Saturday, February 17, 2018

.Genesis


I knew it was the name of a rock group..Not Boyzone though.

Being in hospital is what i remember most - well i DID spend nine months there. For most of the time i shared a room with people who were in a coma. That was a bad experience for them (being in a coma), and knowing that they’d never get better. They still had visitors but the conversations were totally one-sided, as you’d expect. Then, i remember sharing with another guy who was in a coma. He was from Scotland. I used to make up stories, for my visitors, about him being a ruthless gangland leader. The stories were only fiction but at least they made him smile when he heard them. My visitors used to recoil in horror when they listened to what he had done and was capable of doing. It was quite funny to hear and always brought a smile to his face.

Next, was a room shared by four people and i was one of them. I was put next to a young guy called Sunni. He was in a coma and used to have a terrible habit of grinding his teeth when he was awake, during the day. I used to wonder why he did it. Now i know why, as i often do it myself. it’s to let other people know that you’re there.
i spent the long, hot summer of 2013 at Leamington Spa but was keen to leave there. As hospitals go, it was ok, i just wanted to get away. I felt almost institutionalised and needed to go back home, or as near to it as i could. I’d spent nine months in Leamington but It was Hinckley where i belonged. I remember the day we left the hospital. It was 9 o’clock in the morning when i was ready to go and 10 o’clock at night when i actually left.

Eventually, we got there and i had some sandwiches made for me to keep me going. I knew Mount Road and i knew Kingly House, Years ago. It wasn’t called that - it was called Kings Restaurant.
The next day i had a good look around and saw my mum and my wife. In nine months at Leamington i’d seen my mum once and my wife every Saturday. Now, i could see them everyday if i wanted to. I had a couple of friends come to visit me but the biggest difference i felt, was the way people kept staring at me. I call it The Elephant Man syndrome. The elephant man was me. Kingly House is excellent though. Definitely no elephants there.

i’ve had to make sacrifices. Out went the fags and out went the wine gums. I could put up with that. I’ve got to die sometime and i very nearly went when i had the stroke. I didn’t expect a death like that though. But looking back over life since the stroke, i have to say how valuable the experience at Leamington was. I realise that now. Everything i’ve ever been through has been for a reason.


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14 comments:

  1. You're right, Terry, every experience we have - good or bad - is something we learn from. Sometimes I think the bad experiences actually teach us more.

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    1. Hi Jenny, yes we learn a lot and it teaches us all about life. It’s not what we think it is. Sometimes it brings us great sadness and sometimes it doen’.

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  2. I agree Terry. Sometimes there are really rough things that go in life, but I do believe that we learn something. I also believe the people we meet are there in certain parts of our lives when we need them. Being able to talk about it with others, helps others to learn too. Hugs...RO

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    1. I’d go along with that RO. I’ve met people in the last 5 years who have been incredibly helpful. to me. i’ve Met them throughout my life.

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  3. The Elephant Man syndrome...that is a great way to put it. Most people don't mean anything bad by doing that. I think they get stuck and don't know what to say, what to do.

    Every experience in life is a learning lesson. Some harder than others.

    Thanks for sharing your journey with us!

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    1. People didn’t mean anything by staring like they did. I know that and i’d have been the same if the roles were reversed. You can’t blame people for acting that way.

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    2. I agree, we all learn from our experiences, good or bad but sometimes we have to pay a hell of a price to learn those lessons.
      Being stuck in a wheelchair is something I hope I never have to go through or in a hospital for 9 months. It sounds almost unbearable to a person who doesn't sit still for any length of time like me. I always have to be busy.

      When I was young we were taught to not stare or point at people so ever since, I have difficulty starring at people. HUs, Julia




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    3. Once you get used to the stares, and you do after a while, the rest is easy. I’ve been like this too long to let anything, or anybody, get to me. There are many people who are so incredible that you sometimes wish you could’ve been them. They really make my, and Mandy’s life worth living.

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    1. Hugs back to you Julia. Thanks for contributing x.

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  5. Your stories bring tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart. Thank you, Terry. You're a special man.

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    1. Hi there Robyn, thank you i’m glad I saw your video it was great..

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  6. Hi Terry :) Nice post. :) We do all learn from our experiences...though sometimes it takes a while to realize it. :)

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    1. Hi Rain, we definitely learn from our experiences. Having a stroke is definitely a life experience.

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I don’t know a lot of things and my memory has seen better times.  We can’t know everything that is going to happen, but everything does fo...