It was just before the seizure happened that we had decided to start with “Rehab Robotics”. This meant that now, apart from conventional rehab, robots were going to help me in my recovery process. Exciting, right?
So, here is what was going to happen – I was to be hung from a harness while my legs were to be strapped on to robotic legs. The machine would move my legs for the action of walking while me being on a treadmill. This was mainly to get movement and coordination back in my lower limbs. While doing so it would measure the amount of effort being put by each of my legs on their own, as well as provide real-time statistics and graphs. Plus, it even made this entire exercise fun by combining it with a video game! I think it is fair to say, that was a neat piece of tech! Due to my robotics sessions, I gained the new nickname of “Transformer”.
In arm robotics, the robotic arm would be attached to my entire left arm with sensors at each of the major joints. The sensors’ feedback would be used to play games! The arm robotics was aimed at improving my range of movements and strength of my major arm muscles covering the major joints.
Even though we thought, and somehow correlated stress caused by extensive conventional rehab and robotic rehab, coupled with performance anxiety as a plausible reason for my seizure, we did not wait for too long after my exit from the ICU to restart – such a stubborn family! We were extremely eager to get back to our rehab routine.
Amid all this, there was some excitement tingling in the air, of which I had no idea (preparations being made, phone calls, etc.). Then, almost suddenly out of nowhere, my classmate and close friend came to visit me in Mumbai!! And let me tell you this, he did not fly from Dubai to Mumbai for no reason, folks. He (quite literally) brought a suitcase full of gifts sent by my classmates and friends from Dubai into my hospital room. It was as if he brought all of those amazing people with him in that little cabin baggage. Imagine my excitement on seeing my friend from Dubai here in Mumbai, flying all the way just to see me! I was excited beyond measure just to see him, and then he started to open the suitcase later during his stay, my happiness knew no bounds!! All the gifts were sent by my friends on the occasion of my 17th birthday. Unknown to me, as I did not regain the sense of time and days, it was already nearing. He revealed gift upon gift at every passing day. The countdown to my birthday couldn’t get any better than this. Each day, a new surprise! He was also using these gifts as an incentive for me to start talking again. Each gift would only be revealed if I spoke first, and not only just speak but also reach the day’s quota of 10,20,30… words. This was one technique that even beat food as an incentive! It was almost like we were on treasure island.He stayed with me all day for all of the three days that he stayed in Mumbai, despite the fact that this was his very first time in Mumbai – and the only place he visited was the hospital. He accompanied me to all my physio sessions, saw how difficult I was in my childish state and has experienced a lot of what I have written in my logs first-hand. And this was being planned by my family, who saw a slight dip in my recovery, discreetly for last several weeks, in midst of all the difficulties of my recovery, to boost it back on track.
My mind was in an insane rush of emotions. I daresay that although I have never shed a tear during my entire hospital episode, at that one moment I had to, with supreme effort, hold myself back from letting the floodgates open. I could not have asked for anything better, it gave me such an insane boost of energy and morale that I was sure that nothing would hold me back from recovering and getting back to normal now! Exactly what every doctor should prescribe!
But the story doesn’t end here folks. My friend had begun the countdown for a 17th birthday that would be unforgettable…. More in log 14 🙂
Yay! Goodies!!🤩