kp had a better night last night but was very lethargic when she woke up, staring into space a lot

We did the usual bedbath thing, and it was much quicker today, which is better for kp.

Car Photos
At kp’s request, I showed her the photos of the car she was in when the accident occurred. She wasn’t phased by them at all. I think that was partly because she couldn’t see them properly, despite me printing them off A4 size for her. Marie later showed her them with the magnifying glass, but because Marie got upset when she saw them, I think kp was putting on a brave face – or maybe, she just was too lethargic to get upset.

Rather than include the photos so they show up straight away in the blog, I have made it so you need to click on the links below to see them. Kevin warned me to sit down before I saw them. They are quite shocking, and it is unbelievable that there were 3 people in the car in the pictures. Only click on these links if you want to see pictures of the car kp, Kevin and Angela were in.

Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4

Policeman’s Visit
The policeman from the scene came in today. He answered any questions Karen had. Here are some snippets I can recall from what he said, which was either new to me, or interesting from his angle (I can’t say too much because the man in question hasn’t been interviewed yet) :-

When the policeman first got to the car, he was unaware there was a third person (Karen) in the car. He could only see Kevin and Angela. It wasn’t until he was looking at Angela’s predicament that he saw Karen.

He told Karen that he had had to lie on her to help Angela at one point, and he apologised for putting his weight on her. As soon as he said this, kp recalled this part of the crash. She said

kp:- So that was you
She then made a fist at the policeman. We all laughed. kp smiled.

The road was closed for 3 hours.

About 18 policeman were involved at the scene.

The man (who is at fault) was going about 60mph in the van when he impacted Kevin’s car. The momentum of the video tapes in the back of the van caused the rivets to pop

Physio
The physio did his thing, and the occupational therapist came today also. She is going to be helping kp learn how to do day to day things again with only 1 working arm/hand.

Good Afternoon with Marie and Michelle
kp had a good afternoon with some laughs with her sisters.

She seems to have lost a bit of confidence when we move her round the bed. At one point this afternoon, Marie was moving kp (with Michelle’s assistance), and kp got so unnerved by the move, she grabbed a hold of Marie’s blouse and was lifting it high in the air. Marie had a bra on apparently. After Marie commented, kp grabbed Marie’s hip and trousers (for support) and proceeded to pull them down (unintentionally).

So, if you want to be stripped naked whilst visiting Karen, just volunteer to help in moving duty !

Pelvic X-Ray
kp is due an x-ray tonight or tomorrow to see how the pelvis is mending. That should be interesting.

Occupational Therapist
kp enjoyed hearing how the occupational therapist was going to help her do things for herself again. Over the next few days, she is going to learn how to take her nighty off and a few other basic things which we all take for granted.

Feeling better in herself
kp is much more settled in this ward. The nurse to patient ratio is probably the same as on the last ward, but the care is better. This is probably because the patients are generally more well than on the last ward and therefore they have more time for the patients. This ward is also more geared for rehabilitation.

I just want to say there were some cracking staff on the last ward and the above comment is not intended to disrespect their efforts.

I left a very tired kp at 7.30pm (official visiting end) for the first time tonight. She was zonked. And she is happy for me to come in at 8.30am instead of 8am. She has no fear of being left alone in this ward. The long shifts we cover were needed for the previous ward, but I am confident kp feels comfortable in the care of Ward 22.