The true, winding path of progress

This week in Plastics Ward Room #3, I’ve been clocking up some new milestones and capabilities, such as “can now breathe through mouth”, “can stand up unaided” and “can speak words”.

These milestones are eagerly anticipated among the staff, discussed in morning meetings and passed along the grapevine with proud satisfaction by my doctors and nurses. “I heard that you can cough now!” and even: “Rose told me you’ve been passing wind! Lots? Excellent!”

Here are my key points of progression this week:

• Can now breath through mouth

• Can cough

• First bowel movement (earnestly anticipated by all staff and patient alike)

• Decannulated - Removal of Tracheostomy artificial breathing device

• Walked a lap of the Ward unaided

• Can now swallow water myself, safely

• Talking using words (English, and a few words of Italian with Dr Di Bartolo)

These are simple functions but crucial victories. I want to record them here to remind myself how much I appreciate being able to do what I do, and the concerted effort that has gone in from so many people to enable me to keep moving ahead.

That said, I don’t want to gloss the story. The truth, as with all of life, is that progress doesn’t go in a straight line. It zigs and it zags. One day I was smugly celebrating a personal bowel moment; and on the next day, I was choking on 2ml of water in an undignified panic in front of a posse of doctors and nurses, frantically thinking: How do I cough? How do I cough?

On Sunday, I was happily having a morning stretch and a wash-down; the very next minute I was collapsed on the toilet with 5 different doctors and nurses barking urgently “Keep breathing!, “Look in my my eyes!” “Keep breathing!”, “Can you feel my hand?”

Times like that can be challenging and have left me (and the medical team) analysing: what factors led to that? What clever alternatives could we try, instead?

In the end, the solution is plain old Persistence. Simply pushing along what is the true path of progress, through all its zigs and its zags. The victories are sweeter for it. Or in my case, smellier.

First hike around the Plastics Ward, unaided and tracked on GPS. The stats don’t lie.