LL at Acibadem hospital in Istanbul, Turkey

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Are u worried about the political situation in Turkey right now ?

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Seriosuly.. Turkey is one of the last places I would want to be a LL patient...

This has me curious. How was it during that time with that coup?

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Quote from: ub40 on July 31, 2016, 07:17:06 PMVery well written journal, keep up the good work.  The Dr shouldn't be calling you week first of all. The key is to take things one day at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. Try a pillow  between the legs to sleep on your side

Thanks ub40. I tried the pillow under my legs whilst they were bent and that seemed to work better than laying on my side. Well being called weak has only prompted me to pudh harder. So i guess it's had a positive effect. But i see your point completely.

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Quote from: aspirant185 on July 31, 2016, 09:01:05 PMAre u worried about the political situation in Turkey right now ?

Hey aspirant185. Well right now, no. It's peaceful and quiet. As a non turkish citizen the whole situation isn't really going to effect me much. It's only pushed the value of the local currency further, and all the political reforms don't affect me one bit. It doesn't improve or degrade my life if thousands of judges/army personnel/teachers get the sack as the president has done here. So long as there is peace, as there is now, then i'm happy.

The media does make a good meal out of it. Haha I remember watching foreign news channels and thinking... wow that was a bit over the top.

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Quote from: Alu on July 31, 2016, 09:02:17 PMSeriosuly.. Turkey is one of the last places I would want to be a LL patient...

This has me curious. How was it during that time with that coup?

Hey Alu. Yes, good point. Haha I completely understand. In all honesty during the actual coup attempt and shortly afterwards i was scared!! Very scared. I was nervous I wouldn't be able to continue my LL. And hearing F16 jets fly low over my hotel is an experience i'll never forget. But the staff at the hospital were helpful. Even at 2am whilst the coup was in play. They assured me that even in the event the coup was successful I could either return home or continue LL. I'm sure if i chose to return they would have refunded most of my money, but being as determined as i am to get my inches, I probably would have stayed anyway.

The military taking over wouldn't have been a problem. Civil war would have been. And believe me I would have been out. Frames on and all. After the coup failed and order was restored, which was the following morning, i chose to register with the British consular. Who reassured me the country was now safe. I registered with them anyway, explaining my vulnerability as i was in the middle of LL. This way, in the event of another coup attempt or some other crazy event, they would know where to find me and help me evacuate.

I was in hospital when the terrorist attack took place on the airport. The fact i flew in there a week before was particularly disturbing. In hindsight, had i forseen these incidents I wouldn't have chosen turkey. However, it's not as bad as the media would have you believe. Bad news does sell well and they aren't going to update you on how peaceful things currently are.

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Great diary man.Keep updating please

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Quote from: Peaceout on August 01, 2016, 11:33:56 PMGreat diary man.Keep updating please

Hey Peaceout, thanks! I will do. I'll try to keep going until i've made a full recovery. Which will probably be a year from now.

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Monday 1 August
It's 5am and i need to crap!!! I'm contemplating just holding it in so i can go back to bed without crying for hotel staff to come and help me. At this time of night the staff are scarce anyway so it will be a while before they come to wheel me to the toilet. I've been wheeled to the toilet since my knee pain started. Even though the pain has gone, my physio told me not to use my walker unless someone was watching. He had seen me demonstrate my ability to use the walker and admittedly i was awful now. Barely taking more than a few steps without sweating buckets. I could only stand comfortably.

Faced with the dilemma of 1. sitting it out and being able to go back to sleep immediately 2. waiting for hotel staff to assist me or 3. Defying the advice of the physio and grabbing my walker

I chose to defy my physio's advice as my desperation to crap suddenly grew. I grabbed my phone and put it in my pocket then grabbed my walker and headed for the toilet. About half way i realised how risky it was but i kept on going and made it safely. I used the hotel's toilet phone (some hotels have them which is useful) to call reception. I told them it should take me 10 minutes to get back to my bed and if I hadn't called back they should send someone to my room.

My fear at this point was falling over and landing in an awkward position that would put pressure on my knee or ankle, or arm joints. Anywhere. Causing considerable damage the longer i lay there in that position until the cleaners found me. Of course you need your arms to use your mobility aid so I couldn't afford to injure myself anywhere. Despite having my phone in my pocket, had i fallen on the side with my phone in, I doubt very much it would be easy enough to get out. Also the pockets in these shorts are very deep. Which i would suggest, as dropping your shorts down whilst on the toilet will normally result with your phone dropping out of your shallow pockets.

I began walking back and now i had a 10 minute timer. Which was good because i had a goal and as i had set that goal myself it didn't put me under too much pressure. I arrived back safely with a minute or two to spare. I called reception and they answered immediately, relieved they wouldn't be dealing with a guest sprawled across the floor in urgent need of medical attention. Btw 10 minutes seems fast to someone like me on a walker, but an able bodied individual could make this stretch in no more than 10 seconds. The distance from the edge of my bed to the en suite toilet seat really isn't much. But when you undergo LL, these are the kind of challenges you will face.

I've decided i'm going to try and make use of Siri. If i set my iphone correctly I should be able call reception by voice commands (and without the need to press the home button). This seems like a more practical solution going forward.

I'm so chuffed with my toilet dash right now. I go back to sleep with an overwhelmingly positive vibe.

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Great diary.. Sucks that you are on such a tight timeframe, but you seem very determined to get the job done. I'd say you're a lot mentally stronger than you think.. Enjoying your concise style. Will be closely watching your progress

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Hey i sent you a pm.Can you check it out?