Living In Hospital, Yet Again

Fold-out engraving from Ferrante Imperato's Dell'Historia Naturale (Naples 1599), the earliest illustration of a natural history cabinet wiki commons

And Pliny reports: “that there are red toads that make their home in briars, and are full of sorcery and do wonderful things. For the small bone that is in its left side, when cast into cold water, makes it immediately become hot. It restrains the attacks of dogs. Added to a drink, it arouses love and quarrels. When tied to someone, it arouses lust. On the other hand, the little bone that is in the right side cools hot water, and it will not become hot again unless the bone is taken out. It cures quartan fevers, when tied in a fresh lamb’s skin, and prevents other fevers and love and lust. And the spleen and heart of these toads make an effective remedy against the poisons that are drawn from those animals.” source

So as I reported previously I am balancing my humours in a recovery ward, doing science based physiotherapy in order to walk again.

And today, I walked. Again.

What a relief, to know it just gets better and better. I am used to stroke recovery which takes years, you wake up one day now able to move a formerly flaccid arm. Like 6 years later because nerves grow slowly. In the meantime you wait, not knowing if you will ever recover. Many don’t. 70% die in the first 5 years. All my stroke recovery colleagues have passed.

Bone and surgery recovery only takes weeks and months, lighting fast in my frame of reference. Very few die.

June 5 to July 5 and I am taking my first small steps.

I cried with relief.

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