I’m on my way ......

 Well Christmas was quiet but lovely and I had chance to catch up with all of the family on Facetime. I had the added bonus of a surprise phone call from my cousin from Zambia who was visiting for the holidays. The four days off were meant to re-energise me but on Tuesday, my first day back in physio I really seemed to have lost my confidence. I found myself wary of giving the final push to get myself up onto my legs and I was also having problems with dizziness, which doesn't help when you're effectively trying to walk on stilts.  Wednesday was spent with the physios trying to sort out my vertigo with a series of stretches and exercises which in the end left me feeling quite drained. After a good nights sleep however, today I felt re-motivated and ready for my last physio session of the year. After working hard to regain my confidence the day before I found I could balance and stand unaided for longer, while taking shorter rest between attempts. I even managed some standing a...

After a quiet weekend with lots of sleep I was feeling re-energised and started the week determined that if I wasn’t able to have a Christmas visit, I would make the best use of my time. I had decided that my goals for this week would be to stand unaided for 30 seconds and to walk with the pulpit without the aid of the Physiotherapists. By the end of Wednesdays session I had achieved goal two. 🙂 Goal one took a little longer but after a couple of attempts, by the end of this mornings session I had it cracked!👍 I now have four days off to regroup and regain my strength, (as well as celebrate Christmas) ready to push on and break new boundaries next week.  Maybe I will crack this walking business after all! 🙂 Wishing you all a  merry and safe Christmas 🎄🙂

Another week of slow but steady progress.  On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday it was back to a combination of both Corridor walks and Gym work focussing on my legs. Each day I was able to improve on the last by walking a just little further each time but by Thursday after my dressing change the pain in my left leg was too much and it was decided I should keep off it for the day. Instead I concentrated on side lying and exercising in bed. On Friday we gave it another go and I was able to not only walk, once again beating my personal best, but also stand on the pulpit unaided for the first time! It was only for a short while but it felt great and encouraged me to push on.🙂 Ive also been practicing and improving on my personal  hygiene  skills by brushing my teeth and hair, and washing my own face. A lot of the other personal skills are learnt while sitting upright which unfortunately im not allowed to do because of the wounds on my bottom but these are slowly improving so ho...

 After the success of Monday we decided to carry on practicing standing up and sitting down. Who would have thought that getting up from a sitting position would take so much mental effort never mind the physical side? You have to break down each individual movement in your mind and then carry them out in sequence. Knowing what to move, where to and when just isn’t second nature anymore. Sitting back down is different again and it’s strange not being able to trust your balance but with the help of the team I was able to take my first real steps while turning to sit back on the bed 🙂 Wednesday was spent continuing to practice getting up from and down into a seated position.I was also able to shuffle a few more steps and used the chance to get used to my change in balance Thursday morning had my regular dressing change and I was told my wounds continue to improve. This is vital if I am to continue moving forward. On the afternoon I did the first of my Corridor walks and with the aid...

 After the success of the previous days, Thursday continued in much the same vein with more exercise and standing on my legs. But in yet another " You couldn't write this stuff!" moment, on Friday I woke up to find that my vertigo, a complaint I've suffered from to varying degrees over recent years, decided to make a reappearance.  Every time I went to move my head the room started to spin. First time upright for nearly a year and my balance goes haywire! I spent the rest of the day  lay in bed trying to calm it down.The rest of the weekend was spent in exactly the same way and while the feeling seemed to gradually subside, I couldn’t help worry that this was going to push my progress back. On the positive side, all of the side-lying has had a marvellous effect on the healing on my bottom. Monday morning I cautiously sat up to have my dressings changed and it wasn’t too bad. With some medication to counteract the sickness we decided to push on and thankfully I was abl...

 Well look what happened this week! After another round of dressing changes on Monday, my wounds continue to improve and I once again resumed my routine of exercise followed by sleep. I was also told that prosthetics had my legs ready and that I would probably be getting them the following day. On Tuesday my legs were brought in to me, all red and shiny. Seeing them for the first time, I think the reality and permanency of my condition really hit home and while in my own mind I thought I should be celebrating, what I actually felt was fear and loss. Fear of what lies ahead and loss of what I had. I don't know why but I had just thought I would pop them on and up I'd get but with the limited movement I currently have in my right knee, I found it incredibly difficult. I wasn't actually able to get my foot far enough under me to push myself up. For the rest of the day I just kept glancing at them propped up in the corner of the room. The following day, after a talk with the te...