A Day In The Life

Lets turn our attention to something more positive than whats wrong with my body or if the apartment is burning down. Namely, why don't we talk about what rehab is all about and a day at Mt. Sinai.

As I have said Mt. Sinai is a pretty amazing place. You are surrounded by dedicated experts in their fields, be it Neurosurgery, Physical Therapy, Orthopedic Surgery, and commonly those specialties are broken down into finer subgroups (i.e. Lower Lumbar Spinal Surgery, or Shoulder and Elbow Orthopedic Specialist). To say the least, the staff is knowledgeable.

An average day begins with me getting up at 6:00 am and washing myself. Maybe a little help from the nurses, changing the linens, and first doses of pills, vitamins and drugs. Breakfast follows soon after and then I have a few minutes before rehab starts at 9:00am.

The first class is a one on one Physical Therapy session. Physical Therapy is focuses on the lower part of the body. Working on the legs and mobility by strengthening muscles, stretching, range of motion, practicing walking, electric stimulus on the nerve damaged areas, and a host of other exercises. Primarily this is an exhausting hour of pushing yourself to repair and rebuild whatever was lost in your legs and the mobility that comes along with it. I am extremely lucky to have Ryan, a PT who is knowledgeable and demands a lot out of you, but it can be an ass-kicking class.

Second, at 10am, is a group class that is an upper body workout. Done from wheelchairs it is a combination of stretching, range of motion, weights, and aerobics. An hour of just rebuilding some of the muscles that have been inert for so long. An interesting class in that you are surrounded by a group with a range of spinal ailments that is mind-boggling. Each person working on the areas of weakness that afflict them.

And the last class of what becomes a brutal 3 hour block is a one on one Occupational Therapy session. Where Physical Therapy concentrates on the legs Occupational Therapy concentrates on the upper body and teaching you skills to manage your daily life that take into account some of the long term disabilities. Not only do we work on strengthening and range of motion, but classes will be dedicated to normal daily tasks like, putting on pants and shoes with limited mobility, getting in and out of shower chairs since standing for long periods is dangerous, building dexterity and strength so you can write and hold eating utensils. It sounds basic but in many cases you are giving people the skills to be independent. I cannot tell you how much better you feel about yourself when you can feed, wash, and clothe yourself instead of relying on others.

This is followed by a break of an hour and a half that includes lunch and usually a quick nap from pure exhaustion. Possibly a few more painkillers.

And the last class of the day is a walking class. It is exactly what it sounds like, a group class where the therapists work with each patient in a round, giving them a few minutes of walking time followed by a break as they work their way through all the other patients. Then they come back to you and start the cycle over. This is a particularly emotional class. Over the period of a few weeks you will see patients progress from just standing up (in some cases for the first time in months) to taking there first tentative steps on the parallel bars, to seeing them walk with a crutch or walker on their own. There are a lot of congratulations thrown around the room, and I can tell you they are well deserved. Few things have frightened me more or been more exhilarating than taking those first steps. The fear of the unknown, the fear and mistrust of your body, and the hint of freedom that mobility implies, mix together for a lot of tears of fright and joy at the same time. It is a pretty amazing experience.

With the classes over for the day there is usually a bit of afternoon exhaustion before an early dinner at 5:00 or so. I also try to stretch or work on certain exercises in bed. And then I have been blessed to have Naomi come every night as well as the ever fun rotating cast of characters that are my friends. To see some familiar faces and laugh and joke for a few hours at the end of a long day makes everything seem much better.