I read an article today that talked about throwing a peddle into a quiet pond and watching the ripple effect. Our small acts of change towards a life of health and wellness will make all the difference beyond our immediate circumstances, just as the ripples in a quiet pond turn into larger ripples.
I received a call from a good friend this week. She had a tragic fall off the edge of her tub almost two years ago. She jumped up on the edge of the tub to grab something, as she was jumping off backwards to the ground, she caught her foot and landed flat on her back with the back of her head hitting the tile floor. She was immobilized for a few minutes, she was not sure if she lost consciousness, but her head was throbbing.
My friend did not go see a doctor. She is a very athletic person, always exercising, eating good food and taking care of her family. As she got herself up off of the floor, she decided to just push through thinking it would get better.
Her situation unfortunately did not get better. It declined and she was unable to function the way she needed to in order to take care of her own needs, let alone her family. She asked family, friends and neighbors to suggest whom she might go see to get the help she needed to feel “normal” again.
She had massages, went to a chiropractor, slept a lot, tried not to exercise, then finally, she went to see a specialist. She spent $10,000 and stayed a week as they took a MRI, tested her strength and cognitive abilities. After the week of intense therapy, she could once again play the piano and function.
As the months have passed by, she is once again struggling with fatigue, headaches, numbness in her upper extremities and feeling depressed. She contacted me and the following was my instructions to her.
I have several questions I asked my friend:
- What advice and guidelines were given to her?
- Did she follow the advice and guidelines?
- Did someone give her a time frame of the recovery period for such a head injury?
- Is she willing to change her lifestyle in order to heal?
I recommended that she give up her weight lifting, running, water and snow skiing for a period of time to allow her head to heal. She said she had gone water skiing during the past summer and felt she had re-injured her head. I have no doubt that she did. Hitting the water at the speed a boat must go to keep a person up water skiing is fast, and hitting the water can be like hitting cement.
She wants to get better; she just has not wanted to do the many things that are vital to have as close to full recovery as possible. She will now have to sacrifice those things that have brought her enjoyment and fun; replace them with a quieter lifestyle and see where this road takes her.
Almost two years later my friend will do yoga to stretch, she will be in bed as close to 10:00 pm as possible and she will take naps during the day. She has now received assistance with the laundry and other chores in the house. She will take walks, sit and relax and continue to eat good food. She will also connect with a good healthcare provider who can monitor her progress and give medical advice as needed. Most importantly, she along with her family will graciously accept her limitations, embrace the quieter lifestyle and learn from it. The outcome of this simple step could be the biggest adjustment with the greatest reward.
Just like the pebble into the quiet pond, these requests seem so unimportant when considering her circumstances. But the ripple effect of these simple steps will give her brain the rest it needs to heal.
She is now taking control of this tragic situation, understanding it, receiving instructions and hopefully following the counsel given her to a better life of health and wellness.
