Getting started at rehab

I think this post will nearly bring me up to speed with where I am now.

On Tuesday 9th February I moved from the Alfred to the Epworth rehabilitation hospital in Hawthorn. I’d been so excited about the move, I felt like it was a big milestone moving from care focused on putting me back together to care focused on making me better.

After being given the green light from the trauma team on Tuesday morning, I was moved across to the Epworth. The Patient Transport car went along the Richmond Boulie and I couldn’t help but think about the countless mornings I’d spend cycling along there. It felt like I was standing from the outside looking in, somewhat detached from those experiences. Thinking about it more, I only have great memories of all those freezing/windy/wet sessions we did there but realise I have a bit of work to do for managing my feeling of missing out. I guess it helps having been through a rehab period before but the motivation to get better then was cycling, whereas now it’s just to get walking again.

The Epworth Hawthorn is one of those places that makes you realise how far medicine and rehabilitation has come over the years. Formerly a maternity hospital, it has been repurposed to assist predominately motor vehicle and other serious multi trauma accident patients with their recovery. It’s mostly inpatients (staying at the hospital full time) but there is also an outpatient facility that i’m looking forward to using when the time comes. I’m very lucky to be on Level 3 in Suite 8 - it’s the most amazing room…probably nicer than my own flat :)

This week I’ve felt like the new kid on the block, just trying to get used to the structure and process that has been carefully planned and put in place. There’s so much to talk about but I’ll get there over time - for starters here’s a little introduction to life here.

The hospital

The hospital is generally for inpatients and the facilities are geared towards medium to long-term stays. There are around 20 rooms and there are also common areas for shared lunches and dinners. One of the other patients told me it’s around $1100/night, but thankfully Victoria has the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), which provides financial support for anyone involved in a traffic accident, regardless of who was at fault. Interestingly, this doesn’t cover cyclists who aren’t injured by a car. For example, getting stuck in tram tracks or slipping on a wet road doesn’t qualify for TAC, however my accident that was caused by a car driver is. Fortunately for me, this means I’m able to spend some extended time here finding my feet and getting things back together.

Staff and support

Just like in the Alfred, the staff here are so committed to helping their patients across all areas of their health. They’ll give you a laugh when you’re down, will give you a physical hand when you’re trying to sit up and will give you advice and encouragement that only someone with years of experience can provide. They rotate through nurses so I’ll usually have a different one each day, but I’ve been fortunate to have a nurse (hi Sheridan) who has just been incredible in getting me settled - first shower, first time putting on clothes, first attempt at feeling like a human again. There are so many others to mention, I might introduce some more as I go :)

Working towards goals

Every patient has a board in their room that has a few details about them and their care team, appointments, goals and status. My ‘care team’ is made up of a doctor, physio, occupational therapist and a counsellor. Every Tuesday they all meet to discuss each patient’s progress, their goals for the week and anything important to note. I’ve put up a couple of goals for now, including:

• Showering on my own
• Being safe to go outside on my own
• Getting to Bianca’s wedding in April They’re a mix of short and medium term goals but it’s really motivating to see them every day and reflect on how I’m progressing.

My care coordinator is Tim (my physio/sounding board for my relentless questioning of everything!) and he represents my voice in those meetings and will provide feedback to me. For those who know me well, I’m a pretty objective driven person who has to have a goal/target to reach an outcome. I’m feeling so relieved that the Epworth takes this approach as I’m confident it will encourage me to make the most of my time here and make the best recovery I can.

So now I’m here…

For now I’m getting in the swing of things and working out a daily routine. It’s generally two physio sessions a day (AM and PM), with visitors then allowed from 4pm to 8pm. I’m generally pretty exhausted in between physio so I tend to have a nap at lunch time.

I’ll try to post regularly with what’s going on, my progress and also share what it’s like to be at this incredible facility that anyone who’s ever had to recover from surgery/physical challenges can only dream of.