One week down, two more to go

It’s been almost three weeks now since my surgery and I definitely feel better, not healed completely, but much better! I even drove my car yesterday for the first time! Only 19 days post op!!

Reception desk

I live in "Klinik 2"

Floor "E" lounge area

I survived my first week in this German rehab facility and I’m so thankful that I get to go home on the weekends; I doubt it would be as easy if I had to stay here the whole three weeks. Although, my girlfriends were going to come visit me it that was the case and we would have had a blast. 

My room is on the other side

This way to the Cafe

Outside seating for Cafe

Small Shop/Cafe

Inside seating 4 coffee & cake

Beer, Wine, Cake, Coffee all sold here

Ice cream too

Fachkliniken Hohenurach is a very nice facility with plenty of walking trails and a babbling brook. One can spot numerous flowers, squirrels, and plenty of birds while walking around outside. The patient rooms are spacious and each have a private bathroom and balcony with a lawn chair and clothes rack. There is a TV,  mini fridge, plenty of closet space, and a pretty comfortable bed with a remote for easy adjusting.

Room Key (Schlüssel)

I'm in room "303"

View from my balcony

Even the food here is delicious and there are four menu options each day for lunch (auf Deutsch= Mittagessen) with one being a vegetarian option. Breakfast (auf Deutsch: Frühstück) and dinner (auf Deutsch: Abendessen) are usually the same light meals: breads, meats, cheeses. The only complaint I have with breakfast and dinner is the time schedule:

Frühstück-7:00 Uhr- 8:30 Uhr

Mittag- 11:30 Uhr- 13:30 Uhr

Abend 1- 17:00 Uhr- 18:00 Uhr

Abend 2- 17:30 Uhr-18:15 Uhr

Dining Room II where I eat

Dining I & Breakfast Room

I was given "Abend 2" so I get to eat dinner between 5:30 and 6:15pm and sometimes my therapy runs into this time which sucks because I am picky about my meats and cheeses. I'm not a huge fan of German meats and I don't like cheese with spices in them so I try to get to dinner as early as possible. Lunch isn't a huge deal because there is always soup and salad and your meal option is served to you. I've skipped breakfast every morning, it's too early and sometimes my therapy begins at 7:45am. I have some granola bars and beef jerky in my room if I get hungry before lunch.

This way to "Therapy"

Therapy on second floor

Building where I have PT

Therapy

My daily routine consists of therapy sessions tailored to my back surgery. Each patient is given a booklet and we pick up schedules everyday from the reception desk where we have mailboxes. We meet with the doctors (auf Deutsch=Arzt) which are called "Professor" or, "chef" if they are the boss or chief doctor. 

Here is what my first week looked like: 

Monday, May 16, 2011

8:00-EKG

10:30- Warmepackung

11:30- Visit with Hr.Heisel, Prof.Dr. im Zimmer (auf Deutsch= room)

14:45- Elektrotherapie

17:30- Krankengymnastik

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

7:45- Blutabnahme nuchtern

8:15- Elektrotherapie

10:00- Massage

13:30- Relaxation Training

14:30- Krankengymnastik

15:50- Fahrradergometer

16:05- Weight Training

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

8:30- Warmepackung

10:30- Krankengymnastik

13:00- Visit with Hr.Heisel, Prof.Dr. im Zimmer

14:30- Bewegungsbad Wirbelsäule

15:30- Hydromassage (Hydro jet)

16:50- Fahrradergometer

17:05- Weight Training

Thursday, May 19, 2011

8:15- Elektrotherapie

9:15- Vortrag. Stressbewaltigung

10:30- Massage

11:30- Krankengymnastik

16:50- Fahrradergometer

17:05- Weight Training

Friday, May 20, 2011

7:45- Stangerbad

9:30- Visit with Hr.Heisel, Prof.Dr. im Zimmer

10:30- Warmepackung

12:30- Fahrradergometer

12:45- Weight Training

13:30- Hydromassage

14:00- Krankengymnastik

If the things listed above look a little confusing to you, imagine how I felt the first time I had to show up for these therapies. This place has 5 floors if you count "E," the bottom floor where we eat. Each therapy is in a different location (accept the bike ride and weight training) and in between it all we go to breakfast lunch and dinner at our designated times. The floors aren't exactly all in the same building either and sometimes I have to walk up or down stairs and then take the elevator to get where I need to be on time. I try to take the stairs as often as possible to get more exercise, even if that means going out of my way.

Here's what some of the therapies mean in English (loosely translated)

Warmepackung= Heat packs for my back, I'm wrapped up in blankets on a bed

Fahrradergometer= Stationary Bike ride

Krankengymnastik= Physical Therapy

Bewegungsbad Wirbelsäule = Group pool therapy

Waschküche =Laundry

Tea cart on every floor

Recycling on every floor

Advice: 

•  Don’t assume that when someone speaks to you in English, they mean what they say. When I went to my very first massage appointment I was asked to remove my shirt and sports bra; I was told, “lay on your bottom.” Since my back is where all the pain is I pointed to my back and said “lay on my back?” The man then said, “No I need to massage your back, lay on your bottom.” He was pointing to his stomach. 
• Get to dinner asap or all the good breads, meats, and cheeses will be gone 
• Bring a reusable water bottle to fill up at the stations on each floor for free. They will let you borrow one for 2 euro
• Know your weight and height in Kilograms and Centimeters
• Pack shower shoes and a bath robe
• You will need something to swim in
• Bring a German/English dictionary
• Bring a laptop, they charge a fee, I paid 45 euro for 21 days or something like that
• If you like to workout to music, pack your Ipod
• Pack a 220v fan in the Spring/Summer

Benches along the walking trails

Notes:

• Anyone with a key may or may not knock before coming in your room. I always keep the door locked unless I know a doctor is on the way. My first experience with this was rather annoying. It was my first full day here and someone was twisting my door handle to come in my room. Before I could get up and walk to the door, a man used a key and was opening my door just as I met him. He only spoke German and was very rude (he ended up being a doctor.) The next time someone knocked and then used a key to walk in was the house keeper. I didn't even know there was a housekeeper. They come every day to clean the room, mop the bathroom, take out the trash, and make the bed. As I’m typing this there was just a knock at the door. I called out, “Ein moment” which means “just a moment” because I am only wearing pants and a sports bra and would have liked to put a shirt on. The door flies open and in walks a nurse. THEY DO NOT CARE if you are naked, so my advice is either also don’t care, or try to always wear something. I don’t like to close the bathroom door when I use it, it’s hot in there and why should I have to; I’m the only one in my room. Now I lock the door when I pee so I can have some privacy if someone decides to just walk in my room. 
• Parking costs 2 euro a day in the garage. You must prepay at the reception desk and they will assign you a spot number and give you a card to slide into the entrance slot each time you drive back into the garage
• They sell all kinds of things such as beer and wine, ice cream, cakes, snacks, German magazines, and some toiletries in the shop on the "E" floor 
• Each room has a small safe and you get a key 
• There is a self-serve tee station on each floor with about 10 different tees and two types of sweetener
• There is a hair salon on the 4th floor
• They offer in-house pedicures for 17 euros

Words to learn auf Deutsch: 

Pflaster=Band-Aid
Treppenhaus=Stair Well

Fahrrad=Bicycle

Rucken=Back (as in, your back)

Vortrag=Lecture (and it will be auf Deutsch)

Zimmer=Room

Liebe,

Mandy