fter Surgery, I remained in the clinic for another three nights - could have gone home after two, but was not feeling 100% confident I'd have been able to manage without nurses around.
It really doesn't taka a genius, my apartment is a duplex with 17 steps just to make it to the front door, then a further 5 steps from the hall to the livingroom. Yeah, weird setup, which - in these cases - is quite unfortunate.
Physio came on Thursday to walk me around and explain things and the steps were the very first thing I needed them to take care of, so they'd come over again on Friday to walk me through two flights of stairs to be safe.
That alone was worth the wait at the clinic!
Physiotherapy
We are not talking about any physiotherapist, we are talking about the king! Specialized in physio for bariatric patients, he knows what he's doing. His name is Dan, and he's a really handsome young lad, six foot tall, a torso totally V shaped, a real sight coupled with gentleness and competence. Perfect!
First of all he gave me a breathing exercise to carry out every hour, he didn’t say for how long, but l imagine until the oxymeter reads 96 at least (it's hovering between 89 to 92).
Starting right on Thursday he told me to walk at a nice easy pace for 30 mins everyday for the next 2 weeks.
No way man, it's so sore it's like I am carrying the blade of a knife inside my body on my left side all the time, there is no way I'm doing this. Ok, just because you're a god let's compromise and I'll go on wee walks around the corridors and then the house at least 2 times a day.
I admit that that conversation happened in my head only, as outwardly I was smiling, nodding and seemingly complying.
Physio plan: weeks 3rd to 6th
The walk will need to change to a brisk walk of 30 minutes 5 days a week where I'm working out a sweat, brining the heart rate to read between 115 and 125bpm. Time to explore the "health app" on my phone.... this unknonw thing ;-)
On the 6th week l will be back to see Physio, Mr Robb, and the dietician.
Physio will introduce 4 strength exercises to do in addition to the brisk walk for another 2 weeks. Then l can continue training with them or hire somebody else. I’ll see, plenty of time for that.
Training with them will mean 100 euros for an hour training, plus a 2 months program. Given their experience in this field it's a no brainer and I'll make sure to book him for this directly.
Wow, that was A LOT of information to take in right from the start! Happy I took notes :)
Life in the clinic
Life was pretty much what you'd expect: nurses in and out with painkillers, blood pressure, blood sugar, oxymeter, etc etc. The best was when they came in a pair, to administer the control substance of strong painkillers, ahh the relief. I'm only given 4 at home and I'm trying to make them last.
Little walks every now and then, then as I said the phsiotherapist came to walk me up and down the stairs.
The one thing I really was not impressed by the Blackrock clinic was the lack of communication between doctors and nurses to the catering staff. I explained about my severe lactose intolerance even before surgery, and reminded them throughout and yet for the first two days they were brining me yoghurt or porrige made of milk.
I'm not fussy, I just cannot eat that stuff. So back it went and eventually they learnt, but it was only down to me and the catering staff, not because comms within the clinic were working well.
It's a small detail, but it found it annoying.
This was the room - absolutely not as stunning as the Hermitage Clinic but still quite nice.
Recorded here as this is where I've been reborn on the 16th of February 2022!
Onwards and Upwards!
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