5 February 2007
First diary entry for February! Lillian turned 3 yesterday. It's scary how fast time flies. She was still a baby when I had my operation and now she is a toddler with lots of personalilties.
I had something to report and that's why I was pretty happy to find out from the gym that they had cancelled the aerobics class this afternoon. The Melourne Uni Sport has this hot weather policy that if the forecast maximum is 35 C or more, the gym classes may be cancelled. I normally hate it when that happens but today, I was so happy to find out that I don't have to go to my usual Tri Atheltic class so I can update my blog.
We went down to the farm for the weekend. On Saturday, we drove down to Shallow Inlet near Wilsons Prom. The weather was just warm enough to walk in the water. Tim, Lillian and I went for a fairly long walk along the beach. I didn't have my ankle brace on and was walking barefeet most of the time. I held on to Tim for balance most of the way because the ground was quite uneven and it was a bit hard for me to keep up the pace with them. I had no idea how long we've been walking until we got back to the car. It was about 2 hours or more. This was probably the first time I walked for that long on the beach without my ankle brace on. I felt a bit self conscious from time to time, especially when we had to walk pass a group of guys sitting by the beach with their fishing reels anckored in the sand waiting for the fish. On our way back, one of them asked Tim ' What's wrong with your wife's leg? It looks very painful'. Tim didn't tell him anything but the guy was so persistent and said ' is it the ankle?'. We told him yes and he said he knows what it's like to have a broken ankle etc because he played footy and had broken many bones before. I guess he was just being friendly but I felt a bit uneasy when strangers approach me and started asking questions. I guess at least he didn't spot that I had brain injuries. It was strange that I didn't think the 2 hour walk was much at all. May be compared to my usual 'workout', it's quite gentle and easy.
Another news to report is that we went on a 10 km bike ride on Sunday. Tim bought a tandem bike and thought it would be good for us to go for a ride sometimes. I think this may be the only way for me to ride a bike since I've never ridden a real bike before and it would be hard for me to learn to balance without falling over. This was the second time we went for a ride. The first time we went was too uncomfortable for me so we didn't go very far. There are no clips on those paddles and my left foot just couldn't stay on. I also found the seat too narrow and bumpy for me. Tim bought some clips and a seat with springs on so when we go through bumpy road I wouldn't feel the impact as much.
The road we rode on was very windy and steep. After last time, I was not really looking forward to the bike ride. Surprisingly, it went really well this time. I was paddling as hard as I could when we were going up the hill. There were times that I felt Tim wasn't paddling much at all... and he said he really felt I was paddling so hard and he asked me whether I was showing off -:) I think this must be what a spinning class is trying to mimic except I don't know how to ride a bike and would not have a clue on how to ride. This felt more like a good cardio workout because I was really puffing when we were paddling uphill. I could really feel my quads working when we were riding but was surprised how quickly my muscles recover. I didn't realise how long we had gone until I looked at the clock. We were gone for at least an hour and half but it felt like just half an hour. I guess I had no idea how much fitter and stronger I am until now. Tim said he was surprised that I didn't whinge at all when we weere going up this very big hill. I told him at the time all I was thinking was this is a good challenge and I was just focusing on how hard I can paddle. The bike ride made me feel less disabled and have achieved something I should be proud of. I don't think I could have done this a year ago though.
On the way home(to Melbourne), I was telling Tim that from my own experience, I have a new theory for neuro rehab. You actually have work so hard to improve your fitness and everything else will follow. I guess Gavin was right all alone. I remeber asking him about what I should do and him telling me that I need to work till I'm absolutely knackered then I'll get better. I didn't appreciate what he meant then but I think I know it now. I think it's so important to improve the fitness level so you have energy to do more and that's the only way to overcome fatigue. Strength training is improtant but without fitness, I don't think you'll get very far. So, my theory of treating someone who is in my old situation - put him/her on a recumbent bike and paddle like crazy. The beauty of the bike is that you can paddle very hard on your good side and just let the weak side to be carried to start with. I wonder why this has not been practised in rehab and it's also not documented anywhere. I haven't spoken to Gavin about this yet but I wonder whether there is any study done on this.
When I went to work this morning, I just couldn't wait to get home to update my blog. I couldn't tell anyone at work about this otherwise they might think I should go back to full time work. Now that I've told all my friends about it, I feel so much better.
I'm a bit nervous about tomorrow. I have an OT driving assessment tomorrow. I received a letter from VicRoads a few weeks ago requesting that I do another driving test. I'm also nervous about Thursday when I'm scheduled to see this occupational phyisician. In fact, she is going to see me at work and meet with my manager and discuss the long term prospect of me going back to full time work. I'm nervous because I don't know what she is going to suggest. I don't want to increase my hours too quickly but at the same time, I don't want to let go such a cushy position.
I had something to report and that's why I was pretty happy to find out from the gym that they had cancelled the aerobics class this afternoon. The Melourne Uni Sport has this hot weather policy that if the forecast maximum is 35 C or more, the gym classes may be cancelled. I normally hate it when that happens but today, I was so happy to find out that I don't have to go to my usual Tri Atheltic class so I can update my blog.
We went down to the farm for the weekend. On Saturday, we drove down to Shallow Inlet near Wilsons Prom. The weather was just warm enough to walk in the water. Tim, Lillian and I went for a fairly long walk along the beach. I didn't have my ankle brace on and was walking barefeet most of the time. I held on to Tim for balance most of the way because the ground was quite uneven and it was a bit hard for me to keep up the pace with them. I had no idea how long we've been walking until we got back to the car. It was about 2 hours or more. This was probably the first time I walked for that long on the beach without my ankle brace on. I felt a bit self conscious from time to time, especially when we had to walk pass a group of guys sitting by the beach with their fishing reels anckored in the sand waiting for the fish. On our way back, one of them asked Tim ' What's wrong with your wife's leg? It looks very painful'. Tim didn't tell him anything but the guy was so persistent and said ' is it the ankle?'. We told him yes and he said he knows what it's like to have a broken ankle etc because he played footy and had broken many bones before. I guess he was just being friendly but I felt a bit uneasy when strangers approach me and started asking questions. I guess at least he didn't spot that I had brain injuries. It was strange that I didn't think the 2 hour walk was much at all. May be compared to my usual 'workout', it's quite gentle and easy.
Another news to report is that we went on a 10 km bike ride on Sunday. Tim bought a tandem bike and thought it would be good for us to go for a ride sometimes. I think this may be the only way for me to ride a bike since I've never ridden a real bike before and it would be hard for me to learn to balance without falling over. This was the second time we went for a ride. The first time we went was too uncomfortable for me so we didn't go very far. There are no clips on those paddles and my left foot just couldn't stay on. I also found the seat too narrow and bumpy for me. Tim bought some clips and a seat with springs on so when we go through bumpy road I wouldn't feel the impact as much.
The road we rode on was very windy and steep. After last time, I was not really looking forward to the bike ride. Surprisingly, it went really well this time. I was paddling as hard as I could when we were going up the hill. There were times that I felt Tim wasn't paddling much at all... and he said he really felt I was paddling so hard and he asked me whether I was showing off -:) I think this must be what a spinning class is trying to mimic except I don't know how to ride a bike and would not have a clue on how to ride. This felt more like a good cardio workout because I was really puffing when we were paddling uphill. I could really feel my quads working when we were riding but was surprised how quickly my muscles recover. I didn't realise how long we had gone until I looked at the clock. We were gone for at least an hour and half but it felt like just half an hour. I guess I had no idea how much fitter and stronger I am until now. Tim said he was surprised that I didn't whinge at all when we weere going up this very big hill. I told him at the time all I was thinking was this is a good challenge and I was just focusing on how hard I can paddle. The bike ride made me feel less disabled and have achieved something I should be proud of. I don't think I could have done this a year ago though.
On the way home(to Melbourne), I was telling Tim that from my own experience, I have a new theory for neuro rehab. You actually have work so hard to improve your fitness and everything else will follow. I guess Gavin was right all alone. I remeber asking him about what I should do and him telling me that I need to work till I'm absolutely knackered then I'll get better. I didn't appreciate what he meant then but I think I know it now. I think it's so important to improve the fitness level so you have energy to do more and that's the only way to overcome fatigue. Strength training is improtant but without fitness, I don't think you'll get very far. So, my theory of treating someone who is in my old situation - put him/her on a recumbent bike and paddle like crazy. The beauty of the bike is that you can paddle very hard on your good side and just let the weak side to be carried to start with. I wonder why this has not been practised in rehab and it's also not documented anywhere. I haven't spoken to Gavin about this yet but I wonder whether there is any study done on this.
When I went to work this morning, I just couldn't wait to get home to update my blog. I couldn't tell anyone at work about this otherwise they might think I should go back to full time work. Now that I've told all my friends about it, I feel so much better.
I'm a bit nervous about tomorrow. I have an OT driving assessment tomorrow. I received a letter from VicRoads a few weeks ago requesting that I do another driving test. I'm also nervous about Thursday when I'm scheduled to see this occupational phyisician. In fact, she is going to see me at work and meet with my manager and discuss the long term prospect of me going back to full time work. I'm nervous because I don't know what she is going to suggest. I don't want to increase my hours too quickly but at the same time, I don't want to let go such a cushy position.
posted by Teresa Liu at 9:37 PM
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