Time flies

Time flies, tomorow is my 6 week check up in the hospital (AMC).
The 6 weeks since my surgery went by fast and that's a good thing because it isn't the best period.
The past 6 weeks where pretty much all about resting, I wasn't allowed to stand on my leg or walk, I had to keep my foot up all the time. My ankle was and is pretty painfull and swelling still is an issue.
Surgery is a big deal! and an energy drain, I really can't understand people who would do it just to be more beautifull. I've had my fair share of surgery and I never want to do it again, well I said that before ;-) In 2007 I've had  knee surgery 3 times in just 1 year, that wasn't my best year.
If all is well tomorow I'll be allowed to start walking again, just short distances with crutches, I'm really looking forward to that, I miss walking (and skiing but that will have to wait a little longer).

I allready started physio but since I had to keep my foot up all the time we just did upper body training and some core, but when you are in a wheelchair you'll get plenty of upper body training...
I wanted to train my good leg, and hopefully I can start that again next week, because even my good and strong leg is getting weak from chilling in the wheelchair all day, it's lazy.
Last week I really wanted to try some one legged cycling so I just did it.

I had the VIVA 400 diner thursday night, that was great! I met a lot of inspiring women in a lot of different fields. The downside was that I got a parking ticket, apparantly Amsterdam recently changed the rules of parking with a disabled parking card, I didn't know, because everywhere else you can still parc for free. 

I knew I was almost out of gas but I saw a gas station on my way in and I figured out I could get gas on my way back, well I was wrong they where closed. And there was no gas station on the highway for a long time, well I got really nervous, luckely I remembered a gas station near my physio in Amsterdam south, I got off the highway, hoping it was still open and I got lucky, in my tank was only gas left for about 5 km...

I got home safe but late and I was tired but it was a great night!

I've to sleep with this cast to keep my kneecap in place, since my muscles arent able to do that.

Friday night my brother got robbed, that was really scary because the guy used a knife! Luckely my brother is such a calm person, and nothing happened. The guy took everything his phone, his wallet.

Yesterday was an easy day I helped my brother figuring everything out, luckely he blocked his banccard that night and he allready had given his statement to the police.

He helped me out whit my dishes, he put them in the dishwasher at his house, doing the dishes is a problem with a broken leg which you can't stand on. We had diner together with our sister.

Today is an other easy day, doing my laundry and some studying, getting kind of nervous for tomorow, I've my fingers crossed for good news.

This video is amazing!

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1942994

Interview

In the end of July I had a little interview whit TKMST magazine, that's a magazine for kids in the last grades of highschool.
The interview was about combining my study, medschool, with my passion, skiracing.
The magazine was released this week.
I also had a photoshoot for the magazine and now I'm allowed to publish the pictures here!
The interview is in dutch.

(als je er op klikt kan je hem vergroten)

And here are a few pictures from the photoshoot.

Last night I had a diner party of the VIVA 400, that's a list with 400 young succesfull women in different categories, I'm still a little surprised that I made the list but here is the proof. (that's in Dutch to)

The season has started

The ski season has started! This weekend I enjoyed watching the first Giant Slalom races of the new worldcup season. Unfortunately the second run of the men's race was canceled. The good news is that it's snowing in the Alps, yeah winter is here. My team is now training in Pitztal and they have some sweet conditions.

Oh I wish I was there with them..... But in the mean time I made myself usefull by studying real hard.

I was studying for my exam trauma and I kept my foot up. Trauma was a great course I loved it it was exciting. We learned about fractures, how the different types occur and how to treat them. We learned about drowning, burns, hypothermia and BIG accidents. Critical trauma care is pretty much ABCDE, that's all you need to know ;-). A is for airway, check if the airway is free en secure the cervical spine. B is breathing is the patient breathing if not, do something about it. C circulation and haemorrhage control is the patient bleeding if so do something about it! D disability check the neuro status of the patient, is he in a coma? does he have paralysis? E exposure and enviroment, check the whole patient but make sure he doesn't get hypothermia and find out what kind of accident it was, what happened?

Most important, treat first what kills first.

And I was pretty good whit trauma care, I did good on my exam I probably have a 9 (out of 10). I should becomme a trauma surgeon, that would be great, but I guess they don't want a trauma surgeon with a limp.

Yesterday night I went to the movies with my sister. We decided we didn't want to go to the dirty old movie theaters over here in Leiden so we went to a big movie theater in Scheveningen. Driving to Scheveningen took a litlle longer than we expected, so we missed the beginning of eat pray love. But it was a good movie, we loved it and it was fun hanging out whit my sister. She was so busy last year that there wasn't that much time to hang out.

My ankle is a bit of a pain in the ass not doing what it's suposed to, like get better. My last control X-ray was a while ago so I don't know how the bone is doing but the circulation is still pretty bad and it is still hurting big time. 

My toes are getting purple every time I have my foot down.

This recovery needs a lot of patience! 

Next week I've school, I've a course about genes I think it's going to be a boring course, I've physio still working hard on my recovery and I've a diner party on thursday.

I made on some kind of list of a magazine (viva) about 400 successfull women and I'm invited for the party thursday, that should be fun.

Wiggling my toes

A little over a week ago I was finaly able to wiggle my toes again, it looks like a small acomplishment but it was a big deal for me. Since my leg is in a cast and the rest of the leg is paralyzed (I can't move it but I've normal feeling) due to muscle weakness that's about the only part I can move. I should have been able to wiggle my toes a lot earlyer, day(s) after surgery but due to the immense swelling that wasn't possible, so it was a good sign that the swelling is finaly going down. Well this says it all, I'm behind on recovery schedule and there's nothing I can do about it, accept for maybe taking more rest, it sucks!
The team leaves for Pitztal (Austria) this thursday and I was suposed to go with them, but now I'm staying home and I know there will be other camps but I really wanted to go.


My sister and some other students spend a year working and planning for a big symposium it's called the 'veerstichting' symposium and it took place thursday and friday october 7 and 8. They did a good job it was a great symposium, 250 students meeting 250 working people, and some great keynote speakers. I guess these type of things are more for law students or political sience students then for medical students, at time I felt a bit dumb especially with the topic capitalism. But these where a great two days and I learned a lot.
That week was my first week back in school since my surgery, so I was really tired that weekend but glad I was back on track.


Friday october 8 I had an appointment in the hospital again. They took some X-rays and I got a new cast. The doctor was happy that I was able to wiggle my toes again, finally, he said that, that was taking a bit long. The X-rays showed that the bones are still good in place, he said;  'ok everything is in place now they have to start to grow back together', that's taking a bit longer as well.
Because of the muscle weakness the blood circulation in my leg is not good, that slows the process. And besides that the fracture's where a bit damaged because I walked on them for two weeks.
The next appointment is in 2 weeks (november 1) and I hope to have some better news by then.


That night I had a theme party with my sorority, so we dressed up like big slut's and had a lot of fun.
The theme was 'oh oh Cherso' that's a populair tv show over here, a lot like Jersey Shore.
Some of the girls where dressed up as the men from the show especially as 'sterretje'

Last week was a busy week in school and with physio, working hard on my recovery and trying to get fit again. Yesterday night I had a housewarming party at my friend Jet's place in the Hague, it was a great party but sitting in a wheelchair with my leg up and people walking in to my leg is a bit of a party mood killer.

Next friday I've the exam from the course trauma so I've to do a lot of studying this week and physio offcourse.

The road to recovery

Today last year was my first time back on ski's since my leg got screwed up. I wasn't sure I was able to do it, but I thought I can at least try. I was a little bit scared didn't know how my leg would react, but as soon as I started my body just knew what to do, it was amazing. By the second training I was carving again and from that point I got better and better fast. By January I was back in the gates, in June we had a training with the national adaptive skiteam and I was good enough to get invited and train with them over the summer, in the development program. That first day last year was great, I was so happy and excited the rest of the day it was like I was glowing. During my long recovery, learning how to walk with my orthesis and how to use a wheelchair, I never thought I would be able to ski again but secretly I hoped. Everybody thought I was crazy for trying and told me I would never be able to do it, but they told me I would never get out of the wheelchair as well and I made that happen.

this picture is from the clubtraining of my skiclub; snowsports academy racing last july everybody got dressed up for this last training before the holiday. I was a 'skiing doctor'.

I learned how to sitski last december, that was fun.

This recovery is on so many levels different from last, I know I will get back on my ski's, the question is when and not will. I'm sure it will get better and I will be fine but it still is frustrating, I was really looking forward to start the races again and to go on training camps with the team. 

At first I felt weak because I got an injury during the summer training, now I know I'm not weak I had some serious fractures and walked and skied with that for two weeks before I asked for help, that's not weak that's tough and stupid. And because I did that my ankle was in bad shape before surgery.

When I got home from the hospital I was pretty helpless and because I live by myself I had to do everything on my own. That was hard the first day or two, but last weekend I got the hang of it and I was fine, it was a good weekend and I didn't had to much pain, I felt I started my road to recovery.

Sunday night the pain started I was in so much pain I wasn't able to sleep, monday afternoon the hospital called and asked how I was doing, I told that I had a good weekend but that the pain got worse last night. The lady asked me if I had a fever, I said I didn't know but that I would check that, she asked me to call back if I had a fever. I checked and yes indeed I was running a fever, so I called and got a doctor on the phone he told me I had to come to the ER and so I did. It was 4 pm when I left home and offcourse there was a traffic jam. 

In the ER they checked my blood for an infection and they cut my cast off to see if my wound was infected, there was no sign of an infection, I got a new cast and was allowed to go home but I had to come back the next day. Offcourse there was a traffic jam on my way home. Well tuesday was pretty much the same storry, no sign of an infection but still a fever and a lot of pain so I had to come back friday.

Wednesday morning I had a big test, all med students have to take this test 4 times every year. This test has 200 multiple choice questions, the first year students get the same test as the sixth year students but every time  you have to get a higher score to pass. I wasn't sure how I would do on the test, I use to get pretty high scores but with all the pain medication and the recent narcosis, concentration is a bit of a problem. But I guess I did fine, probably good enough to pass but no high score.

In the afternoon I had physio, I was pretty excited about starting physio because it feels like really starting the recovery, starting to do something. I'm not allowed to do anything with my leg for six weeks so we did some core stability, just getting fit again will probably make me feel a lot better. Getting surgery is such an energy drain.

Friday it was time to go to the AMC again, new cast again and they removed the stitches. When they where puting my new cast on they accidentely dropped my foot and since I've no muscles to hold it up or compensate it fell pretty hard and hit the table-bed, well that hurted big time, and I allready was in pain. I had blisters on my foot because of all the fluid from the swelling, but they are getting better. I Still had a fever and they told me that I have a fever because my body is working hard to recover.

Friday night I had my cousins house warming party, it was a fun party but I was tired and in pain so I wasn't able to enjoy it and left quick, I guess it was to soon. 

with my cousin Saskia

My ankle is still verry painfull and I still have a fever so I'm just taking it easy I have to keep my foot up with a lot of pillows, a pillow mountain ;-)

The everyday chores around the house are getting easy again everything accept for the dishes and cleaning but       that's ok. Next week I'm going back to school we are starting the course trauma, that should be fun and a lot about fractures. Next friday I have to go to the AMC again and I've physio next week.

The road to recovery is one with ups and downs, I have faith it will get better soon!