neurorehabilitationFromTheTrenches

I would like to wish you all, on behalf of Claire and myself, a super xmas and break from work. I have decided to right a wrong that I perpetrated . Gradualism is the correct noun for gradual. This correction is very timely indeed, as it arrives as I'm enjoying the fruits of a particular skill's gradual return. Logopaedie (simplified) is the therapy that is concerned with the journey of anything to/from one's mouth to/from their stomach. These include words and food, so it's pretty important, especially in the neurological context. The new skill that I have reacquired is gargling, which encompasses most of what must be the essence of what logopaedie is all about. This fills me with hope and wonder, as I marvel at the wonderfully complex piece of machinery that is the brain. My confidence is restored in the fact that I will one day be restored to something similar to my former self. I tried, many times, to gargle mouth wash over these past 15 months, or at leas

This is a public service announcement. Calling on all ableds between the ages of 7 and 80. Refrain, please, from using an elevator gratuitously. The most irritating thing for disabled people has to be the inability to use an elevator that is not usable in a timely fashion because it is overly relied upon by masses of perfectly able people. In my past life I never took an elevator to switch floors, provided it was going up, or down, one floor. Having witnessed, first-hand, the abuse of this modern convenience, from a disabled person's point-of-view, I will commit to pushing out my acceptable stair-climbing barrier to two floors. As this is intended as a public service announcement, I will share this on a variety of social media forums and I'd urge you all to do likewise. I have identified two different possibilities for improvements. In my last klinik in Bad Segeberg, there was a typical elevator system of 3 parallel lift shafts and 6 floors. To call a lift, one had to simply

It has been simply wonderful living at home these past 3 weeks, not least because my out-patient care is going swimmingly in Reha Hamburg. My days consist of personal training and supervised training, all mixed with life training, a.k.a living at home. My alarm goes off at 5am. Claire and I get showered and ready then we eat some breakfast and chat about our day. I hired a lady, Jenny, to collect me in the mornings and bring me to my therapies. Typically, Jenny picks me up at 07:15am, so that gives Claire some time to guide me down the 3 flights of stairs and into my waiting wheelchair. An hour is the approximate travel time to Reha Hamburg from Bergedorf. My therapies usually start around 09:00 (24 hour clock) and they are, as my new neurologist would say, a natural step-up from what I had been doing in Bad Segeberg. As well as the consistantly excellent therapies; I have group sessions in the very well equipped, and physiotherapist-supervised, gym; plus, I get solid advice on what

I'm still getting used to it, but I'm home and it's a large improvement. I was collected by my father James (Jim) Treanor, and my brother James (Jimmy) Treanor (guest articles?) and driven to my home of Bergedorf. There's a bit of construction going on in the town, and there are a handful of missing businesses, but it's basically unchanged in 14 months. I'm out just in time for the xmas markets which open tomorrow for the first time, this year. That ought to be enjoyable so you can expect a glowing report of The Bergerdorf Weinachtstmarkt next week, complete with amazing photos, Speaking of which, here are, L-R, mein Papa und ich; mein Bruder mit mir; und my new recliner--- bought for me by my family--- and I.     Friday saw the going home of Claire's brother, Alan, his girlfriend, Sigi, and their son, Elliot (guest articles?). All three had been here since Tuesday, during which time, we had nice thai food and homemade roasted vegetables with

It's time, being my last few days of supervised getting-better, to share my fitness program. This is especially suitable for those hoping to regain walking ability but there should be enough in here to inspire a cohort of ableds into toughening up. I have therefore left the too-easy stuff out of it. That is a screenshot of my, daily, Wunderlist (shared with Claire) training plan. This keeps me busy, in between therapies, until Claire gets here. Before I start, let me recommend this must-have fitness accessory. To ensure it'll be thick enough, get down on your knees in the sport shop, to test the matt. If you see one for twenty bucks, skip it. The required thickness will cost a minimum of 30. It will be money well spent. 1000 Crunches I've been doing this for a while now, the increments stopped at 1000, probably because I looked forward to trying my Patrick Bateman impersonation. I've forgotten where it started, probably 50. Then 100, then 200 etc..

I received some bad news last Wednesday. Nothing medical, but some confusion in Admin, meant that I would not be going home last Friday and that I would be here, in Bad Segeberg, for a minimum of three more weeks. Fortunately Friday was the eve of the arrival of a group of my friends and a planned trip home to Bergerdorf, so I had something to, counteract my disappointment, and, look forward to. Frank drove me home on Saturday, they had booked a few beds near our house. On Saturday we went out for dinner to The Burger Lab , which caters for carnivores and herbivores alike, and had a great time. That was followed by a few night caps at home and bed at a reasonable hour. We then went for brunch in Lavastein . It was a buffet, but they were able to cater for all nine of us. We were well looked after and very well fed. When I wished all of them well and they were on their way, I cheered myself up, as usual, with a couple of blasts of this . There's nothing like Paul Simon to a

This will be a checkpoint report. I will be checking out of the clinic, here, at Bad Segeberg, on Friday. I hope to continue Phase D as an out-patient, while living at home. Yesterday I received a visit from Declan Barry, Joanne McCarthy and their lovely daughter Ivy. We enjoyed a fantastic, sunny, autumnal day in Bad Segeberg. They have, all three, joined the set of people who are now permitted to submit an article here for publication. Actually, while I'm at it... Enda McKenna, Robbie Mchugh, Joe and Ger Coll, Stephen Treanor, Frank McCarey, Conor McMeel and Adam O'Shea are all due to fly over here next week. Frank will be driving me home to Bergedorf to close this chapter in style. This checkpoint report will follow the report format found here . Double Vision:  This will not be getting any better. I went to an optician a couple of weeks back, who indicated as much and recommended that I go to an eye center, where I will be checked for my suitability to go under t

Guest Blogger: Claire Fastner There are so many “ifs” when it comes to an accident, such as Declan's. If we hadn’t decided to get coffee that morning before going on the boat. If we had left seconds later. If I had been ahead of Declan (I would have likely been propelled many more meters through the air and died). If we had still been living in Dublin at the time. The last “if” is interesting. As I can genuinely say, luckily, we weren’t. If something like that happened to me, I would insist on being solely a German citizen and would ask for a fighter jet to fly me out of “third world Ireland”. Before comparing what's available to people with severe traumatic brain injury in Ireland and Germany, I need to state (due to the inability of many to look beyond nationalist ideas), that I do not hold any nationalistic views. I  believe states are arbitrarily drawn lines, resulting from history that have influenced culture and the idea of identity. To me, the state is a u

As promised, here is our top picks for dining in Bad Segerberg. Initially Claire wrote this, then I, Declan, edited it and made my additions. I will be talking in italics to make clear who's saying what, but we agreed on the top 5, including the order. 1. Mones, If you ever find yourself in Bad Segeberg, Mones is the best place to eat. There are numerous reasons: First and foremost, the food. Mones caters for both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. The menu is American-style: think veggie or vegan patty on crisp burger bread. Add the “Butch and Sundance” - which is their take on parsnip and carrot fries - as a side with some guacamole, and you have a perfect meal. Grandma Rose, their hazelnut cake, is served warm and with vegan ice cream. Tasty! Our meat-eating friends confirmed that the meat dishes were fantastic too. Furthermore, the vibes are good. Mones Lime Mountain Saloon’s interior is comfortable. There are wooden benches on its covered terrace and dark-wooden tabl

This is my third attempt at the first challenge. In the next few days, I will publish the top 5 restaurants in Bad Segeberg as per Declan and Claire + wheelchair. As my acci-versary is coming up, stand by for a status update and a guest article from Claire, tackling the Irish healthcare system. It better be good.

I am going to address two of the crucial, in my view, tools that have got me this far. Both these things served me spectacularly well pre-hospitalisation, so I have no fear in recommending them to able bodied people, or ableds, as we like to call you. The first, and most noteworthy, is the Amazon Kindle . Other Ebook viewers may be just as good but I'm talking about the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite , as it's all I know. In the Schoen Klinik, before I started using the kindle, while I left it uncharged, I struggled with a couple of heavy hardbacks, and my cognition was problematic, but the least of my worries. It sounds so simple now but I did not feel comfortable, at all, holding a hardback with my left while I turned the pages with my right. When I finally got my act together, and charged my kindle, the game was changed. No more would I have to contend with antiquated, lumbering books. Non-kindle-users don't often know this but there is a 'Vocabulary Builder' featur

This has been a very fruitful week as far as my rehabilitation is concerned. I can comfortably walk 20 meters without a cane, but here are my latest attempts at the two outstanding challenges. I am sorry if I didn't manage quite the spectacular fall that some of you were hoping for, watch this space. I am a hair's breadth from closing the gripper.

This is the first of my videoed, regular attempts at my current challenges. The video should speak for itself. But, I didn't quite succeed in my squat attempt, next time, I'll squat until I fall. I did, sort of, succeed at the hand gripper challenge, although I didn't get it closed tight. Next time.

I have decided to set myself a number of challenges, to keep rehab interesting and to have clear pointers to progress that may occur. Firstly, a true test of balance. I've been keeping my fitness level acceptable with squats. To stay upright during these I hold on to the rail for dear life. The following pictures are; A) my usual squat with the help of the rail and B) an attempt at going solo. My challenge, to myself, is to do a solo squat akin to A. Physics might have a problem with that, so I may need to configure myself in a gravity friendly pose. The second challenge concerns my left hand. Uncle Eamon Treanor and his partner, Bernie Carr, visited me in the Schoen Klinik. They are both now eligible for a guest post. They took with them, this hand gripper (I just looked up that name, it may be wrong) C) I'm closing it right handed and D) An honest attempt at closing it left handed. The pressure required is a pathetic 15kg. So, you get an idea of how useless my left hand is.

Before I get started I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who has been mentioned anywhere on this blog to submit an article. Email is fine: declan.treanor@gmail.com. Any submissions will be edited before publishing. Any subject is fine. However, it would be excellent if there is some educational aspect to it. My hope is that this blog would be a source, for anyone struggling with TBI, or anyone who has an acquaintance so afflicted. As I'm writing this I've thought of a number of other possible target groups. So, really anything. I got word this week that I will soon be heading into phase D in my epic rehabilitation. This is great news. It's progress. I've decided that now is as good a time as any to give this status update. When I became conscious following my coma. I had, and still have, three major stumbling blocks, that would preclude me from picking up my life where I left off. They are, in no particular order, my double vision, my (lack of

I first met Adja in my logopaedi group,in which, we, and two others, took turns making faces at each other, and into a mirror, and reading aloud tongue twisters. His English was quite good, and I quickly learned he's from Ghana. I do not have a photo of Adja and I'd urge him, if he's reading, to please send me one, along with any corrections he'd like to make. You see, Adja(sorry) has been released, this is why I'm spelling his name, I'm sure, incorrectly. Take it from me, he looks not a day over 35. Me: Hi Adja (it's pronounced like that) What do you do for a living? Adja: My mother is a goods handler of clothes, jeans, T. shirts etc, and a big time business.  We have consigns in Germany, America and London. Me:    And that business is in Ghana? Adja: Yes, every month we load a 40 ft container.  We want to make a very big business.  My brother and sister are in Ghana, I want to go live there.  We come here pick the clothes and go to Ghana to d

This is the first of my interviews. I’ve started with my meal buddy; there are 4 of us together for Fruehstueck, Mittagessesn and Abendessen. Anita, pictured with her husband Philip, has always spoken in great English with me so it was an obvious choice. She is a business owner and radio producer/co-presenter We arranged to meet one afternoon for coffee... Me: Please ignore the fact that we are being recorded. Anita: Oh I always know when I’m being recorded… but I’m talking quite normal. Well Declan how are you today? Me: I’m doing pretty well; my notes are terrible, my hand-writing is worse, shocking. Anita: But you can write, not everyone can write. Me: I’ll start with the most obvious question Describe the event that led you to here. Anita: I had a stroke. It was February, during my holiday in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, in the middle of the best time of my life. In the morning ,I couldn’t dress myself, I fell down. Me: How did this s

This accident has served to open my eyes and suitably enrage me. The God Delusion and God is not Great by Professor Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens (sorely missed), respectively, sort of surprised me . I thought "they're better than this". I take that back and it took a near death experience, for me, to see how important books like these, by people like these, are. As I lay comatose in Malta, at least two totally futile things were happening. Firstly, well wishers were calling to my parents' house. I greatly appreciate genuine wishes of wellness. An alarming number of these well wishers took, with them, mass cards. I do NOT appreciate this. To think I was indirectly funding an organisation, like the catholic church, does not sit well with me. Let me make myself perfectly clear, to avoid any such future squandering, I am not religious. You might, rightly, call me an atheist. This fellow explains my motivation, or lack thereof, better than I ever could,

Guest Blogger: Claire Fastner What I wish I had known about coma... no, you don't just open your eyes As I promised in my first guest post, here's my second guest post on the topic of "waking up from a coma". This guest post comes a little sooner than expected, as it's buying Declan time to transcribe his interviews (I have done this before and it takes hours!). The Daily Mail , and even more reputable newspapers, make waking up from a coma out to be a straightforward process. Here's a quote: " He had been due to have a final brain scan when he opened his eyes, smiled at his nurse and gave her hand a gentle squeeze." Yes, the patient most likely did this; that, however, does not do justice to what actually happens. The most useful description of fully recovering consciousness I found was the  Rancho Los Amigos Scale, and it took Declan approximately two months to reach level 8.