Reversal

Every patient has a story. This is mine. In September 2005 I was diagnosed with a non-malignant brain tumor the size of a golf ball on my brainstem and cerebellum. In a month I had brain surgery to have it removed. I also had radiation therapy and a lengthy dose of outpatient physical and occupational therapy. Like most young people, I thought I was invincible. I found out the hard way I’m not. I’m very lucky. I’m also a walking contradiction. I usually don’t read, but here I am writing a book. I’m a “jock,” but I’ve always liked to write. I am a second-generation Filipino-American. My parents were born and raised in the Philippines, but I was born and raised in the US so I am very “Americanized.” I’m a physical therapist, but for over a year I was a patient. I somehow ended up in a very strange predicament. As a physical therapist, it’s my job to help people regain their function in everyday life. Now, I would be on the receiving end of this relationship. What was even more strange was the fact that the people I used to work side-by-side with were now working with me as a patient. I graduated from Physical Therapy school in Dec 2003. I worked for 6 months in the acute care setting seeing post-surgical patients. I then worked for a year in an outpatient orthopedics clinic seeing patient with back, neck, shoulder or leg pain. After my brain surgery I was left with no coordination, double vision, an extremely weak voice, and the inability to walk. I hoped that this would all be a temporary inconvenience. My cognition and will were 100% normal when I got home, but since I was not perceived by other people as “normal,” I got some peculiar responses from people. This is my journey through life as a person with physical impairments. This book was written for rehab education students and for younger active rehab patients. It is meant to give students an idea of what a patient goes through. It’s also meant to give hope to patients going through the rehab process. The book is titled Reversal: When a Therapist Becomes a Patient obviously because I’m a physical therapist who became a patient. The title also has a hidden meaning. In high school I was a state champion in wrestling. I would score a lot of my points off of reversals. A reversal is a scoring move where initially your opponent is in control of you. You get points for a reversal when you turn the tables and take control of your opponent. As a patient, one of the hardest things I had to deal with was the loss of control. Everyone around me wanted to be “helpful,” especially the people closest to me. Of course I needed help early on, but as I got stronger I felt I could still do many of the things I used to do (not exactly the same way). I felt like I needed people standing beside me more than I needed them standing behind me. It was a struggle getting my sense of control back. There was no way I was going let a damned brain tumor control my life. The book is a compilation of my personal journal entries/blogs for my friends and family. Most people have blogs to express their opinions about certain topics: political, pop culture, or whatever. All my friends in San Diego have blogs. I’m sure that if you think of a topic, there is a blog on the internet somewhere dedicated to it. I started it when I moved to San Diego as a way for my friends and family to “keep up” with me. One afternoon, I was lying in my hospital bed on the rehab unit staring at the ceiling and I had an epiphany. I should share my experiences with students and young patients. I remember how boring the books we read in school were. I remember thinking, “School prepared me for the potential physical challenges I would be up against, but I wish I knew what to expect as a patient. Hmmm… I could write a book! Yeah! Why not, I’ll have plenty of time on my hands.” I think I told a few people of my grand plan, but they probably laughed it off. The idea got more concrete the longer the rehab process lasted. Music has always been a large part of my life. I’m always listening to something whenever I’m reading, writing, or studying. There’s always a song that captures a moment. Many of the chapters have the names of songs that correspond to the different phases/aspects of my rehab process. The common denominators for a successful rehab process are a positive attitude, a good sense of humor, and a strong support system. I’m very lucky to have a strong group of people that love me. I’ve dedicated a large portion of the book to my friends and family. I don’t think I could have done this by myself. I asked a few people close to me to contribute essays to the book because I thought they could offer a unique perspective on this surprising and extraordinary situation. Their voices were very important because they would be the people I would interact with throughout this strange ordeal. I asked them to write short essays about their experiences and to title their essays after popular songs to keep with the spirit of the book. I jokingly called this group of people “the Collective” like the Borg from Star Trek because we shared all of our writing with each other and they were my confidants /counsel during this project. They always knew what I was doing and how I was feeling. These essays take into account their perspectives on my rehab process because an intimidating diagnosis affects more people than just the patient. It is my hope that this book elicits an emotion from you. Be it laughter, disgust, or pride. I hope you can somehow relate to my situation. What would you do if you were in my shoes? I promise this won’t be your average patient-written book: look out for corny jokes and random pop culture references. For terms that are difficult to understand, refer to the glossary in the appendix section. One afternoon I was listening to my iPod and I thought “I like all these titles/songs. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a book soundtrack?” With a little creativity, I was able to think of a way to make it happen. The book soundtrack is available on iTunes as an iMix. Please visit the web site www.ericgalvezdpt.com for details. I’m not a writer nor will I claim to be one. I published the book because there was a need for something like this. Hopefully it inspires you to do something. Please bear with me through the inadequacies of this book. Enjoy!!!