My name is Ami, I am a disability blogger from Norfolk. I
am one of Scope's Online Community Champions and leader of Ataxia UK Norfolk
Facebook Support Group. I’m also passionate about raising awareness and I love
superheroes.
Before March 2018, I’d only ever received a few weeks of
physiotherapy, due to severe back pain, and I had only heard of occupational
therapy once - I thought it was career related. I didn’t realise just how much
of an impact these therapies could have on a person’s life. It’s making me
emotional writing this because of how physiotherapy and occupational therapy
have changed my life. For one, I would not be able to type this today if I had
not received therapy.
The day my life changed
In March 2018, I was admitted to Critical Care due to being
very ill and unconscious. When I woke up a couple of days later, I realised I
was in a hospital bed and I felt paralysed. I couldn’t lift my arms, my legs or
move my head. I couldn’t even breathe by myself. I had contracted bilateral
pneumonia, and as my body was already very weak, the odds were against me.
Once I became more aware of my surroundings, days after
waking up from an induced coma, I realised I could no longer do anything by
myself. Due to my hearing impairment, I tried to communicate by writing on a
whiteboard, but I could no longer write. I couldn’t sit up, stand up or walk. I
felt like I’d lost everything.
Starting my therapy journey
After spending a month in Intensive Care, I stayed in
hospital for a further 8 weeks on a stroke unit. This was not because I’d had a
stroke, but because I needed the same type of rehabilitation as a stroke
patient. During these 8 weeks, I had numerous sessions of physiotherapy. I
remember my first session and I still couldn’t sit up by myself, I needed 2
assistants in front of me, 1 on each side of me, and 1 behind me.
Due to having no control of my balance, I slipped off a
plinth and fell on to my knees which was excruciating and I screamed in pain. This
completely knocked my confidence and I really didn’t want to continue with
physio. But I didn’t want to be stuck in hospital either.
I was transferred to a specialist neurological
rehabilitation centre to potentially regain my mobility and independence. Having
already been transferred to different wards and different hospitals, I was
reluctant to go to this new place. I just wanted to go home.
More than just rehabilitation
I stayed at the rehabilitation centre for 6 months, and those
were the best 6 months of my life. Not only did I regain some mobility and
independence, but they helped me to discover who I am and most of all, they
helped me to accept my disabilities.
Admittedly, I took my independence and mobility for granted
before I became disabled. The saying is true, you don’t realise what you have
until it’s gone. My therapists taught me that I can be independent as a
disabled person. I could still live my life as me, it just included a few
mobility aids.
They have changed my life in more ways than I could have ever
imagined. I was able to walk down the aisle, with the support of 2 people, and
marry my best friend. I was able to place the wedding ring on his finger and
sign the register.
My recovery is ongoing, and with physiotherapy and
occupational therapy, the impossible becomes possible.
If you’d like to follow Ami’s journey, she writes a blog
called Undercover Superhero.
What’s your experience of physiotherapy or occupational
therapy? Have you gained invaluable skills from rehabilitation? Let us know in
the comments below!
