I am Ok, I am Ok....'but we need u to come to the hospital with us', says the paramedics!

Day trip to the Hospital.

Hi folks,

Its been ages since I have written a blog. Well, that is because haven’t got any money for travelling abroad, plus I was also busy getting back to university. Yey, I am a student again, love the freedom of academia. But this time I am doing a PhD! To many people it’s a wow! But trust me it’s a huge commitment, its like getting married to education for a good 5 years. And gosh! It is hard work, making compromises between finance and research, just like a husband and wife. Might as well get married!

Anyway, enough about my education, more about my day trip to the hospital.

Saturday, 21/1/2012 at 10:00 am my carer came to help me with my morning shower and dressing-up routine. I got up from my bed my carer helped me put on my pink rubber slippers. I then dragged and transferred myself to the wheelchair. Went to the bathroom, then my girl (I call my carer my girl as I don’t know I just like her a lot and she’s very young) helped me sit on the lu. Well after I was done my girl took off my slippers and asked me if I’d be ok in transferring from the lu to the shower seat. I said yes and that was not the correct answer! I am really short you see, without slippers its very difficult for me to reach the lu floor or I think the lu is too high. Anyway so I made the transfer, an unsuccessful one. Instead of seating myself on the shower chair I slipped and landed on my bum, on the floor.

Don’t worry I didn’t get hurt. My girl and me tried very hard to get me up. Well I realised haven’t being using the gym so no strength in me plus I have gained weight. So please my folks its very important to keep yourself fit and strong and oh yeh light weight. Anyway we didn’t know what to do so my girl called her office and they recommended her to call the ambulance. She asked me well I wasn’t in favour of it but I had no choice, so my girl called 999. They asked her a million questions like is she conscious, is she bleeding, did she have a fit and so on. Finally the address was confirmed by me (that is the patient) and we just had to wait and all this time I was on the floor. In the mean time my girl asked me if we ask the neighbours, well give it a shot.

My neighbours are a lovely couple, oh they are so sweet. They girl came in and was very positive and eager to help. She held me from one shoulder and my girl from the other. Then they pulled me up and soon I was sitting on the shower seat. I could not stop thanking my neighbour.

After a few minutes the ambulance also arrived. Oh no now what we thought. Anyway my girl called them in, they saw me and asked many question. The trouble was that I did not look injured. Well they wanted to take my blood pressure, temperature and blood sugars. I was fine with everything except the blood sugar part as they had to prick my finger tip. Anyway but it was all done and all was normal but the paramedics were still not satisfied. They wanted to take me to hospital, ok then I said. Please give me 45 minutes as I wanted to take a shower, well they agreed. I though why not pamper myself today by going to the hospital. It was an unusual experience though when nothing was wrong with me.

I was all ready to go now, they suggested we’ll take you in our wheelchair and leave you motorised wheelchair home. I agreed with them although felt weird as my motorised wheelchair are my legs. I was completely dependent on them and felt so handicapped. But I just let myself loose and they gently lifted me and transferred me on to their wheelchair and took me into the ambulance soon we were on our way to Royal London Hospital. The hospital is very old and by old I mean ancient. But they took me from the back entrance which was all newly built. Wow I thought it looked really impressive. Anyways they took me in, the doctors were puzzled, when nothing’s wrong with her why is she here? Wish I could say I was here just for fun! Once again I was questions, but I have just slipped that’s all. But the good thing was they did many tests which I would not even think of getting done, like a blood test and ECG. I found out that I need to see a cardiologist, neurologist, physiotherapist and an orthopaedic surgeon. Maybe being ignorant of my condition was a better idea!

The whole investigation took 45 minutes, then for two hours I had to wait in the waiting room as they had to arrange for my transport back home.

What a palaver!

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Hello, hello Karachi. 

I did reach on Saturday afternoon and as soon as I got seated in the car with my parents, to our way home in Karachi I called both of my Grand-Mothers (my Dad’s Mom and my Mum’s Mum) first from my Father’s mobile. My Dad’s Mum said she’ll come late in the afternoon as she had to visit a relative and my Mum’s Mom was free so we picked her up on our way home. I also called up Sana (my oldest friend best-(eeest) friend from school) who never received the phone! L And then my friend Farheen, who is a doctor who was delighted to receive my call. And this blog post is going to be all about her, Dr. Farheen Saleem and how I spent the first Monday, 7^th of February 2011 with her. X

Monday morning it was, Farheen had already booked an appointment with ‘Sabz’ (beauty salon) a week before, she picked me up from my house at around 10am. The salon itself is not wheelchair accessible (it has 4 steps at the entrance) but the owner and everyone else over there are very helpful and cooperative. They lifted my wheelchair up and took me in (well, we did break all health and safety rules) but I was safely inside the beauty salon. I wanted to get my hair permanently straightened (relaxing/rebounding) as I have naturally curly hair. Yes, my hair shall be straight for the next 6 months, I thought with pleasure. Therefore before the treatment in order to check the strength of my hair a hair test was done. No, oh no! My hair was way toooo week this was because I had already died my hair when I went to Fuerteventura 2 months back, I also wrote about this on my blog. My friend and me were devastated, that means I shall be using hair straighters for my entire vacation in Karachi, Pakistan.

The hair specialist consoled me by saying ‘my child, don't be sad, just apply oil in ure head, use vitamin ‘E’ and use egg and yogurt as conditioner, hopefully ure hair will become stronger.’ Honestly, this didn’t make feel any better in fact even right now (while writing this blog-post) I have oil in my head. Farheen and me did not like this situation at all but the hair specialist saw our sad faces and suggested that its good if I get a protein treatment done in order to strengthen my hair where as Farheen decided to get high-lights in her hair (she already has a nice brown colour and straight hair) with her hair colour high-lights really looked good.

The protein treatment process was very elaborate. First my hair was washed, then a whitish paste was smothered in my head (I have taken loads of pics of Farheen and me during our hair treatments, shall be uploading hem along with my blog-post) it then had to stay on my head for 45 minutes (by the way this time exceeded to almost 2 hours and I’ll tell you why).

While sitting patiently with the protein paste in my head I somehow made friends with the owner, he was so impressed by me that he told his wife that I should be given a complementary pedicure. Yes! It was the best and the lady who was doing my pedicure massaged for over an hour and that is how my 45 minutes hair protein treatment turned into a 2 hour treatment, which was also good for my hair.

After my pedicure was done and my hair was washed I was then sat and my hair blow dried. Oh My! Tina Sani came and sat next to me (Tina Sani is an Pakistani female singer renowned for her classical and semi-classical Urdu Ghazals, and I simply adore her voice). She was reading a book and getting something done to her hair. I should have gotten a picture with her and should have spoken to her but honestly speaking didn’t know how to react with celebrities when spotted at places like beauty salons!

Anyways, but I had a good relaxing morning with Farheen, both of us were happy with big smiles when we sat in the car, our hair looking all grand and posh.

Do keep an eye on my upcoming blog-post. Its going to be all about how we spent the rest of the afternoon, Farheen and me. Xs

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“Everything we do at Emirates is dedicated to making your travel experience more comfortable, relaxing and enjoyable.”

This is so true about Emirates, although it’s a bit expensive. And if lucky one can get a cheap ticket like I got one this time; flight travel to Dubai is great. And yes, it was a great experience. Just like I explained in my previous blog-post (on visiting Fuerteventura) about getting into the plane on a isle aircraft wheelchair it was exactly the same way. I had already visited the loos at the Gatwick Airport therefore didn’t really need to go but the toilets on the aircraft are accessible and assistance is available when required.

I enjoyed the food on the flight. Although I was travelling in the economy class but still we were given food menus. We (economy class passengers) were given a choice of foods, I choose Chicken Coconut Curry with spinach and rice. The other choice was Baked Salmon with roasted vegetables. Then came the desert, Chocolate Fudge Brownie with hot chocolate sauce, yum and it was yum! They also gave me a bag full of Cadbury’s chocolates. As the flight was seven hours long we were given a small pack with small round shaped crackers, and a small sealed pack of salsa dip, this small pack was given the name ‘Nibbles’. The on-flight entertainment was great; all passengers had a variety of films (old and new), television programs (dramas, news, kids, etc) and music to choose from. Emirates was great, although economy but lots of leg room, plus the flight was half full therefore the seats next to us were empty and all passengers could lay on the seats. I’d say I enjoyed my seven hour flight from Gatwick to Dubai. J

It was six in the morning (Dubai time) when our plane landed at Dubai Airport. The airport is huge and my stop-over here was three hour long. Apparently there is a separate terminal especially for flights to and from Pakistan due to heavy load of passenger travel. I visited the toilet then waited in the transit lounge in fact slept for a bit, was too tired from my previous exciting Emirates flight experience from Gatwick to Dubai.

At exact 1 o’clock in the afternoon on the 5^th of February 2011 I reached Quaid-e-Azam International Airport.

Please do stay tuned to read my next blog-post, Waiting anxiously for you comments.

Take care.

All rights reserved. nadiahmed@excite.com +44 (0)789 6250265Please do join my facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120688481285587

At 1 o’clock in the afternoon I left my house in Maidstone. My friends Safia and Aasim and their little baby boy Aayan also wanted to come and drop me to Gatwick airport. As I was on my heavy motorised wheelchair I had to travel to Gatwick by train. My friends took my luggage in their car to Gatwick which was very kind of them. It takes approximately 45 minutes by car and 2 hours by two train, as one has to change at Victoria Station and then Gatwick Express (which takes exactly 30 minutes from Victoria Station London). I have all the pictures while travelling on trains and I am also going to be uploading them along with my post.

I reached Gatwick at 3 pm. My journeys via trains and the change at London Victoria Station all went smoothly. The trains tickets from Maidstone to Gatwick cost me £22.

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Decisions, decisions, holiday decisions.

Its November, cold already, now the temperature is six degrees centigrade and soon its going to be minus one and even more, icy and frosty, burrrrr!

As you can tell I don’t really enjoy the cold except if I am going skiing I the snow or ice skating (if I do have the proper equipment). Now Christmas jobs as yet, no permanent jobs as yet, even my PhD at Queen Mary University of London shall begin next year September. ‘What to do? What to do?...’ I thought aloud, ‘lets check-out the sun. Brilliant idea! But where to go...as I am on a wheelchair and I am on a limited budget?’

(Figuring out wheelchair accessibility while travelling and having a limited budget can be an daunting issue. Not to worry my friend, the trick is to be persistent and not to lose hope. One has to be determined that no matter what I have to get my way through. Even if your travel agent gets annoyed with you because you call ‘em everyday to recheck and reconfirm your travel trip, which happened with me and I am glad I rechecked a million times, will tell you all about it. Because, you know what folks! At the end of the day it is your money and safety.)

It was the second week of November, cold and raining outside. It was 10 in the morning but it looked like evening already. Well it was a miserable day out there but that does not mean I should feel the same. No, no, no! Was having a warm cup of tea, sitting next to the window beside my laptop, listening to the pitter patter sounds of the raindrops hitting the ground as they tumble from the sky. Nut so thinking about the sun! ‘Affordable sunny wheelchair accessible holidays’ I googled. My search came to an unlimited number of hits. They were a few weeks trips to Egypt, South Africa, sunny California, Morocco, Australia, Sahara desert.... Wish I could go to all these expensive atleast a minimum of £700 which not only included flight tickets but also wheelchair accessible accommodation in a hotel, airport transfers, food and drinks. Well a bit too much for me as my budget was around £400 or rather the cheaper the better. The I googled for travel agents, which was a good idea. Found one http://www.personaltraveladvisors.co.uk/, well they are many out there but this is whom I consulted. You just fill out your name, number and travel detail in the online contact form. Soon a travel agent calls back who, has been assigned as your personalised advisor and provides tailor made holidays. Nice, which is just what I was looking for. She confirmed all my travel details with ‘And you said you are on a wheelchair, Miss Ahmed, and you’ll be travelling on your own?’ she asked. ‘Yes, I am a permanent wheelchair user and I’ll be travelling on my own’ I confirmed. She also asked me if I wanna go somewhere in particular and for how long approximately. I told her ‘well where ever its warm and as I’m on a limited budget of around £400 preferable or essentially rather it should be an all inclusive holiday’. After a short silence she comforted me by saying: ‘not to worry, I am sure we’ll sort something out for you’. And yes we did sort out something.

It took me two weeks to sort out an appropriate trip.

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A bit about me.

My name is Nadia and the weather in England it 25 degrees Celsius, is lovely out here. Today I shall be introducing myself to the world. Gosh I feel like a spec of grain on the face of the earth. Anyways, so one of my better potentials is writing. As being a child I was a huge fan of Roald Dahl. Since I remember, even now, my approach to explaining encounters, problems and experiences has been very intriguing. I do have a very attractive, exciting and curious way of telling stories to people.
Unfortunately due to my career I have only been able to write research papers and ever really got the chance to explore my writing in a informal dramatic fashion. Now after my graduation, spend endless time in search of work, filling in job applications but uptill now no luck. Hence I thought why not do something which I love doing, and that is travelling. And now that I am on a wheelchair it makes my experiences more exciting ad dramatic. Its like begin to work on ma research paper. I have to do heaps of research before going on a vacation its more like a expedition. I have to ensure that where ever I am travelling is wheelchair accessible like the trains, hotels, museums, etc. Very knowledgeable I must say.
Anyway, therefore I thought of writing and sharing my experiences. My friend advised me is to start writing blogs. Wasnt really sure about this as there are way too many blogs all over the internet and mine would be unseen. But after looking into the whole situation I felt might as well give it a shot. Then after browsing the internet I came across blogger.com where I decided to begin my blog and here I am.
Please do read my blog and feel free to comment on it.
Or join my Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=120688481285587
Thankyou.
Nadia. X

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