I was wheelchaired back to my room

4 November 2011 (Friday), Day 23

Today was a busy day.  The usual start of the day that the lady came and collected the water jug and glass and gave me fresh ones.  The nurse came to give me medication and take measurements such as blood pressure, pulse 脈搏 and temperature.  Then the cleaning lady came to mop 用地拖打掃 the floor.  I was thinking how good life is for me: lying in bed, not having to do anything, waiting for breakfast to be served.

At 9am, I went to the Day Room for my daily physio but no one was there yet and I nonetheless started my tasks.  I had eight pretty boring exercises to complete everyday.  Given a fairly sore 酸痛 left back and shoulder, I skipped 省略 the left shoulder movement exercise and reduced the dosage 劑量 for my left arm weight lifting 舉重.  This was the only good arm for the time being 現時; I did not want to overstress 使過累 it.   

After physio, I had a wash.  Showering was still out of question 不可能 but the orthotic staff said they could give me a shower next Tuesday when a set of spare lining 軟墊 would arrive to replace the wet lining in the brace.  I would ask for a shampoo next Tuesday as well.  If I was allowed to have one, this would be the first shampoo (a real and proper one) in four weeks.

Because I complained 投訴 about dizziness the other day, the doctor came and asked how I was feeling. I also complained about the sore left shoulder.  His is an overseas doctor and he said he would prescribe some “dip dip” cream.  I reckoned 知道 he meant deep heat cream.   

I have been talking to various doctors, nurses and physio staff that I wanted my walking frame back, which was taken away on Melbourne Cup Day. The physio staff said I was walking stable 穩定 enough that I did not need the frame and they were short of 短缺 frames.  So gone was my walking frame which I walked in it outside the ward to other areas of the hospital a number of times a day, to kill time, to look at art pieces in the corridors and to sun bathe 曬太陽.  Without the frame, I was not confident enough to venture on my own 自己趟盪 to the more busy areas of the hospital.  Therefore, in the last 3 days, I was confined to 困於 my bed most of the time and I attributed my dizziness to 將 . . . 歸咎於 lack of exercise.

The occupational therapist came and he was really good.  I talked to him again about the walking frame and and he immediately got me a new frame! Hurray!

Many people came and called today.  One of them of course was my husband. We walked to the lounge outside the ward and sat down on the sofa there.  The world was spinning madly around me and he got the nurses to come and check my blood pressure.  It was fairly low and they wheelchaired me back to my room.   

Grace called.  She is always positive and calm.  I was happy to learn that she didn’t need the drip any more.  She was talking better and could drink again and take some really soft food. It seemed that her transfer to Sydney was happening in the background.  There had been some discussions between Grace’s sister and the Royal Hobart Hospital about the arrangement.  Hopefully this would take place sooner than later.   I felt really sorry that she was left alone in Hobart.  So, my husband kept driving to Hobart once or twice every week to see her.

I read a piece of news in the newspaper today that there was a car accident near Ulverstone with six injured.  Among them, three young school kids were seriously injured with possible spinal damage and head laceration 損傷出血. The school bus lost control just when it got onto gravel and careered into 撞向 a 4 wheel drive in the opposite direction. A friend of mine who lives in New South Wales concluded that Tasmanian roads are treacherous 危險.