neurorehabilitationFromTheTrenches

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.