Quote Originally Posted by jessmarimba View Post
I was just googling cyclist recover from broken back - Clockwork, I feel so awful for you and I don't want to be a bother but I was hoping to get some advice from your experience! I burst T12 6 days ago and I'm trying to make a list of what will help when I get home from the hospital. I guess the sponge on a stick is a must! Also want something to sit on in the shower. Any other advice? How are you doing? Was it tough to get back to a normal routine? Do you still have restrictions? They're being so vague with me!

Thanks! Sorry to pester you!
Jesse
Oh Jesse, poor you! How did you manage to cause your broken back?

Read the following first, plenty of time for everything else a little later.

Please feel free to ask me anything.

I am so with you on the hospitals being so vague, hence I have typed the following up for the physio at my local hospital.

Anybody else reading this, prepare to be bored!

THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT........

Some of the following might sound very trivial to anybody who has never worn an LSO BRACE but for anybody who has the misfortune to be told they will be wearing one for 3 months, this might be of interest.

Many of the items you will not have, so you will have to ask somebody to get them for you, ideally before you go home.

First and foremost, you must buy a Grabber from the Occupational Therapist only a fiver and worth it's weight in gold, you will find you drop things all the time and this little gizmo comes in handy daily, no, hourly.



The thinnest vest tops you can get hold of, even if it means buying a couple on ebay as anything thick will just be very uncomfortable and extremely warm.

My first realisation was that my hands needed extensions, so things like going to the loo where made extremely difficult, in fact I discovered my left hand must have been longer than my right! To my horror, I realised because I could not bend forward, it was impossible using a toilet brush! So, I did a Blue Peter special on a brand new toilet brush, by using a plastic coat hanger and using some duck tape or lots of sellotape, also trimmed it down to fit into a spare mug, plus moist toilet wipes, now I have independence.



So, you get told no bathing, no showering, no hair washing, time to work around that little lot. My daily procedure was lengthy but it worked.

Put large bath towel on bed

Have box of creams, potions and lotions, cotton buds and Johnsons baby talc set aside on the bed, along with any clothes, oh yes, for us girls, forget about bra's and any underwear!

Time for strip wash and half a shower. I filled the handbasin and added a squirt of Superdrug Gentle Face Wash. While washing, I was lucky having short hair so I found it easy to have a flannel soaking wet, rubbed over hair, then applying a tiny amount of shampoo, keep rinsing the flannel, apply splodge of conditioner, again rinse off by using the wet flannel, result.

Yes, get in the shower but the lower half only, I used a shampoo bottle to block the drainage hole of the shower, then at least my feet got a nice soaking. Oh yes, try and buy a cheap non-slip rubber mat for the base of the shower. Also I bought a long handled bath brush on ebay, something else that was so useful when you cannot reach your feet.

Next flop on the bed, undoing your 'shell' and use flannel for tummy, after drying I found Johnsons baby talc was good to use and on other days I used Cetaphil, a super-sensitive fragrance-free non-comedogenic (doesn't clog pores) body lotion.



I bought it on Amazon, it was not cheap, around £9 but I never had any problem with my skin, by using these on alternate days, I never had chafing, stickiness or nasty odour and it lasted the full 3 months.

Finally, you can get dressed absolutely exhausted.

Once I was in bed I undid my shell so could not sit up, so I always took water in a drinks water bottle kept on my bedside cabinet, as it is virtually impossible to drink from a cup while laying down.

How did I occupy my time, as I could not sit down for a long, I was happier just pottering about the house and daily going out for a walk.

When pulling the velcro straps tight, trying not to slide your fingers along, hold quite tight otherwise you end up with tiny little cuts, that make your fingers very sore, then doing up the brace becomes a problem.


JESSE, ARE YOU STILL AWAKE?

Take good care of yourself, ask lots and don't rush anything.

Hugs

Clock xxx