...and I said 'Yes Yes Yes'
4 weeks’s a long and a short time altogether. And I was longing for this retreat as much as I was dreading it. Longing for being taken care of and sweating, dreading for managing to fit in and make friends. In this first summary I will concentrate on the sweating part, the socializing stuff will be the subject of a second post.
I was in room 432: A single room with a large bay window looking onto the ocean. The bed was the same kind as you find in hospitals with the head and the foot that can be lifted up – which happens to be handy when you want to read or work on your computer. Every morning at around 7:30, the nurses would knock at each door to wake us up. Breakfast was served from 7:30 to 8:30 except on Sundays (rest days) when we could oversleep until 8-ish!
PROGRAM
I would do my physio drills every day from 8:30 to 5PM. My training focused on relearning to walk without limping, getting my amplitudes back (flexion and extension), building up my whole leg (ankle, calf, thigh and buttock), and soliciting my leg with various machines (bike, rowman, press, stepper etc). Unforgettable memories… like that time when I found myself lying on my stomach with my ankles tied to a wire netting with ropes and pulleys to make me bend my leg… Whatever happens in the CERS stays in the CERS!
DAILY SCHEDULE
My physio daily schedule was punctuated with:
- A 30 min proprioception class where I re-learnt to stand on one foot on various unbalancing devices etc.
- A one-hour balneotheraphy during which my physio pushed me to do more or less ridiculous but always efficient aquafitness drills – it turned me into the swimming pool attraction but I was consenting.
- A one-hour workout class with 30 min of core workout everyday combined with either up-body workout or cardio training.
- A 30 min electro-stimulation slot: Laure – “Hey Chloé let’s pair up for the Compex because it’s always a great laugh with you!” No kidding I jump on my chair at each pulse! Despite Kio’s efforts to get me used to it in doing overtime sessions with her private machine, I lasted 3 days: I hated it so much that I got a dispensation to stop attending.
- A 30 min appointment with my physiotherapist. She was *great*: she was very attentive but not intrusive, she took her time to tame the wild beast that I am and I’m thankful for that, she always provided me with lots of drills, she was curious enough to google me… and she saw Sexy Sushi live so she can’t be but a cool person.
Once a week I had an appointment with my doctor who would check the evolution of my leg. I also tried the psychologist and the dietician because these services were available there. But I was not really taken with that.
IMPROVEMENTS
However results were quick. Which is not surprising given the intensity: 8:30-12:00 and 14:00-17:00 from Monday to Friday + Saturday morning, i.e. 6 ½ hours/day, i.e. 36 hours/week of physical activity…
- At 2 days I started cycling
- At 4 days rowman
- At 6 days my derby armband which I used as an mp3-holder was too tight
- At 8 days I was allowed to do stepper & I cycled with the seat down low
- At 10 days I started cardio-training
- At 14 days waterbike in the pool
- At 15 days I jumped on one foot for the first time
- At 25 days I shyly started skipping rope…
…But the best one was the skating simulator on which I trained during the last 10 days! My first try let me a bitter taste because I realized I had no endurance left: 10 min and I was dead. But after two tries I was able to do 15min sessions at nearly 30 kph.
Last but not least, my final victory was to win a very special weight lifting challenge, leaving the rugby players high and dry: I am pleased to announce you that my buttocks are the part of my body that can lift the heaviest, i.e. 95 kg… and yet, we couldn’t put more weight on the machine!
The conclusions of my last appointment were rather positive: although my ligament didn’t grow back at all, my leg understands well its new dynamic pattern. I’m still lacking muscular volume and power, and it still hurts here and there from time to time, but my state is very encouraging and it’s getting better with work and time.
I’m going to the physio three times a week and I’m currently enquiring to go back to the CERS in June for a 3-week athletic training.
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You are a very impressive person - and I am happy to hear that your recovery has gone so well! :-D
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