Ich bin eine Berlinerin

After a three-month break that turned into a five-month break in Bordeaux, having left our Parisian appartment in early May, we have finally reached our final destination and our new home for a while: BERLIN.

HOW DID WE COME TO THAT?

A wind of change had been blowing on us for some time and we finally yielded to it earlier this year, feeling it was time for new adventures. At first we had set our minds on Montréal but it proved to be a bit tricky and quite a huge move for a first home out of France. Indeed I'm used to travel a lot around the globe, but I'd always had a French pied-à-terre -- until now.

Then I had a conversation that aroused my attention during my trip to the 2013 Eroc... Thinking it over and together with Wonka (and Deven the cat) we found that it was an excellent compromise, not too far but not too close, a little exotic but not too much, new but known... and we immediately launched our organization program:

If I could turn back time

2012 has been the stage of an unprecedented act in my life. I am glad to close it, almost 13 months to the day after the accident, a few hours before celebrating 2013.

13 months later... Epilogue.

Indeed I am just out of my last rehab stay: three weeks in the same European rehab resort for injured sportspeople (Dec. 10-29). Paradise. An exhausting paradise, though. All in all, I spent 11 weeks in that heavenly hospital, i.e. 3 full months, punctuated with immersions into real life.

Throughout the year, I relearnt to stand on my two feet, relearnt to walk, relearnt to run, jump, land, relearnt to juke, change directions, speed up and slow down, relearnt to cycle and skate...

I had to re-mobilize the whole leg, get back amplitudes (stretching/flexing), build muscle back...

The final exam is pretty encouraging. I am in the clear and it is still improving: the traumatism is still fresh!

My legs are the same size (which was still not the case one month ago) and almost the same shape, the knee is still loose but the stop is clear (means that the ligament actually grew back although not as tight as before), I got back all my strength (still less endurant and tonic) and almost all my amplitudes (still a bit rusty on the flexing). But I have the green light to work on that and do whatever I want.

Gonna miss the view...

My room.

Single room with balcony and bay window onto the ocean.

Sunset at 5-ish just when I finished my classes.

Seriously, would shower with the door open to admire the view!

...and the atmosphere

...and the people

...and the working like mad

...and the food

Derby Presentation for Gumbies

I am back in the CERS for my third and last stay. Like last time, I was asked to do a presentation of my sport in order to make the patients discover new disciplines. But this time, I had taken the time to structure it and make a powerpoint.

The presentation dealt with roller derby and slalom skating and how/where they are situated in the French skating scene. I am sharing it here... Note: most of the facts are simplified to be clearer, I know that some details given below are not exact but the main point is to make laypeople get acquainted.

First French WSSA Freestyle Judge Training

This weekend, on the 15-16 dec. 2012, I ran a Judge Training.

Yeah... Alright.

That judge training included

a couple of FIRSTS.

1. First skatecross judge training
2. First battle judge training in France
3. First French training based on the WSSA model

Ever.

How awesome is that?

Socially and politically, it is a big step in the world of French Freestyle!

K-Tape Experiment

Today, I had my knee k-taped.

These elastic tapes come from Japan and are the new trend! Indeed, not only are they multipurpose: useful to reduce swelling and bruises, stimulate or relax muscles, stabilize joints... but they are also catchy and fun as they exist in tons of colors.

The first time I was introduced to those flashy stripes was during the Roller Derby World Cup in Toronto, as k-tape was heavily used by the physiotherapists, especially that of Team USA. Which was a good point for us (Team France) because the tapes were also matching our colors... given that we were in red and blue like the Americans!
It was misleading, by the way. Once, a spectator asked me when *we* were playing... Dude, do you really care that much about Team France or did you just mistake me for a member of Team USA? Victim, but proud.

The second time I met the k-tapes was in my rehab center where they are also used a lot, especially to reduce bruises of post-surgery patients: put without being stretched, they make folds on the skin, which helps lymphatic flow. It WORKS.

I was taped during my second stay in rehab because I had periosistis on both my legs. It is meant to work well on tendonitis and all, but I must say that, apart from reminding me that I had to keep it easy thanks to the flashy yellow and blue colors on my shins, it did not help much.

FMyLife #9: Merry Christmas!

YAY!

Have ALL my authorizations for my third rehab stay!

Too good to be true.

Am facing a dilemma:

1. Entering December 10th and missing Christmas.
2. Entering December 26th and missing New Year's Eve.

Yet, am allowed to take one night out for Xmas.

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!

RELATED ARTICLES

• FMyLife #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #8
• News of my knee for nosey people
• They tried to make me go to rehab... 
• The CERS strikes back but I will survive!

FMyLife #8

-- Last and (hopefully) final episode of a loooong headbanging story: Validating my third stay in rehab!

By the way, when I talk about rehab, I mean physiotherapy! I clarify it here because it put me into funny situations. Like that time when the organizer of the World Freestyle Skating Championships confessed to me that she had been quite shocked to learn about my rehab adventures: she had understood alcohol and drugs. FYI I judged 90% of the competition...

In my last FMyLife post about it, I recounted the episode of the phone call to my insurance when they innocently asked me if I wanted an official paper vouching for the tacit agreement of their medical control.

I was naive enough to assume that my days of fighting were finally over.

Chapter #1: The Downward Spiral.

Last week, the medical control called me again and told me that:

"Hi... err... I was calling to tell you that the operator who anounced you that your file was validated... well, she misinterpreted the data on her computer. It is just said that the medical control saw your request. Not that they agreed to it. But here's their number, so call them maybe."

Alright. Here we go again.

It's a Long Way to the Top...

... if you want to rock'n roll. 

That's

(my version of)

the slogan of the CERS:

Bringing sportspeople

"BACK TO THE TOP". 

Put together, I've spent two months in that rehab center in the last 7 months. I cannot say that I am the worst off given the surroundings, the care, the food...
Everything is made for you to unplug your brain and concentrate on the improvement of your body.

I arranged things to come to that second stay with my friend Lynda whom I met during my first stay.

For the record it was close to being a disaster -- last fright of the real life: we almost missed our train! Stress, hubdub, hurrying up and... *SWOOSH* we plunged into a soundproof bubble. Alone in the world, nothing from the outside can reach you in there.

The CERS strikes back but I will survive!

Wow you are spoilt today, two puns in one headline!

You must have concluded that:

Yes I'm back in the CERS* !! and Yes it is no picnic...

Note: Strangely enough, this is the second tribute I pay to a freshly dead black female singer in a CERS article. Not on purpose. First Whitney, now Gloria. Should definitely stop going to that place!


 

After 4 weeks spent in February, I signed again. I am in the room next to my previous one: I don't have the amazing view onto the ocean (I mean, I cannot contemplate it when I am lying in my bed) but I can see the training field, which proves to be very useful to check if the weightbearing class has started!

In February, I had program number 2.

Now I have upgraded to number 3, the last stage!

There are three main threads in the center, according to if you are in post-surgery (level 1), semi-strenghtening (level 2) or re-athletisation (level 3). Your doctor puts you in one of the three categories, individualizes your program and adapts it to your special needs. I am *so* glad I have been given the same medical team as last time!

They tried to make me go to rehab...

...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!