kp was fast asleep when I arrived this morning. She had slept from 10pm until 10am solid. She must have needed it after the restless night on Saturday. She did have a sleeping tablet to help her sleep, but that only lasts for 4 hours anyway.

Before I forget, kp received an email from an old school friend she used to talk to on the internet (David Irvine), she was very pleased to receive it and she will be emailing you at the weekend David. She spent about 20 minutes on the computer but couldn’t spend any longer because she couldn’t see the screen properly, that’s even with my glasses on The consultant is asking the opthamologist (spelling mum ?) to check her out. There must be something they can do to make focussing on things more bearable. Even TV is an effort which it used not to be.

kp had a cup of tea and a bowl of rice crispies followed by a bath (too hot). The nurses had left the spigot in the cupboard for kp so I put that on after the bath. It basically stops the urine from emptying from the bladder unless you turn the tap on. This allows kp’s bladder to fill up, so she can relearn when she “needs to go”. Her bladder (a muscle) needs to relearn being full, so the idea is we empty it less frequently as each day goes on. She managed a 3 hour stint at first, then 1 hour, then 2.5 hours, so a very successful first day, given the last time we tried it, she couldn’t manage any more than an hour

The spigot tucks nicely into kp’s pants and I likened it to a penis, but kp wasn’t amused when I asked her if she wanted to dress to the left or the right. Christ, I am gonna get it when kp reads this blog in a year’s time.

It was a bit chillier today, but we braved the winds to get some fresh air. It’s better than sitting in the bedroom all the time. She had a derby scone and a bag of crips plus a cup of tea for lunch. I would have liked her to have more, but she is getting to the stage of detesting hospital food. I am not overly worried, as I bring in the odd meal, and we have our treats.

Before we went to physiol, I had time for 20 minutes of kip before kp needed her bladder voiding (as the nurses call it). Physio today consisted of some stands (for a minute or two at a time) and then some standing on her right leg for about a minute as the physio helped her lift her left leg in the air. The idea is to strengthen her right leg so it can help her left leg follow through when walking. This lasted about 10-15 minutes and then she did some walking.

This was more impressive walking than before. She only did 3 steps, but she wasn’t holding the wheelchair this time, she had her right hand on the bench and she had no physios supporting her weight behind or in front of her (although they were there just in case). The main man DID help her left leg move forward to the right position, although kp can move it partly. I was impressed.

He also did some hand work with her getting her to move her left hand to her left knee and right knee, which she pretty much did, needing only a little help.

After physio, we phoned the policeman to find out if they had decided what to charge the driver with. We now have an answer He is being charged with the more serious offence of “Dangerous Driving”. We are pleased at this. The hearing will be at Christmas or just after.

Jane and Michelle arrived at about 4pm. Marie is back from her hols but not very well herself so we are looking forward to seeing her again when she is well enough. We had loads of laughs with Jane and Michelle.

Jane and Michelle wanted a fag so we all went outside and braved the elements. kp was cold when she got back and needed warming up, so we wrapped her up in blankets to try and get her warm.

From 5.15pm until 6pm, visitors can’t leave the ward as it is protected visiting, meaning all the staff help out with serving dinner. At about 5.20pm, the conversation drifted onto kp’s new gadget (her spigot) – fine ! Then to make kp feel better about it, Jane and Michelle started telling kp about all the different places and receptacles they had peed in or into. I wanted out, but shouldn’t leave before 6pm. Yikes !! I felt trapped. When Michelle threatened to show us how she could pee into a hospital men’s urine receptacle I left the room – promptly !!!

kp will be having a whale of time with Jane and Michelle. Hope she has a good night’s sleep tonight.