I
was determined to continue with alternative therapies that had delivered so
much in Sydney. I arranged for an
acupuncturist to attend Carolie and sought clearance from senior nursing
staff. I struck a snag immediately. One of the nurse managers declared this was
not hospital policy and that she would have to seek approval from the
neurosurgical staff. I explained the
attitudes I had encountered in RPA and reiterated my request.
It turned out her declaration was not exactly
true – the hospital did not have a policy on management of outside
therapists. I offered to waive any claim
under public liability provisions to facilitate their access. After a short hiatus, one of the
neurosurgeons popped in to introduce himself and to confirm they did not have a
problem with acupuncture. They were
sceptical as to the benefits, but did not stand in the way.
The
acupuncturist commenced a series of sessions during ‘quiet’ times on the
ward. Under acupuncture theory, energy
(or qi) has to flow steadily from the
inside of the body to the "superficial" body tissues of the skin,
muscles, tendons, bones and joints. Channels or ‘meridians” assist this flow.* In
Carolie’s case, the benefits were obvious as the needles stimulated reflex
responses in areas that had lain dormant.
The therapy also sought to enliven her immune system. After some 8 sessions, she asked for the
acupuncture to cease as she found certain applications painful. Needles to the
lower limb points, especially those in the feet, made her body jump at
times. She complained that the therapist
was hurting her and smiling as she did it.
In fact, she was caring and sympathetic, but Carolie was a tad confused
about what was happening and misread the signals. It was difficult for the therapist to gauge
her more nuanced responses, as her body and higher faculties had lain dormant
for over two months.
Carolie's ultimate
rejection of acupuncture was disappointing in many respects but completely
understandable. I remain convinced that I did the right thing proceeding with
the therapy – the acupuncturist advised many people wait too long to reactivate
and balance the body’s energy flows after trauma, and that her responses
were positive signs for physical recovery.
Rehabilitation
kicked off in a big way once the ‘trachy’ came out. Small teams made up of physiotherapists and
university students on work attachments ran these sessions in a small gym on
the same floor. Carolie would be
strapped into an overhead support harness and encouraged to exercise her wasted
muscles. She could barely move at the
beginning of the process. With the aid
of the apparatus, she could stand and attempt small steps. Stricken with palsy on the left side, all
movement was fraught with difficulty.
Balance
was nigh impossible without the harness, but as the days ticked over small
improvements were discernible with the help of the physiotherapists and the
student cohort. She was grittily
determined to improve and had willing partners in her ‘comeback’ venture.
Her disorientation was still apparent – she
kept referring to her student helpers as kids she had taught previously – but
her efforts to recover were courageous. For
me, seeing her stand with aids was ‘up there’ with hearing her first words - in
terms of the ‘rehab’ curve. The tunnel
light was getting brighter.
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