Recovering in Spain: First 3 weeks

After being in Europe for almost 3 weeks it’s time for a first update!

On the day we arrived in Holland the weather was very nice and we went to the beach in the afternoon with my Mum, sister, her boyfriend and their baby boy. Colin and I even swam in the sea! It was a 25K bike ride to get to the place where we met the others (almost 50 KM return) so we got some exercise too! The next few days I spent recovering from the jet lag and visiting friends and family.

I also went to see an optometrist (type of eye doctor) in The Hague. She has had a whiplash herself many years ago after a car crash. She had experienced symptoms similar to mine. She could see the uncontrolled rapid eye movements that are caused by this type of brain / neck injury and is writing a report about the tests she did on me.

After 6 days it was on to Spain. The weather in Holland deteriorated fast after the first 2 days so I was ready for some sunshine! No sunshine when I arrived in Valencia - just heat, clouds and humidity. Also no Dad to pick me up as the plane was delayed and he had to go see patients so could not wait at the airport until I had arrived. Cassey stayed at the airport to greet me and we waited for Dad to return to the airport 3 hours later.

The next few days were spent acclimatizing and planning doctors visits. My Dad did another thorough examination of my eyes. I went to see a GP and the therapist who is going to do the treatment on my neck. He is an Osteopath and Physiotherapist. So far the conclusion is whiplash and potentially some further damage in my neck. This is affecting my brain and ears and eyes and might also be preventing my brain from recovering from the concussion. I still need to have several x-rays and an MRI made and will see a neurologist and other specialists in the next few weeks.

When I’m not being seen by doctors I help Cassey with shopping and cooking and killing the locusts that are eating her roses. I also try to keep my legs hiking-fit by walking around the hood in the evenings (days are too hot) and sometimes I drive to work with my Dad as all his locations are close to beaches so I can go for a swim (good exercise!) while he sees his patients. Some pics below.

We also went for a very quick visit to the UK last weekend. My great-aunt had passed away on September 6^th at 97 years of age and we attended her funeral.

I got carsick for the first time in my life caused by the combination of an injured neck and head, sitting in the back of the car, my Dad’s erratic driving, English country roads, speed bumps, Dad having to relearn how to operate a manual car - with the stick on the wrong side - and the car being brand new and therefor having breaks that actually work. Not fun! But the good thing is that I now know why my headaches and dizziness suddenly increased as soon as I got to Spain. Also Dad has learnt his lesson and trying to drive a little slower and smoother now when I’m in the car.

Treatment on my neck has started but I will write about that another time.