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...