Rehab ramblings

Positivity is a word we see a lot of these days, from inspirational rose-gold-n-marble decor, to social media quotes and images. Easier said than done you could say, to practice gratitude and positive thinking in an age where we are always striving for "more". 

One thing I have noticed though, I always seem to come across it in the unlikeliest of places and from the people I least expect. 
I could (ok, I do) go to work every day and moan about the traffic, pay cuts, workload and state of the public service with the best of them. 
In comparison, I could (and also regularly do) come into a rehab/hospital situation and be met with the most positive environment - despite the difficult or traumatic circumstances that have led people there. 
It's a strange one.

Packing essentials

OK, so many blogs and articles at the moment are advising us how to pack for the summer holidays - but what about packing for other situations, like a trip into hospital or rehabilitation? 

Quite different to a holiday essentials list of course, but just as important I think. 

Here are my top 10 items to pack, based on my experiences. Hope you find them useful!

• Ear plugs – wax or foam, depending on how light a sleeper you are – wax are better for blocking out the usual hospital related disruptions.

• Eye mask – again, for light sleepers, this can help block out lights from other cubicles, or lights switched on during the night.

• Lavender oil/spray – a few drops on the pillow or night clothes can help aid relaxation.

• Moisturiser – heating and dry air in hospitals can really dry out the skin – bring a good moisturiser to apply at least twice a day. I brought new Boots Botanics this time, review to follow.

• Ipod – relaxing music or meditation apps can help to block out noise, calm your mind, lift the mood, or help induce sleep. I particularly like Relax Lite, available for both Apple and Android . Equally, upbeat music can help with motivation before or during physiotherapy sessions.

• Reading material – a good book can be helpful at night time especially if you’ve no TV available, and magazines can help pass the time on a quiet afternoon or visitor-free evening.

• Netflix – if you have a tablet or laptop, try signing up for a free month with Netflix if you haven’t already – plenty of choice there to pass some time, and you can cancel afterwards if you choose to.  Of course, I did this a year ago, and I'm still signed up. Just can't help myself.

• Hand-held/travel fan – hospitals can be like a sauna regardless of the weather or season.  Avoid the open/close window debates and have your own little fan at hand when needed, especially at night time.  Don’t forget spare batteries. 

• Chargers – probably one of the most important on the list, chargers. Don’t forget all your electronic devices will run low pretty fast in there, so make sure you have a charger for each or at least one that suits them all.

• Goodies – hospital food is a bit hit-and-miss at the best of times. If you have the facility, bring some of your own favourites to store in a fridge, or some snacks for your bedside locker - (learn from my mistake and remember fruit and chocolate won’t survive too long in that heat). Plenty of water too is obviously important, especially if you’re doing physiotherapy every day. 

Obviously this is a short list, compared to the size of the bag I ended up with.  I could list more but we'd be here all day.

Are there any other particular items you'd recommend? 

Diary of a blogger in Rehab

Day 1.

Oh God, here we are again.  Why do I do this to myself?

Wearing half my wardrobe, mistake number one, like an oven in here. #sauna #layers

Day 2.

Actually slept last night. Thats odd. Shhh don't jinx it. Physio enjoyed my matching runners and orthotics #newshoes #needbeautysleep

Day 3.

Got a bit of sunshine between therapies. Even in short sleeves. Purple ones to be exact. #summer #t-shirts #nature

Day 4.

Ouch. Physio kicking in now. Not literally. They're still admiring my runners #Dunnes #muscles #nopainnogain

Day 5.

On Fridays we wear pink. Pink ladies on the ward today. Prompted some staff "singing". #prettyinpink

Day 6.

No physio today. Sleep, sleep and chocolate on the to-do list. #break #restday

Day 7.

See above! Probably gaining weight by the second. Oh well. #anotherrestday

Day 8.

Back to purple again. Hit the wall today. Almost literally. Orthotics problems. Time for a chocolate and magazine break. #fashion #chocolate

Day 9.

WiFi down today. Quite bored. If it wasn't for good friends, magazines and nail polish... Early nights becoming a habit. #company #pampering

Image credit: Positive Outlooks blog on Facebook

Day 10.

Phew. Some like-minded company has arrived. Where've you been? Back to more pink today, lifts the mood a bit. Interesting day in OT. Rummaging in buckets of rice. #capsulewardrobe #OT 

Day 11.

Almost there, seeing some progress now. Even warming to the yellow-y orthotics. A bit. Nothing yellow in wardrobe though. #matching #results

Day 12.

New machine today. Like a cross trainer but scarier. Wore long sleeves, bad move. #overdressed

Day 13.

Assessing progress made today, not too bad. Changed runners up a bit. Oh the excitement. #confusedphysios

Day 14.

And we're done. Tough sayin goodbye, not a bad bunch really. Few new numbers. Back to normal sized wardrobe soon, no more sportsgear outside the gym. #gymwear #homewardbound

Day 1(back home).

Routine out the window already. Back in jeans. Lost the run of myself in supermarket. Oh the freedom.

Appreciating independence.  Did few exercises, I swear. #homesweethome #grateful