28 April 2006
I's been over a month since my last update. I have been EXTREMELY busy with rehab and work. I have been attending 10 gym sessions and classes combined over the last month. Given that Easter break and Anzac day the gym was closed, I had to go to more than one class a day to make up the 10 sessions. For example, last week I had 5 gym sessions, one pilates class, 3 BodyPump clases and one BodyStep class. I also had 2 physio sessions with Gavin and one session with Prema. The problem is my body is so used to work so hard so whenever there is a public holiday and the gym is closed, my body feels terrible and tired. I had a terrible Easter break because the gym was closed. We went to our newly purchased farm for Easter but I felt tired the whole time and didn't end up doing very much. As soon I went to the gym and a BodyPump class, I was fine again. When I spoke to Tim about this, he just said I'm an addict. I told him I'm not but my body is. He said ' what do you think those drug addicts say?' I guess he has a good point. I have turned into a gym junkie and it's quite obvious. I plan my days so I can get to the gym and classes. I get really grumpy when I don't get my 'fix'. I get up at 5 something a.m. so I can get to my classes. I haven't even had a chance to update my blog because I've been too busy with gym and classes. I skip dinner and risk missing my favourite TV show ' Desperate House Wives' to go to BodyPump... The list goes on.
If you think about the 10 hours of exercises I do plus 3 hours of physio and 8 hours work plus commuting time to attend all these activites, I have very little time left in a day for anything else. I thought I was doing really well until Wednesday. I went to Epworth for physio on Wednesday and Gavin did another HiMAT test. He had another patient there so he did the test on us both. I have met this other patient of his, Alex, previously. I don't know what happened to him but I presumed he had a car accident and is less independent because he has a carer with him all the time. I have seen him run before but I have never seen him going up and down the stairs before. Going up and down the stairs is part of the test. I have always found the stairs hard because I'm not allowed to use the rails and I'm not very good with going down the stairs without the rails. I tend to stand close to the rails when going down even though Gavin keeps reminding me to be right in the middle. I was amazed to see how well Alex is doing. He is so much faster than me and is almost running down the stairs and he is right in the middle of the stairs!!! I was pretty disappointed to know that he got a higher HiMAT score than I did. I just couldn't get over the fact that I go to 10 sessions of gym/class per week and was beaten by someone who can't even get around on his own. I couldn't help myself so I asked Gavin what did I do wrong and what's he doing that I'm not given that I work so hard by fitting in 10 sessions a week (and I only work on weekdays). Gavin said going to the gym will help with my strength but to run better and faster, I have to actually practice running itself. I can't help but thinking that maybe the test is a bit flawed because it doesn't test how normal a person is such as speed and co-ordination, which is required if you want to do aerobics. I didn't tell him that because I don't want to offend him and besides, I was just been a bit bitchy. I think what I need to do is schedule in some time for walking and running practice during the day like if I attend a class.
When I was at Epworth this morning, I asked Gavin about how to get over my 'addiction'. It's a bit strange to explain to him and I told him that I got to a stage that even I don't want to go to the gym, my body will just take itself there. I told him I had to goto the gym this morning before phsyio, otherwise I just feel like crap and have no energy. At first, i felt quite stupid trying to explain to him what the problem is but i was surprised when he said he knew what I was saying. He said he is the same. I asked him 'how do you get over it?'. I guess I should have asked ' how do I get over it' because he said he goes for a run everyday! I asked him what about his other patients. He told me none of the guys have this problem because they are too lazy. Well, I like to be lazy too if I can but my body just doesn't like it. I find it very hard to believe that I'm the only patient he has who has turned into a gym junkie. Maybe, I should have listened to him in the first place - go to the gym 3 times a week. I think he said at least 3 times a week.
When I was practising running, Gavin came up to me and said he wanted to ask me a favour. I thought it was strange and thought maybe he wants to borrow my parking permit. I know his research starts from next week and he will be based at Melbourne Uni. He said he is running a lecture on teaching people how to run for the physios tomorrow and he wants to use my video to show them. I thought that's odd, why me? I asked him if I have the typical hemiplegia run. He said not just that but he wants to show the physios a few different videos with people who would normally be discharged from other hospitals and ask them what could they do to help the patients. He said in my case, he'd tell the physios that I want to go back to dancing and be able to chase after my daughter and ask them if they have aqny thoughts on what can they do to help me. That's encouraging because he obviously remembers my goals although we rarely talk about it. Unlike the rehab specialist, he never said I can never dance again. I guess that's why I think he is a great physio - he is always so positive.
I guess I'm also worried that when my work hour increases I have less time to do all this. My work plan is up for review again and the consultant told me my manager would like me to go in for another day instead of incresing the hours I work from home because the plan is to get me back full time, not working from home full time. I think going back to work has forced me to be more efficient with my time. I used to have so much time and didn't do very much. Now I have to be efficient or else I can't fit in my class/gym sessions.
If you think about the 10 hours of exercises I do plus 3 hours of physio and 8 hours work plus commuting time to attend all these activites, I have very little time left in a day for anything else. I thought I was doing really well until Wednesday. I went to Epworth for physio on Wednesday and Gavin did another HiMAT test. He had another patient there so he did the test on us both. I have met this other patient of his, Alex, previously. I don't know what happened to him but I presumed he had a car accident and is less independent because he has a carer with him all the time. I have seen him run before but I have never seen him going up and down the stairs before. Going up and down the stairs is part of the test. I have always found the stairs hard because I'm not allowed to use the rails and I'm not very good with going down the stairs without the rails. I tend to stand close to the rails when going down even though Gavin keeps reminding me to be right in the middle. I was amazed to see how well Alex is doing. He is so much faster than me and is almost running down the stairs and he is right in the middle of the stairs!!! I was pretty disappointed to know that he got a higher HiMAT score than I did. I just couldn't get over the fact that I go to 10 sessions of gym/class per week and was beaten by someone who can't even get around on his own. I couldn't help myself so I asked Gavin what did I do wrong and what's he doing that I'm not given that I work so hard by fitting in 10 sessions a week (and I only work on weekdays). Gavin said going to the gym will help with my strength but to run better and faster, I have to actually practice running itself. I can't help but thinking that maybe the test is a bit flawed because it doesn't test how normal a person is such as speed and co-ordination, which is required if you want to do aerobics. I didn't tell him that because I don't want to offend him and besides, I was just been a bit bitchy. I think what I need to do is schedule in some time for walking and running practice during the day like if I attend a class.
When I was at Epworth this morning, I asked Gavin about how to get over my 'addiction'. It's a bit strange to explain to him and I told him that I got to a stage that even I don't want to go to the gym, my body will just take itself there. I told him I had to goto the gym this morning before phsyio, otherwise I just feel like crap and have no energy. At first, i felt quite stupid trying to explain to him what the problem is but i was surprised when he said he knew what I was saying. He said he is the same. I asked him 'how do you get over it?'. I guess I should have asked ' how do I get over it' because he said he goes for a run everyday! I asked him what about his other patients. He told me none of the guys have this problem because they are too lazy. Well, I like to be lazy too if I can but my body just doesn't like it. I find it very hard to believe that I'm the only patient he has who has turned into a gym junkie. Maybe, I should have listened to him in the first place - go to the gym 3 times a week. I think he said at least 3 times a week.
When I was practising running, Gavin came up to me and said he wanted to ask me a favour. I thought it was strange and thought maybe he wants to borrow my parking permit. I know his research starts from next week and he will be based at Melbourne Uni. He said he is running a lecture on teaching people how to run for the physios tomorrow and he wants to use my video to show them. I thought that's odd, why me? I asked him if I have the typical hemiplegia run. He said not just that but he wants to show the physios a few different videos with people who would normally be discharged from other hospitals and ask them what could they do to help the patients. He said in my case, he'd tell the physios that I want to go back to dancing and be able to chase after my daughter and ask them if they have aqny thoughts on what can they do to help me. That's encouraging because he obviously remembers my goals although we rarely talk about it. Unlike the rehab specialist, he never said I can never dance again. I guess that's why I think he is a great physio - he is always so positive.
I guess I'm also worried that when my work hour increases I have less time to do all this. My work plan is up for review again and the consultant told me my manager would like me to go in for another day instead of incresing the hours I work from home because the plan is to get me back full time, not working from home full time. I think going back to work has forced me to be more efficient with my time. I used to have so much time and didn't do very much. Now I have to be efficient or else I can't fit in my class/gym sessions.
posted by Teresa Liu at 9:26 PM
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