Saturday 16 March 2024

On crutches, more

I have done well with crutches. I once did 11 laps of the gym without sitting this week. In preparation for Tuesday’s home visit, I climbed the equivalent of 3 stories in an actual stairwell using one railing and one crutch. Not that either of those accomplishments were easy. I was particularly tired after climbing the stairs. Furthermore, I find my legs are full of stiff and aching muscles much of the time. 


Still, it is easier to walk distances with the crutches than with the walker. Admittedly, at times I get a bit confused as to where I am in the sequence with the crutches and pause while I sort out which foot or crutch should be moved next.


It says something about my physical shape and my behaviour around things that I was given permission to keep the crutches in my room over the weekend in order to practice walking. Of course, I was a mite disappointed that none of the staff in the hall really commented about me walking with crutches today.


In other news, I have realized that I have witnessed several waves of fellow patients go through their rehabilitation here. As if to reinforce the point, I changed roommates yesterday. My fourth roommate left to go home to let his stump heal. A few hours later, my fifth roommate was installed. She in turn then went home for the weekend, leaving the room for myself for the weekend.

Friday 15 March 2024

On a change in pleas

I got a phone call from the RCMP this morning. It seems that the driver changed his plea to guilty for the two most serious charges viz. Failure to stop after accident causing bodily harm and Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm. The charge of Mischief under 5000$ was dropped.


Sentencing is to occur October 4th, 2024. I will not be required to go to Moncton, though I will probably be required to make a victim impact statement which can be done here in Montreal.


I am not at all sure how I feel about this.

Monday 11 March 2024

On crutches

I woke this morning feeling rather low for various reasons. I cried over my oatmeal at breakfast. Things just felt wrong.


After a full set of upper body exercises on the Hoist machine, I went to my physio session. I expressed my low state of mind to my Physio. I also showed her the Mole’s pictures of the Condo. This may have triggered something as after doing some exercises on a bed with a large ball, she had me try to climb the test staircase using a crutch under one arm as if I were going up my inside staircase with only one handrail. This went quite well. So well in fact, that she then got a second crutch and asked me to try walking with them. That went very well. Admittedly, while I was using them, she asked me: “Are you afraid? Or are you sure?”

“Somewhere in-between.” Was my answer. However, I felt better for using them.


Addendum:

I went down to the gym after lunch to do some laps with the walker. After two laps, the Physio asked me if I wanted to do my laps using crutches. I did two more with her in close company, then another with her in more distant company, before doing another entirely on my own. I started another lap but quickly realized that I was sufficiently tired that I couldn’t use the crutches reliably. It was too hard to remember which step came first. I went back to wheelchair and switched back to the walker. I did another five laps making for a total of eleven, four with crutches and seven with the walker. That is a record number of gym laps for yours truly.






Saturday 9 March 2024

On a disadvantage of my view

My room has the advantage of good views of the Martin Luther King, Jr Park as well as the Lindsay’s parking lot. Unfortunately, this has proven something of a double edged sword as twice this week my supper has been disturbed by what I have seen.


On Thursday, I saw some youths attempting to steal a Communauto car. I yelled at them to stop, filmed them with my iPhone, called the police and had my roommate alert security. A security guard chased them away. The police came and took my videos and my statement. A few staff members thanked me for my vigilance as there been incidents of theft from and of cars in the parking lot.


Tonight, I saw a car fail to stop in time for a pedestrian crossing the street. The pedestrian went over the hood. He seemed to be okay as he got up and left fairly quickly, possibly after exchanging a few words with driver. The sight caused me to cry out sufficiently loud that an orderly hurried into my room to see what was the matter. I explained, pointing out the car and the pedestrian. I also explained that pedestrian-car collisions are currently something of a trigger for me. I had also feared the worst and was ready to summon rapid medical assistance which he could have initiated. Thankfully it wasn’t needed. The orderly offered a few kind words of comfort.


Wednesday 6 March 2024

On a good day on the whole

After waking up this morning, I had a flash of inspiration. There will be a meeting of my condo association tomorrow. As I am inching nearer possibly getting home, I should first let my fellow condo residents know that I might be returning and second ask them for some support in the matter, as I would be dependent on others for some time.


When I went down to the gym for my morning exercise, I made a point of asking my occupational therapist if we might have a meeting before the condo meeting. I also asked my Physio what sort of questions I should ask. Her take was interesting. She said that she had few concerns about me getting around in my condo, but that I would be dependent on others for getting in and out, as well as groceries. Not necessarily them, but they may be able to help.


I later emailed the members of the condo association to add my item to the agenda. I also asked if someone would measure the distance between the railings on the outside staircase. Jacques did so, and I was pleasantly surprised that they were only 104 cm apart.


Of course, there is no guarantee or real timeline about all this, so it might just be moonshine. However, it has me feeling good. Also, I got some good exercise in today and the Mole came by for a visit.

Tuesday 5 March 2024

On being a step closer to home

Yesterday’s physio session got a bit preempted by poor planning. Consequently, “all” I did was a lot of exercise rather than what had been forecast, namely more practice at stair climbing. I had even prepared for the event by getting a Google street view shot of my front staircase on my iPad to show the Physio.

Earlier, I had finally managed to do something that I had wished to do for some time, namely a Lindsay 500 with the walker. One circuit of the gym is 50 meters, so 10 circuits is 500 meters, hence the name. It was demanding, but I did it.


The morning had other benefits as I flagged down the wheelchair maintenance person to tell him I thought my tire needed pumping up. While I was using the Nu Step machine, he took my wheelchair down to his lair and to my later surprise, replaced the wire spoke wheels with fangled plastic spoke wheels. He also said a lot of the parts were a bit loose. Not all that surprising after 3 months of use.


This morning, I did a few laps of the gym with the walker. I then did a full regimen of exercises with the Hoist weight machine. In the afternoon, the Physio guided me through some standing exercises, then asked me to try climbing a flight of stairs in the stairwell which were closer in width to my outside staircase. I put my weight mostly on my right arm staying close to that side. With some effort, I went up a full flight of stairs! I was practically crying for joy! I came down with much greater ease. I thanked the Physio saying that I felt that I was a step closer to home.


Of course, I wouldn’t want to do it without someone to “catch” me.

Saturday 2 March 2024

On it being the six month anniversary

It is now six months since my life was shattered like my tibia. Six months of hospital food. Six months of pain and tears. Six months of fixations in my tibia. Six months of the assorted indignities that hospitalization for my injuries mean. Half a year of my life has been disrupted and I don’t know when it will get back to something resembling my old life. 

One of the things that I try not to think about is whether I will be able to get back on my bike. My left ankle has a very limited range of motion. Will it get better? Furthermore, I simply don’t know if my psyche will let me ride in comfort. I rode with confidence anywhere from quiet tracks to huge cities, notably London and Madrid. Now…?


Cycling is a huge part of my life, my identity. This blog is proof enough of that, but as well my email is moosebike@gmail.com. I sometimes call myself Bikemoose. Has the collision taken that from me?