| Hello everyone! Welcome to the online GREGULATOR Magazine. This magazine is for everyone around the world to share their weight loss success stories with one another. Hopefully everyone sharing their success stories will inspire other people to also want to lose weight and live a healthier life. Obesity is not just a problem among older people anymore. It has a serious grip on all age groups. A great percentage of our children are now obese and suffer from eating disorders. It a worldwide problem that really needs to be looked at and fixed. Within this magazine and becoming friends and sharing our different life stories and how we ourselves became overweight maybe we all can make a difference. |
You can also share and post you're favorite recipes that you think may help others lose
those unwanted pounds. Or maybe you have some helpful hints on different exercises you
think might help others. This magazine is here to help each other and also make new friends
in your weight loss pursuits. To post your weight loss success story or recipe or other
comments just click on to the link that pertains to you're subject. Then fill in the needed
information and hit send. Please allow us up to 24 hours to post you're story. Enter your
story today and maybe you'll be the winner of the best weight loss success story and win
$1,000.00. CLICK HERE for more details on how to win $1,000.00 for the best weight
loss success story.
Maybe you think you have the some of the best weight loss recipes! Click on the Recipes
Link below and submit as many recipes as you want and let the voting begin. If you get the
most votes for one of you're recipes you will win $500.00. The deadline for the best weight
loss recipe contest is July 15th 2007 and the winner will receive their FIVE HUNDRED
BUCKS in August 2007. Then every month their after their be another winner every month
with their best weight loss recipe.
Links: Success Stories Recipes Exercise Other Comments
Click here to vote for your favorite
WEIGHT LOSE SUCCESS STORY or your favorite RECIPE.
As my own life story book starts to sell and gain momentum this magazine will be viewed
by people around the world and you're success stories will also be read worldwide.
Thank you for joining the GREGULATOR and if you would like to contact me directly,
here is my email address: Half-The-Man-I-used-To-Be! Also don't forget about out
GREGULATOR message board! Click here for message board and share with
everyone what you think of the book, magazine and the rest of the website.
=================================================
I thought I had an incredible story when it came to my weight loss, but here is a truly
amazing and inspiring story of a woman that had a terrible accident and ended up in a
wheel chair. Without the normal ability we all take for granted such as something as simple
as walking for exercise, she can't because she's confined to a wheel chair. Yet with sheer
determination, will power, positive attitude and the will to move on with her life she lost her
unwanted extra pounds even though her life revolves around living in a wheel chair. Here is
her amazing story and also how you can get a copy of her book about her life and how she
lost the weight.
Meriel Stanger has told of her terrible injuries and of how her free spirit and determination
enabled her to cope with her disabilities. It is told in such a simple and moving way that it
is a classic story of the highest human courage.
Meriel was born Meriel Parker in Perth on 12/4/1959. The seeds of her independent
outlook were planted at a tiny two-teacher school near her home at Piawaning, via
Wongan Hills in the northern wheat-belt. She has two brothers, older than her by five and
twelve years, so she was raised virtually as an only child. For her secondary education she
was sent off to Penrhos boarding school in Perth. In 1977, at 18, she won a Rotary
scholarship to West Virginia for a year. This led to her starting an interior design business
in Perth in 1981, which she ran for 10 years. Her first daughter Brittany Parker was born
in January 1983 and her second daughter Serena Stanger in November 1987. In July
1992, she moved with her husband and daughters to Queensland and April 1994 she
became a single mum.
On 5 March 1995, at age 35, she suffered severe head and brain injuries when a horse
named Bridget, owned by her de facto partner James, rolled on her. She was in a coma
for three and a half months and in a hospital in Brisbane for a year. She was not expected
to live. From the time she emerged gradually from her coma she worked methodically,
deliberately and heroically to achieve the best possible physical outcome that relentless
positive thinking could produce. She is now in a wheelchair and classified as a "spastic"
quadriplegic and is partially blind in one eye. She has the effective use of only one finger
which she used to tap out her story in this book.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross is famous for describing the five stages of dying. Meriel should now
be famous for describing the four stages of returning to living. She describes with
remarkable self-insight her recovery in four stages which she describes under the headings:
Dependence, Co-dependence, Independence and Interdependence. Others similarly
disabled are sure to recognize and relate to these stages. Notably free of self-pity, her
story is a mix of accurate objective reporting of her incremental progress, and occasional
heart-wrenching references to her emotions and challenges. Her concern for Brittany and
Serena, then aged 12 and 7, and her gratitude to James for his reliable constant and warm
attentions, make parts of the book hard to read through that liquefaction of the eyes which
truly selfless and noble actions bring.
Meriel, however, mostly sticks steadily to the practical theme of how she met all the
relentless physical and psychological challenges with an exemplary positive attitude. She
illustrates the truth of the popular saying that if misfortune does not kill you, it will make you
a better person. It takes an extraordinarily self-assured woman to describe her disabilities
as a gift which gave her permission to live fully. The sub-title of the book A Journey of
Recovery and Discovery is also revealing. She has thoughtfully and unostentatiously
articulated how she coped, and still keeps coping. She has set a shining example of coping
with huge disabilities.
Extreme suffering can be either extremely life-enlarging, reforming and clarifying, as it was
for Meriel, or it can be extremely destructive and depressing for those who cannot or do
not turn it to advantage. She drew inspiration from Richard Bach's Illusions (1977) and
quotes him on the back cover and on p192: "You seek problems because you need their
gifts".
On page162 she writes "I am a creature of habit." Her journey illustrates that she has a
strong habit of making effective exertion in a wide range of activities. On p179 she writes
"God doesn't give you anything you can't handle". The arch optimist, R.W. Emerson,
wrote similarly:
So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, "Thou must",
The Youth replies "I can".
Voluntaries III
On p185 she observes "You can wake up and decide it is going to be a bad day or a good
day. The choice is yours." H.D. Thoreau would have agreed with her. He wrote in
Walden in 1854: "I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of
man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavour".
She is still learning to do more for herself. In spite of gloomy medical prognostications she
has, with the utmost self-discipline, with dieting and no exercise, lost 35kg in weight. She
has learnt how to shower, dress and toilet herself, and to get in and out of bed and cars on
her own. Each of these achievements is a triumph of her tenacity. Even washing the dishes
is an achievement!!
Meriel now lives with her two daughters and has a lot of community involvement. She is on
the Management Committee of Queensland Advocacy Inc, which lobbies for the needs of
the disabled in Queensland. She is on the Board of Management of Qualtime Association
Inc, a day respite centre for physically and intellectually disabled young people. She is the
Event Director for The Horseland Crosby Queensland Dressage Championships to be held
at Maroochy Showground at Nambour 8-10/10/2004 with 30 events spread over three
days. She has been back on a horse. She has, with help from a naturopath, ceased her
reliance on the drug Baclofen, in defiance of medical advice that she couldn't come off it.
She plans to visit New York for her 50th birthday on 12/4/2009.
It is refreshing and satisfying to read such confiding personal experiences of about the most
traumatic accident ordeal you can imagine, imparted in an admirably dispassionate tone of
offering practical help to others faced with similar hurdles. She will inspire anyone fortunate
enough to read her book
Review by Ian M Johnstone
johnstone@bluepin.net.au
LOSE WEIGHT, GAIN LIFE.
That statement 'Lose weight, gain life' is such an old cliche, but it is true. This would have
to be my greatest achievement. I started losing the weight as I knew being overweight
revolted James. I know the 'feminist movement' would be very cross with me. Believe me,
when my health started improving I could see the real reason for losing weight. I had to
lose the weight because I couldn't do anything for myself. I couldn't have heaved my huge
body onto the shower chair or into the car. With a big tummy, even picking up things off
the floor or doing up my shoelaces were difficult tasks to achieve from a wheelchair. My
life really turned around when I lost the weight and I achieved my goal, while being in a
wheelchair. My weight was something I could control.
My temperature thermostat was haywire after my accident. When I started coming home
on weekends, I really noticed how crazy my temperature gauge was. It would be freezing
cold and I would be busily throwing off blankets saying I was hot. It was the complete
opposite when it would be hot and I would want blankets! I used to suffer terrible sweats.
Again, I was told that I wouldn't gain weight and stupidly believed what I was told. So I
made the most of being able to swallow and ate all the things I shouldn't, like chocolate and
ice cream. Consequently I got fat. I was then told that gaining weight was just a fact of
being in a wheelchair. I was told such conflicting stories. You can imagine how depressed
I became being over-weight.
I tried being careful what I ate, but it would only last a few days. Come November 2000,
just over five years since the accident, I saw a programme on TV about the Ketogenic
diet. It was portrayed as a Dangerous Diet which I could understand if you didn't follow all
the rules or it was managed by an inexperienced person. I was very determined to make it
work, so I looked for an experienced practitioner.
Ketogenesis is a process the body uses to lose weight given a number of correct actions.
In other words you reduce the carbohydrates to force the body to use its own fat as food
by producing ketones. This is a great concept however it is extremely important to be
assessed and monitored by a health care professional who is trained or who has experience
in such processes. With all the other diets exercises were involved.
With this Ketogenic diet, I was supervised by my naturopath who tailored it to me.
Everything had to be weighed and measured out. Very time consuming. It was moments
like this I was glad I had a carer who was behind me in my effort to lose weight.
What impressed me was the diet was not reliant on exercise. Being a quadriplegic, I
couldn't exercise in the traditional sense. I met with Gil Jenek, the naturopath from
Clayfield Natural Therapies and with his encouragement and belief in me I started the diet
January 2001. I successfully lost 35kgs in 26 weeks. I went on a maintenance diet for
another twelve weeks, toned up and lost a further 5kgs. Gil admitted that even he was
unsure whether the diet would work for me after the weight loss. Now he tells me! Gil just
'teased out' all my problems and believe me, I had many. He just broke the treatment
down to treating the most important problem at a time.
The staff at the clinic were just as encouraging. My weekly visits were the highlight of my
week. It is thanks to their belief in me, the diet worked. Also much of my success with
dieting is due to my mum's dedication. She set a really good routine, so the running of my
diet could be then taken over by anyone. My metabolism was re-set. It was definitely a
team effort, Gil and the staff at Clayfield Natural Therapies, my mum and my girls. I
couldn't have done it without them.
I saw on TV about people who lost heaps of weight but were left with saggy skin and I
didn't want that to happen. With a supervised Ketogenic diet, saggy skin is minimised.
One of my biggest fears was becoming constipated. Being a paraplegic or a quadriplegic,
the thought of how this was treated was not very pleasant. I know how off-putting it was
hearing about old auntie's or uncle's bowel movements are but it is very important for the
head injured one to get into a routine. It is quite easy to train the body into a routine, that
way everyone can get on with their day. Having a balanced diet is one of the few pleasures
the head injured individual has left.
My very dear friend, Shay has put together an exercise programme for me. She would
come to sit with me and talk for hours when I was at Royal Brisbane Hospital. I think with
me being in a coma, people felt as though they could tell me anything. She was such a
tower of strength for James. Because much of my muscle tone has gone into atrophy, she
has recommended I do light weights as part of my exercise programme. I do the weight
exercises in front of the mirror, because as soon as my left arm is out of vision, the first
thing I notice is a weight hitting me in the head! At least if I do it in front of a mirror, I can
see where my left arm is. My control over my left arm and leg is not so easy. I send them
messages to do something but it doesn't always get through.
There were moments when I wished that I did have the PEG feed put in. I used to look at
the patients who had a PEG feed in place and they looked so slim. These thoughts were
short-lived. At least I could enjoy the taste of fattening food! It is well known fact that
nursing staff find it easier to put someone on a PEG feed, rather than spend the time
teaching the patient how to swallow. I remember a young girl at the Head Injury Unit
wanting to get rid of her PEG feed as she wanted to be able to enjoy the food at her
wedding. There are some people who have successfully got off the PEG feed merry go
round. It takes a lot of determination on the behalf of the patient and people around them.
I was referred to an orthopaedic surgeon September 1998, three and a half years after my
accident, to have surgery on my right leg. He couldn't give me any guarantee of success
about the operation for as long as I carried the extra weight. I was a bit miffed at the time.
Since I have lost the weight, I can do so much more for myself, that the surgery is not
required any more.
I wanted to lose the weight as it was really putting a strain on my heart. After 10 minutes
of exercise I would be huffing and puffing like an old steam train. I knew I would be a
candidate for diabetes being overweight. I didn't need to add that to my problems.
It is quite common for a head injured person to eat for the sake of eating not because they
are hungry. Be aware of a head injured person's ability to understand that their compulsive
eating is no good for their health. It is such a fine line to know when to encourage and
empower the disabled individual.
As I have said before, my thermostat was not functioning. When I started getting back to
normal, I started suffering from the cold. My hands and feet were freezing. Gil put me
onto fish oil tablets. I read the outside of the capsule bottle that they were recommended
for peripheral circulation and thought to myself 'yeah right, I'll prove them wrong'. Within
two weeks of taking them, my hands and feet, felt like they were on fire at night. When
people shake my hand, they comment on how warm they feel. In winter, Serena sleeps
with me because she says my feet are so warm. One eye specialist asked me whether I
had cold hands and feet. When I asked why, he said it is one of the signs of glaucoma. I
was able to say no they weren't cold because I take fish oil capsules. My mother suffers
from glaucoma; there is a family history of the disease.
I used to call myself a 'fat cripple'. It is a very derogatory term. It was a stage when my
depression hit rock bottom. Losing the weight not only saved my life, it gave me life. My
speech has really improved with the weight loss. Before I had to think 'take a big enough
breath to be able to say what I wanted to say, out'. Now I'm finding I don't have to think
about it, it comes naturally. No more staccato speech.
I drink two litres of water a day. I leave a jug out on the kitchen bench so it is easily
accessible. Routine is very important. My family will see me falling asleep in front of
television and say to me 'Go to bed'. They think I am mad, because I'll say 'I can't because
I'll be out of routine'. If I finish my two litres at 8.30pm, I then go to the toilet at 10.30pm
and off to bed for an uninterrupted sleep. If I go to bed sooner, out of my routine, I find
myself waking up at 2.00am needing to go to the toilet. I guess it was remembering the
days in the past when someone had to help me get out of bed. I just want an uninterrupted
night's sleep and I know sticking to my routine creates that. Besides, drinking two litres of
water is very good for you.
Since I've lost the weight, my whole attitude to life has changed. Another rather amazing
fact is I have also lost that 'fear' that was holding me back. I start to 'push the envelope
out' and to really stretch myself. Just the fact I can shower myself and not have to wait
around for someone to help me is wonderful. It means I can plan my day. I can't stress
enough the importance of your attitude. Lose weight for you. Don't be angry; forgive
yourself and others. Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself. I am grateful for
every day.
Meriel Stanger
mstanger@powerup.com.au
Brisbane, Queensland
Australia
those unwanted pounds. Or maybe you have some helpful hints on different exercises you
think might help others. This magazine is here to help each other and also make new friends
in your weight loss pursuits. To post your weight loss success story or recipe or other
comments just click on to the link that pertains to you're subject. Then fill in the needed
information and hit send. Please allow us up to 24 hours to post you're story. Enter your
story today and maybe you'll be the winner of the best weight loss success story and win
$1,000.00. CLICK HERE for more details on how to win $1,000.00 for the best weight
loss success story.
Maybe you think you have the some of the best weight loss recipes! Click on the Recipes
Link below and submit as many recipes as you want and let the voting begin. If you get the
most votes for one of you're recipes you will win $500.00. The deadline for the best weight
loss recipe contest is July 15th 2007 and the winner will receive their FIVE HUNDRED
BUCKS in August 2007. Then every month their after their be another winner every month
with their best weight loss recipe.
Links: Success Stories Recipes Exercise Other Comments
Click here to vote for your favorite
WEIGHT LOSE SUCCESS STORY or your favorite RECIPE.
As my own life story book starts to sell and gain momentum this magazine will be viewed
by people around the world and you're success stories will also be read worldwide.
Thank you for joining the GREGULATOR and if you would like to contact me directly,
here is my email address: Half-The-Man-I-used-To-Be! Also don't forget about out
GREGULATOR message board! Click here for message board and share with
everyone what you think of the book, magazine and the rest of the website.
=================================================
I thought I had an incredible story when it came to my weight loss, but here is a truly
amazing and inspiring story of a woman that had a terrible accident and ended up in a
wheel chair. Without the normal ability we all take for granted such as something as simple
as walking for exercise, she can't because she's confined to a wheel chair. Yet with sheer
determination, will power, positive attitude and the will to move on with her life she lost her
unwanted extra pounds even though her life revolves around living in a wheel chair. Here is
her amazing story and also how you can get a copy of her book about her life and how she
lost the weight.
Meriel Stanger has told of her terrible injuries and of how her free spirit and determination
enabled her to cope with her disabilities. It is told in such a simple and moving way that it
is a classic story of the highest human courage.
Meriel was born Meriel Parker in Perth on 12/4/1959. The seeds of her independent
outlook were planted at a tiny two-teacher school near her home at Piawaning, via
Wongan Hills in the northern wheat-belt. She has two brothers, older than her by five and
twelve years, so she was raised virtually as an only child. For her secondary education she
was sent off to Penrhos boarding school in Perth. In 1977, at 18, she won a Rotary
scholarship to West Virginia for a year. This led to her starting an interior design business
in Perth in 1981, which she ran for 10 years. Her first daughter Brittany Parker was born
in January 1983 and her second daughter Serena Stanger in November 1987. In July
1992, she moved with her husband and daughters to Queensland and April 1994 she
became a single mum.
On 5 March 1995, at age 35, she suffered severe head and brain injuries when a horse
named Bridget, owned by her de facto partner James, rolled on her. She was in a coma
for three and a half months and in a hospital in Brisbane for a year. She was not expected
to live. From the time she emerged gradually from her coma she worked methodically,
deliberately and heroically to achieve the best possible physical outcome that relentless
positive thinking could produce. She is now in a wheelchair and classified as a "spastic"
quadriplegic and is partially blind in one eye. She has the effective use of only one finger
which she used to tap out her story in this book.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross is famous for describing the five stages of dying. Meriel should now
be famous for describing the four stages of returning to living. She describes with
remarkable self-insight her recovery in four stages which she describes under the headings:
Dependence, Co-dependence, Independence and Interdependence. Others similarly
disabled are sure to recognize and relate to these stages. Notably free of self-pity, her
story is a mix of accurate objective reporting of her incremental progress, and occasional
heart-wrenching references to her emotions and challenges. Her concern for Brittany and
Serena, then aged 12 and 7, and her gratitude to James for his reliable constant and warm
attentions, make parts of the book hard to read through that liquefaction of the eyes which
truly selfless and noble actions bring.
Meriel, however, mostly sticks steadily to the practical theme of how she met all the
relentless physical and psychological challenges with an exemplary positive attitude. She
illustrates the truth of the popular saying that if misfortune does not kill you, it will make you
a better person. It takes an extraordinarily self-assured woman to describe her disabilities
as a gift which gave her permission to live fully. The sub-title of the book A Journey of
Recovery and Discovery is also revealing. She has thoughtfully and unostentatiously
articulated how she coped, and still keeps coping. She has set a shining example of coping
with huge disabilities.
Extreme suffering can be either extremely life-enlarging, reforming and clarifying, as it was
for Meriel, or it can be extremely destructive and depressing for those who cannot or do
not turn it to advantage. She drew inspiration from Richard Bach's Illusions (1977) and
quotes him on the back cover and on p192: "You seek problems because you need their
gifts".
On page162 she writes "I am a creature of habit." Her journey illustrates that she has a
strong habit of making effective exertion in a wide range of activities. On p179 she writes
"God doesn't give you anything you can't handle". The arch optimist, R.W. Emerson,
wrote similarly:
So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, "Thou must",
The Youth replies "I can".
Voluntaries III
On p185 she observes "You can wake up and decide it is going to be a bad day or a good
day. The choice is yours." H.D. Thoreau would have agreed with her. He wrote in
Walden in 1854: "I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of
man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavour".
She is still learning to do more for herself. In spite of gloomy medical prognostications she
has, with the utmost self-discipline, with dieting and no exercise, lost 35kg in weight. She
has learnt how to shower, dress and toilet herself, and to get in and out of bed and cars on
her own. Each of these achievements is a triumph of her tenacity. Even washing the dishes
is an achievement!!
Meriel now lives with her two daughters and has a lot of community involvement. She is on
the Management Committee of Queensland Advocacy Inc, which lobbies for the needs of
the disabled in Queensland. She is on the Board of Management of Qualtime Association
Inc, a day respite centre for physically and intellectually disabled young people. She is the
Event Director for The Horseland Crosby Queensland Dressage Championships to be held
at Maroochy Showground at Nambour 8-10/10/2004 with 30 events spread over three
days. She has been back on a horse. She has, with help from a naturopath, ceased her
reliance on the drug Baclofen, in defiance of medical advice that she couldn't come off it.
She plans to visit New York for her 50th birthday on 12/4/2009.
It is refreshing and satisfying to read such confiding personal experiences of about the most
traumatic accident ordeal you can imagine, imparted in an admirably dispassionate tone of
offering practical help to others faced with similar hurdles. She will inspire anyone fortunate
enough to read her book
Review by Ian M Johnstone
johnstone@bluepin.net.au
LOSE WEIGHT, GAIN LIFE.
That statement 'Lose weight, gain life' is such an old cliche, but it is true. This would have
to be my greatest achievement. I started losing the weight as I knew being overweight
revolted James. I know the 'feminist movement' would be very cross with me. Believe me,
when my health started improving I could see the real reason for losing weight. I had to
lose the weight because I couldn't do anything for myself. I couldn't have heaved my huge
body onto the shower chair or into the car. With a big tummy, even picking up things off
the floor or doing up my shoelaces were difficult tasks to achieve from a wheelchair. My
life really turned around when I lost the weight and I achieved my goal, while being in a
wheelchair. My weight was something I could control.
My temperature thermostat was haywire after my accident. When I started coming home
on weekends, I really noticed how crazy my temperature gauge was. It would be freezing
cold and I would be busily throwing off blankets saying I was hot. It was the complete
opposite when it would be hot and I would want blankets! I used to suffer terrible sweats.
Again, I was told that I wouldn't gain weight and stupidly believed what I was told. So I
made the most of being able to swallow and ate all the things I shouldn't, like chocolate and
ice cream. Consequently I got fat. I was then told that gaining weight was just a fact of
being in a wheelchair. I was told such conflicting stories. You can imagine how depressed
I became being over-weight.
I tried being careful what I ate, but it would only last a few days. Come November 2000,
just over five years since the accident, I saw a programme on TV about the Ketogenic
diet. It was portrayed as a Dangerous Diet which I could understand if you didn't follow all
the rules or it was managed by an inexperienced person. I was very determined to make it
work, so I looked for an experienced practitioner.
Ketogenesis is a process the body uses to lose weight given a number of correct actions.
In other words you reduce the carbohydrates to force the body to use its own fat as food
by producing ketones. This is a great concept however it is extremely important to be
assessed and monitored by a health care professional who is trained or who has experience
in such processes. With all the other diets exercises were involved.
With this Ketogenic diet, I was supervised by my naturopath who tailored it to me.
Everything had to be weighed and measured out. Very time consuming. It was moments
like this I was glad I had a carer who was behind me in my effort to lose weight.
What impressed me was the diet was not reliant on exercise. Being a quadriplegic, I
couldn't exercise in the traditional sense. I met with Gil Jenek, the naturopath from
Clayfield Natural Therapies and with his encouragement and belief in me I started the diet
January 2001. I successfully lost 35kgs in 26 weeks. I went on a maintenance diet for
another twelve weeks, toned up and lost a further 5kgs. Gil admitted that even he was
unsure whether the diet would work for me after the weight loss. Now he tells me! Gil just
'teased out' all my problems and believe me, I had many. He just broke the treatment
down to treating the most important problem at a time.
The staff at the clinic were just as encouraging. My weekly visits were the highlight of my
week. It is thanks to their belief in me, the diet worked. Also much of my success with
dieting is due to my mum's dedication. She set a really good routine, so the running of my
diet could be then taken over by anyone. My metabolism was re-set. It was definitely a
team effort, Gil and the staff at Clayfield Natural Therapies, my mum and my girls. I
couldn't have done it without them.
I saw on TV about people who lost heaps of weight but were left with saggy skin and I
didn't want that to happen. With a supervised Ketogenic diet, saggy skin is minimised.
One of my biggest fears was becoming constipated. Being a paraplegic or a quadriplegic,
the thought of how this was treated was not very pleasant. I know how off-putting it was
hearing about old auntie's or uncle's bowel movements are but it is very important for the
head injured one to get into a routine. It is quite easy to train the body into a routine, that
way everyone can get on with their day. Having a balanced diet is one of the few pleasures
the head injured individual has left.
My very dear friend, Shay has put together an exercise programme for me. She would
come to sit with me and talk for hours when I was at Royal Brisbane Hospital. I think with
me being in a coma, people felt as though they could tell me anything. She was such a
tower of strength for James. Because much of my muscle tone has gone into atrophy, she
has recommended I do light weights as part of my exercise programme. I do the weight
exercises in front of the mirror, because as soon as my left arm is out of vision, the first
thing I notice is a weight hitting me in the head! At least if I do it in front of a mirror, I can
see where my left arm is. My control over my left arm and leg is not so easy. I send them
messages to do something but it doesn't always get through.
There were moments when I wished that I did have the PEG feed put in. I used to look at
the patients who had a PEG feed in place and they looked so slim. These thoughts were
short-lived. At least I could enjoy the taste of fattening food! It is well known fact that
nursing staff find it easier to put someone on a PEG feed, rather than spend the time
teaching the patient how to swallow. I remember a young girl at the Head Injury Unit
wanting to get rid of her PEG feed as she wanted to be able to enjoy the food at her
wedding. There are some people who have successfully got off the PEG feed merry go
round. It takes a lot of determination on the behalf of the patient and people around them.
I was referred to an orthopaedic surgeon September 1998, three and a half years after my
accident, to have surgery on my right leg. He couldn't give me any guarantee of success
about the operation for as long as I carried the extra weight. I was a bit miffed at the time.
Since I have lost the weight, I can do so much more for myself, that the surgery is not
required any more.
I wanted to lose the weight as it was really putting a strain on my heart. After 10 minutes
of exercise I would be huffing and puffing like an old steam train. I knew I would be a
candidate for diabetes being overweight. I didn't need to add that to my problems.
It is quite common for a head injured person to eat for the sake of eating not because they
are hungry. Be aware of a head injured person's ability to understand that their compulsive
eating is no good for their health. It is such a fine line to know when to encourage and
empower the disabled individual.
As I have said before, my thermostat was not functioning. When I started getting back to
normal, I started suffering from the cold. My hands and feet were freezing. Gil put me
onto fish oil tablets. I read the outside of the capsule bottle that they were recommended
for peripheral circulation and thought to myself 'yeah right, I'll prove them wrong'. Within
two weeks of taking them, my hands and feet, felt like they were on fire at night. When
people shake my hand, they comment on how warm they feel. In winter, Serena sleeps
with me because she says my feet are so warm. One eye specialist asked me whether I
had cold hands and feet. When I asked why, he said it is one of the signs of glaucoma. I
was able to say no they weren't cold because I take fish oil capsules. My mother suffers
from glaucoma; there is a family history of the disease.
I used to call myself a 'fat cripple'. It is a very derogatory term. It was a stage when my
depression hit rock bottom. Losing the weight not only saved my life, it gave me life. My
speech has really improved with the weight loss. Before I had to think 'take a big enough
breath to be able to say what I wanted to say, out'. Now I'm finding I don't have to think
about it, it comes naturally. No more staccato speech.
I drink two litres of water a day. I leave a jug out on the kitchen bench so it is easily
accessible. Routine is very important. My family will see me falling asleep in front of
television and say to me 'Go to bed'. They think I am mad, because I'll say 'I can't because
I'll be out of routine'. If I finish my two litres at 8.30pm, I then go to the toilet at 10.30pm
and off to bed for an uninterrupted sleep. If I go to bed sooner, out of my routine, I find
myself waking up at 2.00am needing to go to the toilet. I guess it was remembering the
days in the past when someone had to help me get out of bed. I just want an uninterrupted
night's sleep and I know sticking to my routine creates that. Besides, drinking two litres of
water is very good for you.
Since I've lost the weight, my whole attitude to life has changed. Another rather amazing
fact is I have also lost that 'fear' that was holding me back. I start to 'push the envelope
out' and to really stretch myself. Just the fact I can shower myself and not have to wait
around for someone to help me is wonderful. It means I can plan my day. I can't stress
enough the importance of your attitude. Lose weight for you. Don't be angry; forgive
yourself and others. Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself. I am grateful for
every day.
Meriel Stanger
mstanger@powerup.com.au
Brisbane, Queensland
Australia
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