Amanda was finally discharged from Nelson Hospital at 1pm , Friday 26th May, one week short of 4 months in hospital.
Although she didn’t actually leave until 1.30.
The day before the ATR unit had a special admission.
The former matron (Margaret) who herself set the unit up many years ago had a stroke while undergoing surgery.
Many of the staff know her as their old boss and had mentioned how well Amanda had recovered so far. Margaret was desperate to meet her. So Amanda stopped on her way out, took a detour and spent 10 minutes with Margaret, who appears in better shape 3 days after her stroke, than Amanda was 3 WEEKS after hers. She was so inspired to see Amanda’s recovery and it gave her the motivation to get well again. They chatted about how they felt, how their stroke had affected them in different ways and their hopes for recovery.
Once Amanda had said goodbye and good luck to Margaret she headed for the door. The Occupational Therapist stopped her and asked if she might be able to come into the unit from time to time in the future to talk to, and motivate some of their ‘younger’ stroke victims, so they could hear her story, share their experiences and see what to aim for. Of course she will be very happy to do so.
Now we’re home it’s time to get into a different routine. I’m off work for two weeks. Then after that we have 2 hours of assistance each day, paid for by the local health board, to look after showering, breakfast and then lunchtime activities. This will be more of a supervisory role as Amanda continues to recover and the care can gradually be withdrawn.
In addtion Amanda will have home visits by a physio and a speech therapist several times a week.
The Blue Banana Diaries 