Friday 25 November 2016

One step closer.

With it being a year on January 9th that I crashed, I am hoping to have an early Christmas present in the next few days and finally get the good news that I'm desperate for.

As always the support off everyone has been great, and people always want to know how I'm getting on. My bone graft is yet to fully heal in my pelvis, so I can't fully stress the joint as the right side of my pelvis is only held together by a screw! I did have a CT scan in August to determine if the bone graft had healed, and unfortunately it wasn't good news. Mentally I took a large blow as I was convinced that I would be able to return to training. When I look back now, I was irrational and didn't take into account the fact that bone graft can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a year to heal.

This shows the importance of wearing a helmet - they are life savers!
Despite the bone not actually being healed, the past few months have seen my body go from strength to strength. I can still only do a limited period on the Wattbike, but my glute power is improving daily. I have actually managed to gain some muscle size too which is also another bonus! My core is slowly getting there, however my body needs to find a way to compensate for the fact that I no longer have a large section of oblique muscle. My L5-S1 nerve route got crushed during the crash, which caused me to loose nerve sensation down my left leg ( from knee down to my foot). This has definitely showed signs of vast improvement as I now have control over my foot flexion, and can walk on my heels.

October saw me go back down to Norfolk for a while, during which Radio Norfolk and ITV were keen to get an update on my recovery. ITV's report is HERE. My large scar is also not only looking very good, but also feeling great too, as the sensation in the scar tissue is coming back. I owe this progress to the team at Derma Lux® for their LED Phototherapy machine, which is working wonders, so thank you again!
The healing process of my flank wound - Derma Lux®
During the last few months my time has come to an end with Paul Hadfield, from Marple Bridge Physiotherapy, who worked closely with me during the early stages. So another big thank you to him for putting in the very important initial movement patterns. Johanna Wilkinson, my advanced nurse practitioner at Stepping Hill, has also been invaluable with getting me in for regular scans and check ups. Furthermore, giving credit where credit is due, I can't thank Rob Sheridan enough for all his time and effort. He has gone above and beyond to help me out, doing my weekly massage at Didsbury Village Physio and hydrotherapy sessions at Stepping Hill hospital. He has kept me motivated and determined for the last 11 months, as well as making sure my body is in a great place!

Now onto the very exciting news.. the repeat CT scan is taking place on Monday 28th November! Although the scan is coming on Monday, I will have to wait a week or so until I get the results, as they need to thoroughly be analysed by the radiographer. So until then I have everything crossed and I'm hoping for the best!

V x





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1 comment

  1. Amazing recovery and even more amazing is your mental resilience. I Hope you make a full recovery and can represent GB again :)

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