May 26, 2022

Winnipeg
12° C, Clear

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • Community Review East
    • Community Review West
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
    • Manitoba's Top Employers
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • The Star
  • Reader BridgeNEW
  • WFP EventsNEW
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Free Press Community Review
    • All Free Press Community Review News
    • East Edition
    • West Edition
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • LifestylesNEW
    • All Lifestyles
    • Business Hub
    • Community
    • Drink & Dine
    • Life
    • Wellness
    • Whiskers & Wings
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photo and Book store
  • More

©2022 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Federal Election
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photo and Book store
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Support Faith coverage
    • Support Arts coverage
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • Community Review East
    • Community Review West

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Free Press Community Review News
    • East Edition
    • West Edition
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
The Free Press
Articles Read
Your Balance +tax
Day Pass Till
Day Pass
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Report an Error
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
    • Staff Biographies
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • Log in
    • Create Account
    • Help
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
    • My Account
    • Manage My Subscription
    • Change Password
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
Log in Create Account Contact Us
Contact Us Manage Subscription
  • Sections
  • Local
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Diversions
    • Environment
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
    • Manitoba's Top Employers
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Soccer
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • E-Edition
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Automotive
    • Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Merchandise
    • Pets
    • Real Estate
    • Rentals
    • Services
  • Lifestyles
    • Business Hub
    • Community
    • Drink & Dine
    • Life
    • Manitoba’s Top Employers
    • Wellness
    • Whiskers & Wings
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print
    • Ripley's Aquariums
    • The Bay
    • Staples Canada
    • Altitude Sports
    • Nike
    • Tuango
    • Ebay Canada
    • Sport Chek
    • Roots
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe$1.50 for 5 months
Home Opinion Analysis

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Learning to be independent, again

By: Nick Ternette
Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Save to Read Later

After nine weeks in the Health Sciences Centre, I have finally been transferred to the 5th floor of the Rehab Hospital.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 6/10/2009 (4615 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

After nine weeks in the Health Sciences Centre, I have finally been transferred to the 5th floor of the Rehab Hospital.

During my last week in hospital I was sure taken on a roller coaster ride. On the one hand, the nurses and surgeons were eager and positive about getting me moved to rehab. Yet, on the other hand, I got a visit from someone from haematology who said that both my white and red blood cell count were very low and that it was possible that cancer treatments had destroyed my bone marrow's ability to produce white blood cells altogether.

This would mean that if I were to get an infection, it would be a very serious matter. This affected my mental state a great deal. They needed to test my bone marrow (a very painful procedure), which meant waiting again for more test results. They were hopeful, however, that there would be treatment available to me and were willing to let me go over to the rehab. Whew!

During my long stay at the hospital, the staff was outstanding and the care exemplary. More often than not, it was my impatience that caused me distress.

One of the more interesting things that I have found is that not all of the nurses are actually nurses. One Filipino nurse at HSC was actually a trained doctor in the Philippines, and my rehab nurse, Anastasia, was a doctor in Russia. (Coincidentally, Anastasia comes from St. Petersburg, the city in Russia where my parents are from.)

The reason they don't practise here is because Canada doesn't recognize foreign doctors' degrees and it costs a great deal of money and time to get accredited. Most of these people have families and a home to support. You would think that, with the shortage of doctors here, we could find a more streamlined and easier way for these well-trained people to practise medicine here!

One of the first things I noticed about the rehabilitation hospital was how old it is. Much of the equipment has not been updated (for example, commodes have heavy white metal frames that are rusting, instead of plastic material) and even the floors remind me, somehow, of the 1950s.

Now the rehabilitation hospital is not really a hospital. You are expected to be quite independent there from the word go. There is a doctor in charge of my overall ward and a nurse on staff to give medications and do dressings. But the main idea behind this place is to teach you new skills for your independence. No one does anything for you -- you have to ask.

When I first came to the rehab the individual team members (physiotherapy and occupational therapy) did a thorough assessment of my abilities to transfer from wheelchair to bed, to balance using a medicine ball, and they asked me questions about my health and about my past activities. Then they prioritized a treatment plan to meet specific goals.

Occupational therapy involves transferring techniques (from wheelchair to bed, etc.), dressing, operating a power wheelchair (I've never driven a car!), measuring me for a wheelchair and cushion (cushions cost up to $600), as well as assessing me for the type of bed that will be best for me.

In regards to physiotherapy, I need to show my flexibility on a mat, balancing, lifting myself, as well as arm, wrist and hand strength. The goal is to strengthen my upper body by strengthening muscles, as well as learning transferring techniques (for example, getting back into my wheelchair if I fall on the floor).

I have physiotherapy twice a day, Monday to Friday. In the morning I join a group of other amputees for 90 minutes of stretching and strength exercises. In the afternoon I lift weights (I can now lift up to 20 pounds) and work on the hand bicycle to help build the strength in my upper body.

Occupational therapy teaches methods of doing everyday activities such as dressing, transferring from wheelchair to toilet, etc. I must say that my transferring technique is quite good and I'm pleased to note that I have been testing out a power wheelchair, which I will be receiving this week. I've done quite well driving, except in elevators.

The rehab makes you work hard. The harder you work, the faster you will gain the skills you need to live independently -- and the sooner you will go home.

Nick Ternette, community and political activist, freelance writer and broadcaster, recently had his legs amputated and his teeth pulled as a result of an infection.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund
  • The Free Press is certified by

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top