neurorehabilitationFromTheTrenches

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.