The Plateau -- what comes next?

[Bobbi]

Is “The Plateau” the end of the road?

I’ve been looking at the plateau, or rather, the concept of it.

At first it appeared to be a stage reached which could not be improved upon, a barrier.
Where progress comes to an end.

This implied it was something to be rejected, avoided, not worthy of attention.
It’s strange what a difference a few words can make.

Now I see it somewhat differently.
I think it is wrong to see it as an end when it is actually just part of a process.

It is undoubtedly a resting point, a safe place to ease down after strenuous effort.
It is an opportunity to gather together what is necessary for further progress.
It allows one to meet and converse, to plan and prepare.

It is a sort of base camp. It is a stage in a long journey.
It can also be point to which to return after some objective has been attained.

Incidentally I think this forum could be seen as a plateau.
It is a safe and stable space.
Here one can collect ideas, know-how, fellow travellers.
It is a base from which to strike out, a place to return to with stories and yes, very likely, more questions.

So have you found the plateau?
and has it been of use to you?

Are you waiting for a word,
A secret that won’t be heard?
You tell me it’s too late
And already set by fate.

Yesterday has gone,
But it can teach us
How we must move on,
Avoid this landscape of pain,
Leave behind our loss.
Look to the future for gain.

keep on keepin on

[bob.isle]

Hi Bobbi,
Your post struck a bell with me; I was in hospital recovering from a serious stroke. I had been feeling some gradual progress after physio., etc but at about 5 months I felt progress had slowed and I mentioned it (this plateau) to my Consultant during his morning Ward round. IT SPARKED A FLURRY OF ACTIVITY TO GET ME DISCHARGED AND THE NEXT MORNING, CONSULTANT SAID I WOULD BE MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE AT HOME! He knew nothing of my home circumstances but told me that I’d have a full care package to support me, which included 2 Carers 4 times per day (paid for by LEEDS CITY COUNCIL (LCC)) and told me I would be discharged the next day. Not a lot of time to prepare!
There is a step up to my front door(I could not walk at that point!) so a ramp had to be installed.Discharge was delayed a day whilst ramp was fitted and then I was taken home in a wheelchair only to find that my wife could not get the wheelchair over the threshold, so 2 burly ambulancemen carried me over - and I was immediately A PRISONER IN MY OWN HOME !It was OK (just) when my 2 Carers were present as they could manhandle me around, but the next catastrophe was that LCC withdrew their financial support after a few weeks and I was forced to pay £2200 per month to cover cost of Carers!!! And in addition I had to pay for private physios at a cost of about £1500 per month, as NHS physio stopped after 12 weeks.
*The moral of the story is:do not believe everything you are told in hospital!*and try to get everything in writing if you can (if you subsequently have to sue in Court, you need evidence!)
Five years later and I am still paying for Carers and private physio!
Bob Isle.

[Mrs5K]

Plateaus can be seen as the place at which you will stay especially in the early days and if you know no different. It is only when you then move forward again that you realise it was just that resting place you describe. Maybe it’s because things progress slower after a while. I view these as a chance to reevaluate, rest & work out what I need to move forward again. Without this forum I may well have got stuck at my first plateau.

[Rups]

It’s a loaded word, but I agree with you that it is a temporary stasis that comes and goes like the tide. A plateau is also a neutral word and we tend to use it negatively, if you experience no change in a positive thing then it could be seen as a plateau. When my vision, finally, corrects itself I hope that I have reached a plateau, and not just a temporary one. In my own case, after a year, the changes I experienced became subtler, I’m sure progress was being made but not radical enough for me to properly measure it.

[Jbob]

I always wonder to myself mainly despite what most consider a strong recovery if there is more to come, how do I make it happen. Not 100% sure if this is a plateau or me understanding my limits.

Yesterday I worked at mum’s garden after taking her a shopping expedition, shovelled a ton of stone chips into place - maybe not the most taxing but by eck I was tired. Foolishly went for a bath- my nemesis forgot I still can’t grasp this fully with my left hand to get out so cursed a few times drained the bath then rolled over and on to my knees then out.

Initially I was upset then talked myself through -yup not a 30 year old martial arts champ now but got the job done, including getting out the bath myself may be a plateau but found a way around this. Always remember when I get here from Bruce Lee - take what is useful and use it , discard the rest.

[Rups]

I don’t know, sounds like a bath ninja manoeuvre for all intents and purposes.

[Jbob]

The roll may well have been effective but neither graceful or ninja like

[Dexster]

Plateaux are a vital part of the healing process. We might think nothing is going on inside us and that we are making no progress, but the plateau is the equivalent of the system drawing breath before it embarks on another tranche of healing. Healing puts a lot of stress on the mind and body, and is not linear. Embrace the concept - it might seem as if nothing worthwhile is going on inside us, but it is!