie bag always came wherever I went so no worries there! Even though I had no idea what was in there they checked it weekly so must have been ok and fortunately I never got to find out what was in there! Standing and sitting aka transfers were even more awkward as I still had a catheta in. It had already been dropped once when I was in the hoist from a height which had really hurt, now I was worried it would happen again or I'd trip over it! It wasn't long until I was transferring and visiting the gym in my wheelchair, progressing to the parallel bars in the gym too, no not training for Rio 2016 but standing by myself and holding on to bars beside me, desperately wanting to take the plunge and walk I couldn't it was as if my feet had been superglued to the floor. My exercises consisted of swaying side to side and transferring my weight from 1 leg to the other, dizziness used to come and go and I would have to sit down again, my legs would do it's very own Elvis impression when I got tired too and start to shake. Once the glue was removed from my feet the next challenge was to move my leg forward as if to take a step but not, just get used to swinging it through, like a ballerina pointing, minus the ballerina grace may I add! About 5 on each leg was all I could manage before needing to sit. Mum used to come to the gym with me too watching my progress and would always praise me or if I had to sit down I'd look at her as if to say how was that? She'd smile as always and just give me the thumbs up! This encouraged me, 5 more I thought. The temptation to try and walk was now unreal so my physios being as encouraging as they were said try it. I did, I took 2 steps while holding onto the bars! Mixed emotions of being scared, proud and then worried - how an earth would I ever be able to walk again? Although happy with what I had achieved it would also make me upset as I would realise now just how much I couldn't do! Back to my room in my wheels, OT's asked me what I would like to do, my first response? I would love a shower and hair wash please, ok they said leave it with us. I had my schedule given to me of what physio and OT sessions I'd have on a weekly basis. Look at that - Wednesday morning was what I was longing for! A shower AND hair wash! I used to hate the mornings as knew the nurses would be in for my daily bed bath, which meant lots of turning, causing me to cough lots, my speaking valve shooting off of my tracheostomy, lots of phlegm, then the sickness feeling would come! Being physically sick on a normal basis used to scare me but with a trackie was worse, what if I couldn't bring it all up and I choked? I suppose 1 bonus of being tube fed there was never carrots! I had quite a lot of sickness shots, 3 and on some bad days 4! Usually mornings, mid afternoon, handover time and sometimes late night. In the end I was given an anti sickness sticker behind my ear, though this didn't seem to work much if at all I was still also having the shots so this was taken off! Wednesday morning came! Shower day!!!! What a nightmare to prepare though, my pic line had to be wrapped in a bandage, then an apron taped to my arm making it waterproof. A commode chair was brought round by OT's, so I'd transfer to that slip off my sexy compression stocking as was wheeled to the showers. I knew my legs were buggered but now attempting to wash my hair was impossible, I couldn't lift my arms either, what? But I suppose not having to lift them for so long the muscles had just locked. Pleased I was in the shower, embarrassed being stark you know what naked in front of the OT girls and now I couldn't wash my own hair! OT's didn't let it bother them and on they would crack and help me, then I'd cough my valve come off and they would grab it for me to put back on so I could carry on with my shower. The reason I was on a commode chair became apparent, obviously I could stand so as it had a hole in it it gave me access to wash the important bits too! Showering sitting down was very weird, but that first shower I felt like leaping down the ward and pirouetting, but no I was just wheeled back to my room on the commode, sexy stockings put back on and my trackie dressing changed! I didn't realise I had a foam strap round my neck tied to the trackie keeping it in my neck, this was obviously soaked and needed changing after my shower which always made me choke and splutter and yep need another sickness shot! One time after a shower my NG tube had started to come out it had numbers on it which I got a bit OCD about 75 was usual one day after the shower it was 40! I held it to ensure it didn't slide anymore and a nurse came to fix it, to fix it I needed to re-swallow while she pushed it back in, awful! Then another t shaped plaster put on my nose to fix it in place, it now read 80 and I was relieved!