Posted 2018-11-01T22:06:52Z

Three, two, one.........

Well, it's official: yesterday was my last day of out-patient rehab. I was given another certificate attesting to my diligence over the past six weeks and am now a member of the fraternity of Shepherd alumni. The last week and a half since my last post were spent honing the skills described in previous posts, and I'm happy to say that the depression transfer has finally clicked for me. It isn't 100% reliable, but when it happens it's a thing of beauty: head drops low in the opposite direction, extension of the near arm/shoulder/back followed by liftoff of the pelvis coupled with a pivot toward the landing zone. The physics of why it works still eludes me, but I'm okay with that. It's allowed me to get up from low couches, ascend the distance between my w/c and the seat of an SUV, and to boardlessly transfer to and from the toilet, shower and bed. So, yeah, I'm kinda stoked.

I was also given another opportunity to take one more outing on the hand cycle. It was a cold afternoon last week as three patients and four staff boarded a van to drive the short distance to the nearest section of the Beltline. We were strapped in to our cycles, and off we went over very pretty, gently rolling terrain, also in use by runners, walkers, rollerbladers, dog walkers, and other cyclists. I lagged behind, not because the other two were younger and faster, mind you, but just to savor the experience. As I crested the top of a short hill carrying speed from the prior downhill, I came upon a curve in the trail that was unsuited to the turning radius of my cycle given its speed. I attempted to brake, but I could tell it just wasn't going to be sufficient to keep me from running off the trail toward a steep bank that dropped off into a dry creek bed. Much to the chagrin of the recreational therapist just behind me assigned to keep me alive, as soon as I ran off the trail I leaned hard to the right and tipped my cycle onto its side, coming to rest a few feet shy of the drop off. No injuries to either the cycle or me, but the recreational therapist had to be taken to the ER for treatment of a heart attack (not really). Word got around the gym about this very minor mishap, prompting head shakes and "tsk tsk"s from the staff and head nods and "Dude!"s from the adolescent males. What can I say?

Another notable event was the staging of a mock clinic with fake patients. Thanks to my partners (Heather and David Morgan) they were prepared with realistic diagnoses and case histories. I examined and spoke with these pretenders as though they were real patients, and observed myself slipping back into a way of thinking and speaking I hadn't observed for nearly four months. Unsurprising, I suppose, given that I've been practicing for 29 years, but still very reassuring. Thanks to this exercise I now feel more confident than ever that I am ready to return to practice, doing what I love doing. The tentative plan is for me to return to work during the second week of November in a very part-time capacity, and to gradually ramp up to full time by the end of the year.

I can't emphasize enough how my progress would have been compromised without Nancy here by my side throughout this adventure. It's because of her that we came to Shepherd, but it's been her unwavering presence, attention to the details of my care and wellbeing, and hard work with the mundane tasks of keeping me clean, fed and clothed that have made all the difference in my recovery. I am so lucky to have her.

II'll admit that it's a bit daunting to be leaving a place where people in wheelchairs is the norm, and where everything is set up in a way that makes life easy for us. It's hard to imagine life outside of this protective cocoon where I've resided for the past three months, but it does now feel as if I'm ready to leave and put into practice what I've learned. I know that I don't have it all down perfect, but do feel that the time has come for me to move on and resume my life back home. I've been told that the transition can be jarring, but feel confident that I'm as prepared as I can be. Thanks to all who have reached out with offers of help; don't be surprised if we take you up on it over the coming weeks.

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Robert Kyler 48 Comments

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