REHABILITATION

THE REHABILITATION

On Sunday 13.5 I was discharged from hospital. Amref, the Flying Doctors came with the ambulance and 6 people were carrying me up the stairs to my apartment. Again I was grateful for strong people! But also to conquer the fear that they could slip me on the stone stairs. I got home nursing 24 hours until I should visit the doctor again after three weeks. So Rosemary and Carol came into my life dividing the shifts. They did not leave me alone for one second. They were great and showed so much care. The one came in the morning at 8 am and they were both assisting in showering. Than one went home and the other stayed till next morning. I insisted that they should sleep at night, I had my mobile with me that was hardly necessary, they heard me getting up to go to the toilet. They were nice company the whole way. The sisters from the two agencies came to visit regularly and called every day to give advice and see if everything is like it should.

On Monday physiotherapist Wycliffe came to do exercises with me and he was coming every other day for 7 weeks. He is great; he made a plan and comes every time at the same time despite his different shifts, he is just well organized. Again a surprise in Kenya! He did a great job with me. Step by step I am making progress. Is an exercise difficult first, after one or two days I see that I succeed. This whole process is very interesting and learns me a lot about life. Once he asked me to lift my left leg while sitting and I answered I can’t, I thought that that was impossible, the leg felt like a rock, but I could! Everything on its time. I got nightmares just thinking that I had to go down the stone stairs with crutches. He showed me how to use the crutches and we exercised on the one step to the balcony first and slowly I could manage. The treatment plan from the doctor focused on careful rehabilitation because of the osteoporosis. I cannot enough praise the work Wycliffe has been doing. Also the doctor said that he was doing a good job. He became a good friend, and it was interesting to talk with him, I will miss our discussions over a cup of tea.

The first week I feared Friday, staple day, sister Wamboi from the Nairobi nurse agency and sister Lydia from the Rongai one came to remove the skin staples from the wound. They had to laugh about me! It was not really comfortably but it was not that bad. I thought that they removed 3 staples while they were 20! It was a step ahead not to have that kind of pillow on the wound and felt much lighter with dressings. In all those weeks there was a new step to be made and hindrances to over win, very interesting. The doctor had said that pain is the limit, but I could not do exercises without having pain. To my big surprise I had to start taking again pain killers 2 weeks after the operation. I had not expected that, it must have been due to the exercises. There appeared strange bruises on my injured leg, first red, afterwards getting all kind of colours. The nurses massaged my legs every morning, the highlight of the day and very successful.

the frame

 The program of the day was: three times exercising (hard work), physiotherapy, resting, showering, eating, reading papers, watching television, meeting all kind of people on email and facebook, sitting on the balcony, doing sudoku’s, playing cards, getting visitors, watching movies on the laptop. Showering and moving around takes a lot of energy and time. I had a good rhythm and was very consequent in that. I wanted to come to my feet again as soon as possible!

We found out ways to make things easier for me. My chair was a plastic chair with pillows because I couldn’t sit on the normal (much too comfortable) chairs. The computer became an important mean for communication and I got active on facebook. We got the plastic table from the balcony to function as a desk for the laptop so I had everything in reach.

Many nice andinteresting discussions with Wycliffe

 Meanwhile the insurance contacted me often by email and the Danish doctor called regularly. A week after I left the hospital they told me that they had decided to let me stay in Kenya! That means that that was cheapest for them, in the end it is the money that counts. I was very relieved. I had decided for myself that I would stay in Kenya anyway and would pay myself, realizing that that would cause financial problems. But like Agnes said: just count on that you can stay.

Wycliffe observing

I did it! Nurse Rosemary in the background

                

Looking back at those weeks I must say that it was a good time. I got so good support of people around me and all the people who came to help me with rehabilitation. And all the visitors, I got even visit from May-Lisa from Norway with her husband and a friend who is social worker in Ngong town and works together with a volunteer from: Jevnaker. But most of all Agnes and her (extended) family were such a great support, no words can describe. I am grateful to them for everything they do and mean for me. They showed so much care. Even her parents came to visit me. But also all the calls, emails, the sms from everywhere made everything better to bear.

Four weeks after the operation I went to see the doctor and to make an x-ray. It showed that the wound had healed 60%. Everything looked very good, I made good progress. It meant much for me to meet the friendly doctor again and I was very glad when he told that I had to come back after 4 weeks. The whole outing was a big event for me. I had not been out in the world in so many weeks and being in Nairobi again was just great. The hospital is just around the corner of Ojijo Road where we lived last time. So much has changed in the last four years.

I had not expected that it hurt to sit in the taxi, the driver was very careful avoiding all the obstacles and they are many here. First I had to come down the stairs on crutches but we had exercised many times. There are many hindrances for people with crutches like the ramps in the hospital. I was very glad that nurse Rosemary was accompanying me. Also nurse Carol came to the hospital, collecting her things as she should not continue with me. Rosemary also took along the mount I use on the toilet.

And the chairs, the best were the highest and the hardest ones. I also had to take a blood sample because of too little red blood bodies. The doctor and I agreed that it would be best not to take away all the help at once but to continue a week nursing in daytime to use the time to train to get more independent. The same day Karey, the daughter of Agnes, moved in. It was a scary thought to be all alone at night in an apartment where you cannot come in or out because of security. Should I fall, I could not get any help.

Rosemary making brown chapattis

                             a new of cycling!

For me it was obvious that a big part in the whole healing process was thanks to the use of Arnica D30 that I had taken along from home. I started using that on the day after the operation and continued in 4 weeks. I am very grateful for the advice that my brother Henk gave about dealing with osteoporosis. No refined food, no white rice, flour, bread, pasta etc. No sweet things, rather no sugar at all, lots of vegetables and fruits. Lots of sunshine that give vitamin D for free. He sent me medicines to help the body take up the calcium. You can take a lot of calcium but it can also leave your body again unused. He also sent me skin food, not knowing that that was exactly I needed for the bruises on my left arm due to the fall.

I also used Reiki on myself every day that must have helped too.

And so many dear people that were there for me, so much warmth. I will always look back at this time with great gratitude. Even my mother who was very skeptical about Kenya, got tears in her eyes when I described how much good care I got.

Last Friday, 7 weeks after the operation I got a stick to replace the one crutch. Again it was tricky to go down the stairs with it, without holding the railing because Wycliffe says that I have to be able to face all kind of situations. On Saturday Agnes drove me and Graca and Furaha to the Buffalo Den nearby where the children played on the swing and jumped on an air castle. And after a while we met Kiboi and we were having a good time. Kiboi ordered grilled meat and after a while I asked what I was eating and it was goat!!! Only the smell made me deny eating goat before and now I found out that I liked it! It is kind of a sweet taste. On Sunday Kiboi took us along to visit his father and two brothers and sister in Nairobi. The father needs an operation and they had a family meeting, in Kikuyu. It was nice to meet his family and by the way I had a great challenge as I had to go on a bad road that looked much alike the one in Mwanza where I fell. The whole thing must not get a trauma for me, so I have to take such challenges. A few days before Agnes took me along to the café where I met people. It is so good to come out in the world again.

Since two weeks Komora is coming home to me every day to teach me Kiswahili. He is a Kiswahili teacher at the Steinerschool Mbagathi, he is also a good storyteller, teaches also dance and percussion. It is a very different language than the European ones, very interesting, it is fun.

What I did not realize in the whole process is that I lost 7 kilos in weight from the time I came to Kenya!!! Here you eat a warm meal for lunch and for supper. Now that I am on my own again I eat a warm meal once a day. This weight loss is despite that I have been sitting a lot because of the injury. Maybe the 1,5 liter water every day contributed. I will absolutely keep it that way.

Tuesday 3.7. I visited the doctor again. The x-ray showed that the wound has healed for 80-90%! I have to use the stick outside for another 4-6 weeks. Continue with physiotherapy but now in the Nairobi hospital department in the Galleria which is nearer where I live, once a week for several weeks. I don’t need to come back for control and I got so confused that I should so suddenly not meet this nice doctor again that I only stumbled: ‘Thank you for everything’ when I left, that I can be so stupid! I’ll buy him a gift later.

some more weeks to go with the stick outside