Coventry or Madrid - no competition!
Hi fellow ATR sufferers. A brief update from ’sunny’ England! My work took me out to a Conference in Madrid last week - it was certainly no holiday for lots of reasons. It has been only 2 weeks since going in 2 shoes and I was wary of the flights to Madrid. Yes flights! My admin team booked the cheapest route which was 90 minutes East then a connecting flight of 2 and a half hours South! The slightly more expensive direct flight 2 hours! The result was more time wearing my flight socks for the journey, more time for my ankle to swell up, and more steep aircraft steps to negotiate and worry about stretching my AT.
The flight socks worked a treat - but at £15 a pair I was determined to get ‘bang for my buck’ and wore them out a couple of evenings in Madrid, plus the return flight home. Needless to say the socks walked themselves to the washing machine when I returned home. Anyway, to the point. Madrid was 35 degrees. Coventry more like 15 degrees. My ankle and calf suffered with the extra heat and swelled up every day and night. The two pieces of comfort were the ice cold swimming pool and the ice making machine next to my room. Another issue was the one day I managed to get in the pool and enjoy the icy water, I couldn’t then work out how to get out as the step were narrow and it meant stretching my AT and putting lots of weight through the bad leg. Ten minutes later my exit was complete - not one of my brighter decisions. Lesson 1: Before you enter the swimming pool, work out your exit strategy!
The ice machine was a blessing - lots of high elevation, put ice in a plastic bag, wrap round affected areas. It was so hot in my room some nights I ended up falling asleep , leg raised, wrapped in ice, with the TV on, only to wake up in the early hours, ice bag melted and sleeping in a soggy bed! Lesson 2: If you’re going to wrap your leg in ice and fall asleep, make sure the bag is securely tied.
Anyways, back in Coventry the leg is still swollen but considerably less than in the warmer climes of Madrid. Question? Those who have an ATR and live in warmer parts of the world, do you suffer more with swelling around the ankle and calf than perhaps others might in the milder, cooler areas? By the way, still waiting for my 2nd PT session. Hospital admin not good. NHS savings - no surgery (saving), delayed PT session (more saving). Happy recovery!
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Neville - sounds like the journey from hell! out of interest I had a problem winter and summer and the swelling was as bad as the other…but then I live in Newcastle, not exactly tropical !. Walking is another subject, walking badly in the the snow was horrible…and I can think of other words for it. I’m so relieved we have gone throught the worst in finer weather!!
That’s an interesting point. I’m only 2 weeks into this, so fast forward 8-10 weeks I’m post Guy Fawkes night and looking at some rubbish weather for learning to walk all over again. On the plus side I’m on the south coast so relatively tropical compared to the Tyne ;S
I did chuckle regarding the pool and the exit strategy issues, I would have done exactly the same in your position
Speedy and effective recovery