Hello peeps,it was few months ago that I wrote that I will be signing off for a while, in order to have a total required rest after my above knee amputation. I will like to first of all, thank you all for your kind and heart warming goodwill messages. I read them all and sincerely appreciated them.

My recovery had been very impressive from the start till now. I never allowed my age to hamper the pace of my recovery, to the extent that my son (my surgeon) awarded me the unofficial best patient he had ever had award. Though he may be bias in his assessment/prognosis, with me being his father, but he is not far from being right. (lol)
I used my nearly 40 years experience as an orthopaedic surgeon to help myself a great deal, regarding do's and do nots. As five (5) days after my surgery I tried and succeeded in sitting down on a chair and subsequently standing up (cos I knew the importance/benefit). After a week, I was walking around in crutches (though not advisable due to high chances of falling down)

Two weeks later, the stitches were taken off and I left the hospital and went to a newly opened NHS rehab centre in Kennington London. There I preferred to spend more of times in the gym rather than in bed. I was ridding the gym bikes like there is no tomorrow, pulling/lifting weights and every thing that could help with my blood circulation and breathing.
So my surgery was at my co-owned hospital and my rehab was with a public healthcare centre. Which works out quite well in terms of cost to me and the public.

Almost immediately I was taken off the anaesthesia, I started to feel the phantom sensation pain. Phantom pain, is a neurological inspired pain you can get after an amputation. This is where your brain still send signal/impulses to the part of the body that has been amputated as if they are still there and this signal come out as pain, even though the part is not there anymore. And in most cases, it seem that the patient is still seeing the gone limb.

So the higher the level of pain you got before amputation, the higher the rate/chances of your phantom pain. So mine is immense because of my pre-surgery chronic pains was too much. Unfortunately for the likes of me, there is no known cure. Some therapies like mirror visual imagery, acupuncture has helped some people, some are lucky-their brain soon recognised that the amputated limb is gone and stopped sending signals.

So after two weeks in the rehab, my stump was measured as the wound has completely healed to my amazement, despite my age. Then another two weeks passed, I couldn't contained my excitement as my knew prosthetic limb arrived. My wife, children and all my grand children were there when I was presented with what will become part of me for the nearest future.
Privately, my prosthesis helped me to put it on. Like a little girl showing off her new dress, I came out sitting on my wheelchair and appeared before my family, with the gasping shout of Wow!! from them.
Grandad you got a robotic leg! That is wicked and so cool! my grand children yelled.

We were all happy and my wife cried a little bit. But the hard work of learning how walk with it, starts from there. And I can tell you, it really! really! a handwork no matter your age. It makes you appreciate babies as they learned how to walk.

I used my experience in the field to get the prosthetic limb available and that will be suited for my lifestyle, irrespective of the cost. The one I got will cost around £35,000 if am paying for it in my hospital.
Its one of the best around, at the moment.

It's very high-tech. its fitted with some micro chip that analysis how normally you will walk and will build a data around it, and control how you walk with every step you take. With that, you cannot trip, which is very common with most prosthesis for above knee amputees as the built in computer understand various ground surfaces.

So eight weeks in the rehab, I was discharged to go home finally. But before I was discharged, am happy to say that I was walking with the aid of one crutch and, but as I write this to you, I am now walking without the aid of anything, not even a walking stick.

When I put on a trouser standing up, you cannot guess which is the false leg. I am still walking with a limp, but it will improve over time. I am now driving regularly. Even last week I drove from my home in Surrey to Paris in France through Calais without problems, with me and my daughter taking turns, driving.
I just bought a new bicycle, am learning how to ride it again, especially with my grandchildren in the countryside roads of Surrey. I cannot forget to mention that the quality of food in the NHS centre/hospital has improved greatly since I last worked for them. You can now even ordered ethnic food like Jollof rice, Chicken stew rice, and many India/chinese/afro caribbean foods of your choice.

Everything has been awesome, as the American will describe it and I will thank the almighty and my family he used to take good care of me and also the fantastic British healthcare system you cannot beat. My whole first class treatment at least would have at least cost £142,899 when we did the calculation, if I was to be a foreigner seeking such a treatment in a British private hospital like mine.

My wife was brilliant, God know how much of mileage she clocked driving from Surrey every single day I was in the hospital and rehab to visit me. My daughter took a month off her job and came down with my grandchildren from her base in Doha to help her mother.
My son and his wife were not just immense but unbelievably great. There was no Italian delicacy my daughter in-law didn't specially prepared and brought for me, her being Italian. To keep me occupied, I also now studies the bible once a week now with the Jehovah's Witnesses for the past one month and I can't believe that I am enjoying what I am learning for the first time.

One of the nurses in my hospital (Olubukola), who happens to be the longest serving nurse in my hospital, visits me each weekend while I was in hospital and rehab. And each time, she will come with some delicious Nigerian dishes, especially the Igbo dishes, which I was marvelled how well she can cook it, knowing that she is not Igbo herself.

Until she told me that some of the Igbo dishes like Ofe Oha or Ura she bought from a Nigerian restaurant, of which we cracked a lot of jokes about, when I queried and some she learned how to cook them from her Igbo friends, she told me. Her visits does cheer me up, especially the day she came with he five children. She is now more like a daughter to me than an employee, all these years.

Now back to the real deal--which is NAIRALAND. I had been reading your stuff, whenever I can and nothing has changed, with the usual fire works. The usual issues of bad governance from top to bottom, Rotimi Amaechi, GEJ, bullet proof cars etc. Hopefully I will fully rejoined you soon.

I planned to take a break with a visit to Biafraland with the whole of my family, as those at home wants to see me too. They were great through Facebook, Skype. Viber and whatsapp, you name them.

And guess what? We will be landing at Enugu International Airport. That is so great. But I tell you what! it was the most expensive airfare me and my family had ever paid (£8k+) for all us. So expensive!
Maybe because only two airline goes there, so far.

But I didn't mind, as its the symbolism of it that matters to us.
No longer having to fly to Lagos or to the north before going to my homeland, which take ages and very risky at times. This time, 25 minutes after arrival, I am in my Enugu residential home. It can't get better than that.

So I will like to thank all you again, and may Jah guide and protect all of you.
Regards Eziachi

Good to hear from you, Pa Eziachi. We are happy with your speedy recovery.

It is well with u Pa Eziachi

Good to have you back on your feet!!

Hope we won't be seeing you at the olympics at this rate of your recovery ,what with the McLaren leg, exercise regime and new bike

Good to hear that you're doing fine...Also good to hear that you'll be landing in Enugu all the way from London.

Nice one. Many more years of good health for you.

Thank God for your quick recovery.

Please take photos of the airport and give us ur enlighted assessment of the airport.

You said two airline lands at the airport, whats the second one besides ethopian airline?

We thanks God for your life Eziachi. I am glad to hear you are recovering.

Mods, please move this to the Politics section.

Or the General Section. I'm sure Pa Eziachi is not looking for dates.

Glad you are thriving, 'young' sir Eziachi.

You too, Ekiti Bear.

Excellent development.

Wish you safe recovery.

This is the first time am reading any of your posts Pa Eziachi and I most commend your spirit! Welldone sir and welcome home......

Thank God for your life

So good to know u're in good Spirit. I read this with tears in my eyes. Can't understand why i am still teary eyed? Welcome back Sir.