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Deb arrived at l'Arche about 14.30. As at Le Grand Luce, I’d been and chatted up the admin lady and so most of the formalities were already done. She has a nice South-facing room to herself. The place is very modern – e.g. electric remote control blinds on the windows – and by the time I’d left at 1700, Deb had been seen by a nurse taking all sorts of supplementary details, including the layout of our house, the hotelier who discussed the week’s menu and took amendments as needed to suit Deb’s palate, and the physiotherapist, who checked all her limbs and pronounced himself very pleased with the shape in which she had arrived. This hospital sees some awful cases – paraplegic etc – so a patient with a fighting chance of true fitness is obviously a joy! She will typically receive 2 physio sessions per day – so the visiting hours are a bit unusual, being 1200-1400 & 1700-2100 weekdays, 1200-2100 at weekends.

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That is wonderful news! I have just read through some of the more recent posts and I am so happy to hear how well she is doing. My thoughts are still with the both of you and will look forward to seeing Coops back posting with us ASAP.
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L’Arche is a quite different sort of place – different from any hospital environment I’ve encountered, anyway. Take lunchtime, for example. As visiting hours are 1200-1400, I quite expected to sit in Deb’s room while she ate. Wrong. Deb was wheeled down to a large refectory, where all the patients – or at least a large percentage – ate together! Imagine a large room with plenty of tables, around which are gathered, in the main, people in wheelchairs, some with limbs missing, but all talking and enjoying a communal meal – a very humanising experience for people who may have been through quite horrid times recently!

After lunch I pushed Deb around the grounds a bit – this is a big place, with big grounds and a very pleasant lake with perimeter path. Lots of trees, too. There is a basketball pitch, a football pitch, a room with archery targets – all classic stuff for getting unfit people limbered up again. Deb had had an initial session of physio in the morning, and twice a day is the expected regime. The physio building is well-equipped with physios and assistants, as well as all manner of the usual kit. There is an interesting debate about painkillers – which, remarkably, Deb has not taken in 6 weeks, since shortly after she woke up in Rouen. It is possible that the right knee might yield more movement sooner if Deb had an artificially-high pain threshold, so she may be encouraged to take the tablet before a session.

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Travel is no longer the immense issue it was for the first five weeks, i.e. when Deb was in Rouen. That was 120 miles, so 240 per round trip. Mixed D roads, N roads and Autoroute. Quite challenging. Le Grand Luce was much closer - 32 miles, and while it took 45 minutes, the roads were quiet and rather pretty in the Autumn colours, although a couple of villages with evil priorites-a-droit were a bit boring, needing too much vigilance for comfort. Now St Saturnin is 28 miles and 41 minutes via the main road, but can be reached via prettier cross-country routes as well. Darker evenings from tomorrow will inform my decisions on evening visits - fair weather is ok via the back roads, wet or frosty weather is not.
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Deb has gained a little independence this week by being given a wheelchair that has a sort of paddle affair that she can use to get about, without needing a push everywhere. The chair she had before had those big hand grips outside the wheels, of course, but when you only have one hand that works, you tend not to do much but move in circles! The new one - it's anything but new, actually, but still a step up - has a sort of gear lever, enabling Deb to go forward, back, or into neutral for when a pusher is available.

I've been attending for lunch this week. Deb cannot cut up meat or anything like that, so I've been pleased to be doing that, tearing up her bread roll etc. Yes, there are helpers who'd willingly do it in my absence. Deb is a somewhat fussy eater, so I've been offered all sorts of starters and other bits she didn't fancy - even though she'd had a chance to opt for foods that suit her better, some stuff still isn't to her taste. Embarrassingly, the staff, seeing me helping her out, have on every occasion provided me with a spare meal if one was available! Warm and generous people are all around, and being English is no bar to their kindness.

Today Deb has other visitors at lunchtime, then a mature English couple are visiting for the weekend, bringing Deb's mum with them, so I have the chance of a few days off - very welcome. They are also bringing the replacement balance of the horsefeed that got destroyed in the crash, so that will ease feeding problems. French horse-owners only seem interested in buying the dobbin equivalent of rocket fuel! It kinda makes sense in a land where horses are eaten - the sort of retirement our two enjoy is simply less common here!

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Very glad things are looking up and the journey is alot easier for yourself.  As regards food are you allowed to prepare and take in something from home? Just a thought as my Mother was able to do this when Pa was in resident pysio here and fancied something a bit tastier than the bland (his words) offerings.  Just that she may appreciate some of her favourite food cooked the way she's used to. (Mum was also able to reheat in a microwave provided by them).  
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[quote user="cooperlola2"]

The chair she had before had those big hand grips outside the wheels, of course, but when you only have one hand that works, you tend not to do much but move in circles!

[/quote]

This has given me a mental image of Debs that will keep me smiling all weekend now!!  [:D]

It's so good to keep hearing about her constant progress.

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...and the image that came up for me with that sentence, was of a goldfish in a round bowl, swimming faster and faster and hankering for a more appropriate home, which is coming but taking its time.... You could almost feel the energy burst out of that one sentence...
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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote user="Dick Smith"]Is she taking a racing line around the corridors yet?
[/quote]I try for the racing line at all times!

My (male, cute) nurse has just connectedmy laptop to the internet so for the first time since before the accident, I'm able to begin to catch up.  Thanks so much for all your kind and touching messages of support, both cyber and otherwise.  Having been out of action for so long and still having trouble getting my right hand to write and type, it's going to take a while to get up to date but rest assured your kindness is much appreciated by both of us.[kiss][kiss][kiss]

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YESSSSSS!

There she is!

Oh Coops, it's lovely to imagine you able to use the computer. You are SO welcome back! Wonderful that you are making progress, even if it is only slow, and one-handed for the moment.

I'd better log off as I'm sure many people want to talk to you.

XXX

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[quote user="cooperlola"]

Having been out of action for so long and still having trouble getting my right hand to write and type, it's going to take a while to get up to date ...[/quote]

How lovely to see that you are back - it is such wonderful news. We have been kept up to date very well so far by your conscientious OH, but is great to hear from you in person.

Hoping that all continues to go well with the physio.

Bon courage.

Sue [:D][:D]

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Oh, Coops, you are back amongst us.  It seems like some sort of miracle to have you back so soon.  And I was resigned to having to wait months for your return.

This is wonderful!  Pity, I'm on the waggon or I'll definitely be raising a glass or two.  Just have to be a virtual drink then [B]

Keep well and keep improving!

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