The Bird Has Flown...

From here...

To here... What a lovely change.


 
And the beautiful garden I am enjoying sitting  in.

I am now at my friend Kathleen's home in Rotorua. She was very caring
and invited me here to spend several weeks recuperating and healing
until I can walk again and drive my bus. I am very blessed.

My life has been very busy... Flying the hospital nest and settling into
a house. I have showering help every morning which is wonderful
and today have had a visit from the Salvation  Army co-ordinator to
do all the paperwork required for my home help, then the District
Nurse... Another opportunity to have a close look at all my
wounds and how they are healing. The are all doing  very
well, all  have individual dressings on them and a
compression stocking over them all... No bandages of any sort,
so I feel I am gradually emerging into freedom again...
Another four weeks of non-weight bearing on my leg though...
But time passes... And I'm getting more agile on my crutches.

Leaving Hospital

Tomorrow I am leaving  hospital. I have been
here two weeks and now definitely have cabin fever.
I am so looking forward to being outside and in
the sun and on the grass again.
My leg has healed considerably although can't
weight bear for another month. The hospital
has been wonderful, the surgeons and nurses
A1. Will need visits from the the district nurse...
All the ACC help is in place... Equipment
including a self propelled wheel chair so people
can take me out and I can take myself outside
when I don't feel like crutches... And personal
help, transport to hospital and physio appointments.
I have been practicing on my crutches, up and down
steps today. I'm alright going down but a bit more
practice needed going up. I have new exercises for
my leg to strengthen the muscles... So it's all good.
My bus, crutches and I are going to stay with a friend
in Rotorua... The bus parked on the wide berm and
me in the house. So that will be my home for 3-4
months until I can walk and drive again.
I have had wonderful visitors and met new people,
lots of messages and comments through my blog,
the Motor Home Forum and Facebook.
Thank you all.

Power From Footsteps...

Between snoozing and practicing on my crutches I have been
reading the latest Mindfood magazine that was in the gift parcel
from my children. Lots of interesting things in it but this
really caught my attention... More innovative self sufficiency.
Read and watch the video on this link...
all from walking along corridors on tiles made
from recycled tires... Made by Pavegen.
I wonder if it's possible to do in a bus!

A Red Letter Day...

Yesterday was the benchmark day I have been waiting for.
My staples and stitches came out... After the surgeon
had inspected everything and was happy with my healing.


 First the staples with this natty little
staple remover...


I  haven't counted how many!

Then the stitches...

Then all new dressings. This stuff is called
DuoDerm... My son who is a sports road cyclist
told me about it... The hospital has it... So now,
so do I! Read the links... It sounds like amazing stuff.

This is the same stuff but with an absorbent dressing.

More DuoDerm and little dressings...
A bandage ony over my shin wound...
The brace adjusted to 90 deg...

What a major difference. My leg is beginning
to emerge again... And I'm planning
my discharge!

Thank You... To My Three Children...

This afternoon a big box arrived... Addressed to me.
I needed help to open it but this is what was inside.

A beautiful gift box of goodies... Fruit, the latest
Mindfood magazine, some cookies, some
chocolates, a bottle of something in the
middle and a bag of beautiful toiletries.
 I'm reluctant to open it... It's too beautiful
to look at, but I will in the morning. There
is a big fat peach in it that I am going to
eat for breakfast... Yum.

I was overwhelmed... Who had sent me this.
I found the card... 'Dear Mum... ... ... From Penny,
Courtney, Cam and Jo'. Made me cry!
This post is specially for them... Thank You XXXX

Penny and Courtney are in The Bahamas,  Cam in Taipei
and Jo in Golden Bay, New Zealand.
One of them has organised this. These
pictures are so they can see what they sent me.

And more good news... A visit from the Orthapaedic
Consultant tonight. Stitches and staples out tomorrow,
the leg brace will be set to 90deg so I can bend my leg more.
No weight bearing for six weeks... That has been halved.
And as soon as all help is in place for going home, then
I can leave... Maybe Tuesday next week. Hurray...
Two weeks since I came in here... A long time.

Update... I'm Healing and Getting Better

This is 'Me' today... A vast improvement over
the eight days since surgery. I'm hopping around
and practicing on my crutches... This morning the
Orthopedic Consultant  told me medically I can go home
but I need to be stable on crutches and have all the
ACC help in place. I want to go home to my bus...
So first I need to be able to get into it!

Yesterday I received these most beautiful flowers from all the
wonderful people at the Motorhome forum... A box of
licorice allsort flowers. Thank you so much.

This is me each morning... Bagged up and ready for a shower.
The catheter has gone and the lure in my hand.
(If you are squeamish don't look any further)

After my shower all the bandages and dressings
get changed. The nurse doing it today is Isobel.
She has been a nursing lecturer and is very good.

They all get cut off and saline helps...

I couldn't resist this comparison...
At least I have one thin leg.

The wounds are definitely healing... All these
staples and possibly the stitches come out on Friday.

Although this still looks dreadful it is definitely 
healing.  It is a lot dryer and the medical term,
I think, is granulating which means
healing. I'm told the skin will grow from
the outside and the wound will gradually
get smaller.  I'm busy researching 20+ UMF
Manuka Honey and Comfrey for healing...
As well as lots of vitamin C of course.
I want to end up with as few scars as possible

You can see that the wounds are healing...

I'm really pleased with my progress.

All trussed up again and ready for the day.

Thank You...

A huge thank you to everybody who has read my blog and looked at
it on Facebook. It is so wonderful to have heard from you all...
My three children, one in Taiwan,  one in The Bahamas and
one in the South Island... They have all phoned and messaged.
My Dad in Christchurch... Aged 95... phones every day... 

He's fitter than me now!

My Australian family... grandson Gabe, granddaughter Jasmine and

in-laws Sheree & Amber... It's wonderful to hear from you.

Close friends phone several times a day.

Thank you to all my blog readers and motor home mates... I really

appreciate you taking the time to message and comment.

Thank you Beecee for your thoughts re emergency drivers and finding

a PoP where the people might help me manage for a while...

It all helps to make life look rosier... And envelopes me in

 a lovely extended family.

Progress is good... The hospital care is A1... The hotel standard...

The food! Well I'm losing weight... And I haven't got any chocolate!

Today it's noticeable that the swelling on my leg is going down...

I have been out of bed three times... Soon I will have arm muscles

like a weight lifter.