Change of pace.

I have been a bit slack with keeping you all posted with how I have been travelling the last few weeks but my days of lazing on the couch watching DVDs have been limited!! I now attend physiotherapy three times per week: on Mon, Wed and Fri. After my hands on treatment session (or should I say torture session) I spend a good hour completing my strengthening program in the gym and then in the pool. Although my exercises are still relatively basic and gentle, I can already feel a huge difference in my muscle strength, and my chicken leg is starting to get some meat on it again!!

Being a physiotherapist I love that I am able to assist people in many different ways and often through a difficult time in their life.. For example I may be able to help reduce a retiree's back pain which allows him to return to his love of gardening, alternatively I might watch a new mum being able to lift her son or daughter for the first time without grimacing following treatment. I believe it is these small "wins" which give me job satisfaction and keeps me loving what I do. But unfortunately as many of you would be able to relate to, in this day and age of faster passed work with higher expectations and pressures, sometimes the daily grind and work demands shift the focus purely to getting the job done and moving onto the next thing without ever being able to "stop and smell the roses".

The last 5 weeks have forced me to slow down and really step back and observe the world from a different perspective. Prior to the surgery I was concerned about being bored with nothing to do and feeling like I had no purpose because I was used to having a long to-do list for every day. However I have surprisingly enjoyed the change of pace, especially having the time to spend with friends and family. Feeling the physical and mental changes after each physiotherapy session has also reinforced the impact that treatment can have on someones life. refreshing my love for physiotherapy and restoring my belief that I am lucky to work in the health industry.

I have my 6 week review with Jit next week so fingers crossed that my xray shows good bone growth around the screws. I have signed up to a gym with a hydro pool for 3 months which will allow me to continue my rehabilitation while progressing from hydro exercises to harder land based exercises.