Gratefully yours..

If the last few weeks have taught me anything at all, it's the power of gratitude. I've heard it said many times that either beginning or ending the day by recalling three things you're grateful for can actually affect your mood, and what you attract into your life. 

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

It's the little things

As I approach my next round of physio and rehabilitation treatment, I’ve been thinking back on the early days and the profound effect it has had on my life.

                                     
In most cases, being in hospital is seen as a negative thing, but the rehab experience can be quite the opposite at times.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully aware of the struggles and obstacles people are facing during their treatment, but I’ve always been surprised by the sense of mutual support among the patients during my time there.

Ladies' Styling Day May 15th 2015

I recently had the pleasure of attending a ladies’ day event for ladies with spinal cord injury in a rehabilitation setting. 

We all love a bit of pampering now and then whether we admit it or not, and no disability should get in the way of that. 

The event was very well attended, with guest speakers and workshops in the morning, followed by health and beauty sessions in the afternoon. 

Experts in the health and beauty field gave their time to provide hair styling, make up applications and manicures.  Other options available included massages, clothes stalls and advice from occupational therapists on gadgets to make everyday life a little easier.  Products on display included clothing from Marks and Spencer, tools for applying fake tan, hair styling gadgets and dressing aids. 

My role as a stylist at the event involved chatting to both staff and patients on all things fashion and style related.

Some very interesting queries came up, regarding ideas for easy dressing with jackets or underwear, and my own personal challenge of choosing practical but stylish footwear. 

I really enjoyed the afternoon, providing colour consultations and sharing common experiences of all things fashion related. What better way to spend an afternoon, and in a hospital environment too!

One piece of advice which particularly stood out for me was an excellent tip shared by one of the ladies at the event. An ingenious invention which she devised for her daughter who has some mobility difficulties and finds dressing can be a challenge.  This is a relatively easy alteration which could be used on many items to make life a little easier in the mornings, or when getting ready for a night out.  Pictured here is a jacket, with extra matching zips inserted along the side seams and underneath the arms.  These zips can be opened fully to allow the wearer to easily insert both arms with minimal stretching or movement, and then discreetly closed back up to blend in with the garment.

This trick could also be used for other items such as blazers or cardigans etc.

Thank you to this lovely, ingenious lady for sharing her tip with us and allowing us to pass her ideas on.

Check out some links below to items we viewed on the day, and some handy gadgets we discovered.

Thank you so much to the ladies at the National Rehabilitation Hospital and Spinal Injuries Ireland, looking forward to the next event already, with lots of ideas to work on in the meantime!

Hair Dryer Holder

Lotion and tan applicator

Check out Phelans Mobility Aids in Ireland for these and many more gadgets