Tomorrow (the 20th of July), it will be 10 years since I fell off my bicycle, in France. Ten years! I was in a coma for a few weeks, and Churchill Travel Insurance paid for me to fly home in a LearJet. I was in Intensive Care, for a couple of weeks, I think. Once I'd woken up, then after a while, they moved me to a rehabilitation hospital.
My husband would bring our toddler and a lovely little baby into hospital, but I didn't know that the lovely little baby was ours (and then, the next day, we'd have the same thing again: "What a sweet little girl. Who is her mummy?" "You are - and I told you that yesterday!" ). My first proper memory is at Christmas (6 months after the accident!), when I was able to go home overnight, although I stayed in the rehab hospital on-and-off for another couple of months.
I think I have to celebrate having survived that accident. I mean, I could easily have died, but also I could have been far more badly injured. I am most certainly not 'normal' - I am officially blind (although, thankfully, I would only say that I am 'visually impaired' - I mean, I certainly can't drive, and I regularly bump into things etc. - but the optical doctors call me 'blind', and hey, because of that, I get money off my train fare, and free bus rides, and money off my TV licence, and I get some money as Disability Living Allowance ...), my right side doesn't work too well (my handwriting is horrific!), and my voice is horrible (although, apparently, other people don't notice the change as much as I do) - but hey, I manage most things, most of the time. Very importantly, I was able to go back to my old job. I am really, really lucky: I am a university lecturer, and the university decided that, although after a few months, they wouldn't pay my salary as sick pay, they kept my job open, and when I had had 18 months off sick, they said that, I could 'try' it out, going back, and we'd all see if I was well enough to have the job back. Luckily, we all agreed that I was!
Since the accident, I have made it a tradition to go back to the rehab hospital, each year, to celebrate my anniversary. I sort of 'woke up' in that rehab. hospital. The staff there were lovely, and they helped me so much! Physiotherapy, Speech And Language Therapy (SALT), psychological therapy... Most of the staff have left, now, to be honest - my consultant retired soon after I left the hospital, my psychologist moved to another hospital, and I have just heard that the lovely receptionist has retired, too. However, it is lovely to go in, each year, to see all the nurses who looked after me. On Friday, I rang up to check that it was OK, and the guy who answered the phone was really keen.
"You may not remember me, my name is Pam, and I was a patient there is 2005/6..."
"Oh yes, of course we remember you, Pam!"
So, that is my plan for tomorrow. This morning, I bought a couple of cakes, and a load of paper plates, from the supermarket. I plan to arrive there mid-morning, to provide them with some elevenses.
Then, on my way back to the station, I will buy a bottle of champagne. I always feel that Mr Flump and I have to celebrate my survival, with a bottle of bubbly!
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Flumptious
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Have a wonderful day, you are amazing as everybody else on here is.
We have all come a long way and the future is there for us all to look forward to.
I was only saying to my dearest husband today, life is looking good, I can cope with the not so good days now and am able to make the best of all the others.
I feel so much more positive about things now, happy days.
I even did some decorating today, not as much as before but I was able to do at least an hour, things are indeed looking up.
great ways to mark the occasion, glad youre going to do it. congratulations to you too. snap, this july its 3 years since i was recovering not in rehab but in a great hospital, ive got a bit of stuff to sort at the minute, but when thats done i'll be stealing the idea from you and cracking open a bottle, ive not celebrated the time of year and should at least once. happy anniversary
Happy(?) anniversary! May the next ten years be full of joy and you accomplish everything you desire! I'm sure they will, you've achieved so much already. Join me on the 9th of December for my 21st anniversary! The first ten years are the hardest, it's all downhill from here
Baron/Andy
CONGRATULATIONS 🎉🎉🎉🎉 to you and your family Flumptious💞
I am in my 7 th year post brain haemorrhage and like you we celebrate yearly
with a cheeky glass or two 🍸🍸
Flump.......Enjoy visiting and the 🍰 with the nurses etc.....
Also have a lovely evening with Mr Flump.......cheers in advance 😃
Me and hubby are going to Harrogate for an overnight stay to celebrate
our latest achievement............
We've finally paid the mortgage off.....YIPEE!!!!! It's something we never thought
we would ever achieve 🏠 especially after my B.H. and loss of job
We love North Yorkshire...Otley, Ilkley, Skipton and all the surrounding areas/views
And our favourite post B.I. place is RHS Harlow Carr , Harrogate.
Joanne, I met Mr Flump through the caving club at university. We are still officially members of a caving club in Clapham, near Ingleton. We hardly ever get up there now (due more to us having kids than to me not being able to drive), but we still have loads of friends there. When I think of Yorkshire, I always think of potholes!
Happy 10th Flumptious, hope you enjoyed your day : ) x
Funny thing, I always associate Yorkshire with potholes too - I did the three peaks ( quite a few years ago now ! ) and during training ( we did one at a time for this ) we would always see potholers either going to or leaving the area.
The other association I have is of brazen sheep ! They flock round you at the top of the hill, where you take a rest, to mug you for sandwiches etc ! Guess grass gets boring after a while ! : ) x
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I was in a coma for a few weeks, and Churchill Travel Insurance paid for me to fly home in a LearJet. I was in Intensive Care, for a couple of weeks, I think. Once I'd woken up, then after a while, they moved me to a rehabilitation hospital. 
Hello and advice for my dad
What does the anniversary of your brain injury mean to you?
5 weeks in to my husbands BI and feeling terrified
