6 April 2005
I had an appointment with the rehabilitation specialist A/Prof John Olver this morning. Tim agreed to accompany me to the appointment despite his busy schedule. I found out this morning that he worked till 1 a.m. so he could spare some time this morning with me at the appointment.
My appointment was at 10.30 a.m. so we dropped Lillian off at the childcare on our way to see John. It was only 10.06 a.m. when we got to Epworth. We waited for a while and then John came out but it was not my turn yet. He said there is another patient before me and she is running a bit late. I don't understand why we have to wait just because someone else is running late for her appointment. Doctors (especially rehab doctors) always get away with being late. I wonder if their accountants keep them waiting for so long when they go to see their accountants. When I was working in chartered accounting firm, I would never keep my clients waiting for more than 10 minutes. They made appointments to see me at certain time, not half an hour or an hour later. I know doctors have to see more patients but I know from MECRS experience that rehab doctors are especially notorious for being late, like Fary. I remember one of my appointments with her was at 9.30 a.m and she didn't turn up until about 9.50 a.m. and everyone there was booked to see her at 9.30 a.m.
It was about 10.45 a.m. when it was finally my turn. John came out and told us to go to his office while he goes and make a very IMPORTANT phone call. Apparently he is going to Brazil next week and he still needs to get his visa. Tim and I waited at his office for a while before he showed up a bit flustered. There must be some kind of conference in Brazil because Fary, the rehab specialist at MECRS, mentioned that she is going to Brazil next week as well. In fact, I meant to see her today at the same time but after starting my treatment at Epworth, I cancelled my appointment with her.
John asked how are things going with me. I told him that it's fine except my ankle still inverts and I wonder what is to be done. He mentioned Botox in the tibialis posterior muscle again. He said he will need to check with Cathy. Cathy? Who is Cathy? I had to remind him that my physio is Gavin, not Cathy. I began to wonder whether he has read my file. I noticed that he kept checking his watch and then his mobile rang. He said he had to answer it because of visa for Brazil etc. To be honest, I was just so pissed off I really don't care if he missed his plane. This is like Fary all over again. One thing I really hate about her is that she always leaves her mobile phone on and answer it during my appointment. I don't think they would expect their accountants keep answering their mobile phones. Tim's mobile was ringing earlier but he switched it off straight away instead of answering it. I think we should get St Peter a mobile phone somehow. Imagine when all the doctors meet him at the Pearly Gates, wouldn't it be funny if they have to wait while St Peter answers his mobile and keep them waiting. This would give them a dose of their own medicine. I know I complain a lot about doctors but it's a bit unfair to say they are all like that. I think rehab doctors are especially bad. Prof Kaye, the neurosurgeon who operated on me, on the other hand, is extremely professional. I've never seen him answering or talking on the mobile during my appointment (maybe he knows how much it cooks one's brains).
Tim asked John from his experience, how long does it take for a patient to get normal gait back after Botox. I wished he didn't ask because John's answer was something I didn't need to hear. He said they never walk normally again! Tim said surely if they train properly, they can get it back. John was so sure that because the damage is done in the brain and it's not something can be retrained. Tim asked him if there are exercises that I should do. He said the best exercise for walking is actually walking itself. Tim told him that a few years ago we used to train for ballroom dancing competitively and we know from experience that it doesn't matter how many hours we put in dancing, it's the quality that counts. They argued on this issue for a while but I was switched off. Every time I hear something negative, I just switch off completely so I don't take any in. In the end, it was decided that John will talk to Gavin about it and let me know. I told him that it's kind of urgent because Gavin told me that my private health insurance will cover 50 sessions with him. I see him twice a week so it should last about 6 months. Once I have Botox, I will need a program to work on for 12 weeks. I told him that I don't want to be in a situation that I have a Botox but then my insurance runs out and I end up have no physio. He said that's ok because I can go back to the public health system. That's fine but so far, Gavin is probably the best physio I have come across so it would be more ideal if I can have my Botox while I still have my physio there. I should be fair to say that I think Prema is actually the best physio but she does not really practice publicly. I think her approach is actually the best. She will get me to do something but would also explain the theory behind it and which muscles I should be using etc. Gavin is fine but he doesn't explain anything to me. He probably doesn't think I need to know but I think it's important for me to understand the theory as well. It's a bit like you can never be a good ballroom dancer if you only know the steps but not the techniques.
I also asked John what's the plan/program for my arm/shoulder/hand. He looked a bit puzzled. I explained to him that when I saw Martin Richardson, my othopaedics, last time, he said my shoulder subluxation problem is all healed and it's time to do some strength training. He said so far they have concentrated on my walking. I told him that's fine but would the physio be treating me upper limb as well or is that the area of another department. He told me he can refer me to see an OT if I have certain problem reaching. I told him that I don't really want to see an OT because from previous experience, OT is all about compensating or compromising. He looked at me and said sometimes I might need to compromise. I felt like telling him if I took that attitude, I would never be able to drink a cup of tea with my left hand or lift my left arm above my head.
On the way back, I was talking to Tim about it. I don't think I should give up hope yet. I think I just need good quality training. It's just like ballroom dancing, not everyone gets to A grade. In fact, very few do. It all depends on how hard they work. A lot of social dancers go dancing every night but they don't get better at it because they have not focused on the right training. The question is how do I get good quality walking training.
My appointment was at 10.30 a.m. so we dropped Lillian off at the childcare on our way to see John. It was only 10.06 a.m. when we got to Epworth. We waited for a while and then John came out but it was not my turn yet. He said there is another patient before me and she is running a bit late. I don't understand why we have to wait just because someone else is running late for her appointment. Doctors (especially rehab doctors) always get away with being late. I wonder if their accountants keep them waiting for so long when they go to see their accountants. When I was working in chartered accounting firm, I would never keep my clients waiting for more than 10 minutes. They made appointments to see me at certain time, not half an hour or an hour later. I know doctors have to see more patients but I know from MECRS experience that rehab doctors are especially notorious for being late, like Fary. I remember one of my appointments with her was at 9.30 a.m and she didn't turn up until about 9.50 a.m. and everyone there was booked to see her at 9.30 a.m.
It was about 10.45 a.m. when it was finally my turn. John came out and told us to go to his office while he goes and make a very IMPORTANT phone call. Apparently he is going to Brazil next week and he still needs to get his visa. Tim and I waited at his office for a while before he showed up a bit flustered. There must be some kind of conference in Brazil because Fary, the rehab specialist at MECRS, mentioned that she is going to Brazil next week as well. In fact, I meant to see her today at the same time but after starting my treatment at Epworth, I cancelled my appointment with her.
John asked how are things going with me. I told him that it's fine except my ankle still inverts and I wonder what is to be done. He mentioned Botox in the tibialis posterior muscle again. He said he will need to check with Cathy. Cathy? Who is Cathy? I had to remind him that my physio is Gavin, not Cathy. I began to wonder whether he has read my file. I noticed that he kept checking his watch and then his mobile rang. He said he had to answer it because of visa for Brazil etc. To be honest, I was just so pissed off I really don't care if he missed his plane. This is like Fary all over again. One thing I really hate about her is that she always leaves her mobile phone on and answer it during my appointment. I don't think they would expect their accountants keep answering their mobile phones. Tim's mobile was ringing earlier but he switched it off straight away instead of answering it. I think we should get St Peter a mobile phone somehow. Imagine when all the doctors meet him at the Pearly Gates, wouldn't it be funny if they have to wait while St Peter answers his mobile and keep them waiting. This would give them a dose of their own medicine. I know I complain a lot about doctors but it's a bit unfair to say they are all like that. I think rehab doctors are especially bad. Prof Kaye, the neurosurgeon who operated on me, on the other hand, is extremely professional. I've never seen him answering or talking on the mobile during my appointment (maybe he knows how much it cooks one's brains).
Tim asked John from his experience, how long does it take for a patient to get normal gait back after Botox. I wished he didn't ask because John's answer was something I didn't need to hear. He said they never walk normally again! Tim said surely if they train properly, they can get it back. John was so sure that because the damage is done in the brain and it's not something can be retrained. Tim asked him if there are exercises that I should do. He said the best exercise for walking is actually walking itself. Tim told him that a few years ago we used to train for ballroom dancing competitively and we know from experience that it doesn't matter how many hours we put in dancing, it's the quality that counts. They argued on this issue for a while but I was switched off. Every time I hear something negative, I just switch off completely so I don't take any in. In the end, it was decided that John will talk to Gavin about it and let me know. I told him that it's kind of urgent because Gavin told me that my private health insurance will cover 50 sessions with him. I see him twice a week so it should last about 6 months. Once I have Botox, I will need a program to work on for 12 weeks. I told him that I don't want to be in a situation that I have a Botox but then my insurance runs out and I end up have no physio. He said that's ok because I can go back to the public health system. That's fine but so far, Gavin is probably the best physio I have come across so it would be more ideal if I can have my Botox while I still have my physio there. I should be fair to say that I think Prema is actually the best physio but she does not really practice publicly. I think her approach is actually the best. She will get me to do something but would also explain the theory behind it and which muscles I should be using etc. Gavin is fine but he doesn't explain anything to me. He probably doesn't think I need to know but I think it's important for me to understand the theory as well. It's a bit like you can never be a good ballroom dancer if you only know the steps but not the techniques.
I also asked John what's the plan/program for my arm/shoulder/hand. He looked a bit puzzled. I explained to him that when I saw Martin Richardson, my othopaedics, last time, he said my shoulder subluxation problem is all healed and it's time to do some strength training. He said so far they have concentrated on my walking. I told him that's fine but would the physio be treating me upper limb as well or is that the area of another department. He told me he can refer me to see an OT if I have certain problem reaching. I told him that I don't really want to see an OT because from previous experience, OT is all about compensating or compromising. He looked at me and said sometimes I might need to compromise. I felt like telling him if I took that attitude, I would never be able to drink a cup of tea with my left hand or lift my left arm above my head.
On the way back, I was talking to Tim about it. I don't think I should give up hope yet. I think I just need good quality training. It's just like ballroom dancing, not everyone gets to A grade. In fact, very few do. It all depends on how hard they work. A lot of social dancers go dancing every night but they don't get better at it because they have not focused on the right training. The question is how do I get good quality walking training.
posted by Teresa Liu at 8:17 PM
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