Les Maskell

 

I soon found myself in the Nambour General Hospital, where, apart from being given fifteen litres of a liquid Intravenously, which I was told would hopefully coat my now exposed nerve endings, plus two kidney biopsies, (unfortunately, the first one was not good enough) and I was hospitalized for the following three weeks, until I was transferred to Eden Rehabilitation Centre at Cooroy, in almost a completely useless state, unable to use my feet and legs or my arms and hands at all.

As soon as I arrived there, I made a dramatic entrance because I actually slipped off the bed, due to the slippery surface of the bedspread, however, no harm was done, and the staff soon picked me up again, ( but now with bedrails in place) and I guess I wondered what was next!

I didn’t have to wait very long though because although the bedrails were up, I managed to slither down to the end of the bed where there was a gap between the rails and the end of the bed, - just enough to allow me to fall out of bed once more, much to the horror of the nurse who heard the thump of me landing on the floor. She thought I had managed to climb over the top of the rails somehow, and gave me a lecture on the damage I could do if I had crashed through the large glass sliding doors which were about a couple of feet away from my bed, but luckily, once again no damage as done, and I was lifted back to bed. During this time, I was taking a variety of pills and medication, and these were being very closely monitored by the medical staff, who were just marvelous, although I felt some were unaware of the serious condition I was in, because they treated me as if I was quite healthy, (looked O.K. so why would’nt they) however, it was when I graduated to a wheelchair I found a new interest in some staff members, which was to continue as the weeks passed by, and I managed to move on to a rollator to get about, and then a four wheel walker, which seemed to be so unstable after using the former equipment, however, although I can still hear the Physio’s shouting out “Stand up straight Les!” “Take smaller steps Les”.

I was actually walking once again, and quite frankly, I didn’t give a stuff what they said, I was simply so happy that I could do anything at all!

To get to this stage was no easy matter, and apart from medication that changed from time to time, the daily physical excersise, as well as the occupational therapy sessions, gradually increased my strength, and I found I was able to do small things for myself, such as holding a cup without dropping it, or undoing my watchband, or doing up buttons, even to the stage where I was able to shower myself once again, and not having to be supervised by anybody! My wife Jennifer, was just marvelous throughout all this, and apart from visiting me every day, she would take me out in the car whenever possible as I recovered.