Another cracker of a day !

Absolutely gorgeous weather today. Blisteringly hot sun so we spent lots of time outside and kp has a bit of sunburn now (no joke).

Physio today saw another achievement. Today, kp walked out of the physio room (about 12 steps again in total, but with a few turns and twists along the way to get round corners). When she had finished walking into the corridor, she was facing one of the nurses who applauded her when she sat down

I should make it clear that she couldn’t have done it on her own yet. She relies on the main man moving her left leg into the right position, but it’s early days and this is all reinforcing the feeling of walking which is so crucial for her relearning of this act that most of us take for granted.

Another good bit of news came in the form of Bladder issues. Next week, they are going to fit a spigot instead of a bag onto kp’s catheter, so her bladder starts to fill up and she gets the sensation of needing the loo. They tried this a week or so ago and it led to problems in way of infection, but they seem more hopeful this time. A spigot is like a tap. So when she needs the loo, she turns the tap on to drain her bladder.

And then………..a week on Monday, (after a week on the spigot), the catheter comes out. She is really looking forward to that ! My concern was that she won’t be able to get to the loo in time, but apparently, she can learn to self-catheterize which sounds like fun (NOT !).

So, kp was over the moon with physio and the catheter side of things.

At about 3pm, Jane and Ronnie arrived in Jane’s new beautiful Red Rover MG. They arrived in style and made kp and I laugh our socks off at their rendition of Amarillo.

Here is a video clip of their arrival :-

Jane and Ronnie arriving in Style

Apparently, because kp and I were slow at coming down to greet them, they had been round the hospital 4 times singing the song before we got there.

They got some very strange looks from other people enjoying the sun.

We enjoyed the fresh air and banter, before going in for Pizza, Doner Kebabs and Indian meals that we had delivered. It was lovely. Jane, par for the course, got her curry down her tea-shirt. If she doesn’t get at least one breast blessed at every meal, it isn’t a proper meal. If that’s not her motto it should be.

Jane loves her MG and I decided on doing a little practical joke on her. As Jane took the lift down, I went to get her MG car key and I reparked her MG in a different parking spot (quite a way from her parking spot).

It nearly backfired as they walked right past me as I drove past them, but NONE of them saw me driving the car 15 feet away, they were too busy gossiping.

I parked the car and quickly joined them.

dp:- Here’s your key Jane. I picked it up so you could put the lager in the boot
Jane:- Thanks David

Still no inkling

dp:- Here, I’ll put the lagers in the boot for you.
Jane:- Thanks (gossip continuing with Ronnie and kp)
dp:- Have you moved your car Jane ?

Jane looked torwards the parking space 15 feet away from where they were sitting and her fag dropped pointing towards the floor, she said nothing and just stared at the parking spot in horror.

A deadly silence pursued. I let it carry on for about 5 seconds. It felt like an eternity.

dp:- It’s ok Jane, your car is over there. I moved it.

Relief doesn’t begin to describe Jane’s feelings. I hugged her, before she gave me a left hook. Cracking note to end a wonderful day on.

We are all set for our weekend at home. Can’t wait. Trip to Ikea tomorrow.

Had to do lots of admin at home today before picking Adele up to do our cleaning/ironing. Thanks Adele.

Arrived at the hospital to pick up a bathed/clothed kp with wet hair ready for Vidal David Sassoon to do his thing. In no time, we were packed off with our drugs stash and heading for Ikea to pick up some lights. It was our first experience of shopping from a wheelchair and it wasn’t too bad. Disabled Parking Spaces are closer to the score which is good. They have wheelchair trolleys that fit on the front of the wheelchair which are canny. Feels like you’re pushing an articulated lorry.

People are very accommodating and tend to move out of the way if they see you coming especially when kp toots her horn. If they don’t move on the first toot, I have a backup air horn which makes them scarper.

After Ikea we went to Harry Ramdens to find it shut So went to Asda to get some weekend supplies. Again a pleasant shopping experience and we went to their cafe afterwards. I couldn’t carry the tray from the counter and push kp to the table at the same time, so told the lady at the till I would be right back and she kindly shut the till down and walked over with us with our tray much to the dismay of the people behind us in the queue.

Asda done, we went to the Garden Centre (kp doesn’t do things by half). That was a bit more of a negative experience with gravel covering half the garden centre. Makes for very hard going and a bumpy ride. And they don’t have wheelchair trolleys there, so we were restricted to buying 4 tubs of winter pansies which kp is going to plant tomorrow.

Back at the house, we had a good natter with Adele, before Adele needed taking back to catch the bus to Middlesbrough. I left kp cocooned in the duvet and unfortunately Adele, when she had said her goodbyes to kp, must have left the door ajar, so when I came back kp was cocooned in the duvet with 3 dogs filling any spaces.

That takes us up until 7pm and the next blog will be tomorrow HOPEFULLY reporting a successful night’s sleep.

Finger’s crossed.

I am pleased to report a good night’s sleep was had. kp didn’t think she had had a good night’s sleep, but when i told her about her snoring, she came round to thinking she had slept well, and put the lack of sleep in her mind, down to not getting to sleep until after midnight. She got up at 1.45pm.

Lovely breakfast with me and the dogs in the garden on a glorious day.

That’s it for Saturday upto now. Going to the Garden Centre for more plants and stuff and Pizza tonight.

Garden Centre trip went fine. Hit the usual obstacle of can’t push wheelchair and trolley at the same time, but once I had got 6 hanging baskets to the till, the lady helped me with them to the car.

kp enjoyed her peruse. I used to get impatient with her at this kind of event, but I don’t now. I even point things out to her which previously (pre-accident) I hoped she wouldn’t see.

Back at the house, we enjoyed the rest of the lovely Saturday afternoon/early evening in the back garden with the dogs before heading in. kp then went for a lie-down as her bum was getting numb (“numb bum syndrome” I think is the medical term for it).

She came back out of the cocoon for pizza which we both thoroughly enjoyed and then we retired.

Not as good a night’s sleep for Karen last night.

Her pain medication was reduced at the back end of last week. She is on 50mg Fentanyl (morphine-based) patches and 1500mg Gabapentin (nerve-based painkiller). She used to be on 75mg Fentanyl and 1800mg Gabapentin.

I think we are seeing some break-thru pain as she was complaining about a “hurting back” a lot of the night and wasn’t too successful finding a comfy position.

She is snoozing now, while I write the blog and then walk the dogs. Hopefully she’ll get a good couple of hours.

Mum and Dad coming today bringing lunch, and then kp is wanting to get back to the hospital for a bath as she can’t shower OR bath here.

Well, when kp got up, she still was complaining about her bad back and didn’t know how she would be able to stand to get to the wheelchair.

But, it turned out that standing helped her back get a bit of relief. kp felt her hair needed washing before mum and dad visited, but she couldn’t stick her head over the bath, but she could get it over the sink. Unfortunately the shower wouldn’t reach that far.

kp passed me the plastic jug from the hospital that is used to empty kp’s catheter bags.

kp:- Use this

I explained why another jug might be preferable

Hair washed, dried and styled, she had a piece of toast with some tea outside.

Then it was time to plant the pansies she had bought yesterday. I did the heavy lifting (no change there), and she donned her plastic gloves and planted 24 pansies.

Followed by watering…………

We just had enough time for a cup of tea before Mum and Dad arrived with Meat and Potato Pie (and Red Cabbage . Dad had a couple of photos from ages ago with kp in intensive care,

We showed them to kp :-

She has absolutely NO recollection of the events of that day (Day 26), even when dad explained some of the funnier moments.

I explained that I thought that was normal etc….

Dad and Karen sat outside chatting while Mum heated the Meat and Potato Pie up to room temperature

It was lovely of them to come up AND bring lunch. We were asked by one of the sisters to think about if we wanted to be referred to Durham Social Services for some help when Karen comes home. If we were in any doubt before, we aren’t now. It is so draining to care for someone 24/7. By this afternoon, I was knackered from just 36 hours of care, so we will be saying “yes” to any help offered.

It was lovely for mum to take care of the meal and the washing up. The smallest of breaks is really appreciated. Mum, you left some stuff on the table that you didn’t clear away. I will leave it there for next time when you can sort it

I felt a bit sorry for Mum and Dad actually, they travelled the 200+ mile round trip, and I was so tired/drained I could have cried, and kp wasn’t that much more wide awake.

It was lovely to see them.

Mum and Dad went about 4pm I think, and we stayed outside for another 30 minutes, before I had to lie down. I got kp on the bed, laid down, and the romantic I am, fell asleep within 30 seconds and was out for a full hour before kp woke me saying she was dying for a pee, which normally means the catheter has a kink in it somewhere.

That sorted, we enjoyed a last half hour outside, before I took kp back. She opted to skip the bath, to give me more “Zzzzzzzz” time, which was nice.

That’s about it.

We have both had a CRACKING weekend. We love each other so much, I know we will get through this.

Every moment together is precious…..

Love you kp

dp
xxxxx

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.

Forgot to mention that yesterday, kp had a stitch removed from her stomach. It had been there for months and wasn’t coming out by itself like they had hoped, so the doctor put some anaesthetic gel on her and cut it out. It came out a treat, much to kp’s delight.

A bright and alert kp greeted me this morning. She was watching daytime tv while eating Rice Crispies from the most awkward of angles.

I had got a bit tipsy last night (ahem!) and kp had me reading emails out to her and I was slurring word after word, so I needed a jugful of water when I arrived to prevent dehydration.

I read out blog comments before she went in the bath. After the bath, she had her buttock wound redressed. It’s closing up nicely. Previously, you could have got a strawberry in there with a squeeze, now it’s down to a raspberry.

It was a glorious day today, so after the bath, we went outside for some fresh air. We had a cup of tea in our little corner which catches the sun and avoids the wind.

The spigot is working a treat, and kp is doing really well with it. So we are on course for catheter removal next monday.

When we got back to the room, I went for a sleep until physio.

Physio today involved kp getting into lots of strange positions eg Sitting on the bench, but leaning to her right, and lifting her left leg up and to the left and lots of variations on that. I think it was to loosen her left hip.

It is very hard to describe the weirdness of the positions and at the time I started thinking how I was going to describe them in the blog, so I started taking photos of all these weird positions until I got the sternest of looks from kp………..

This is her “Put the BL++DY camera down” look. I don’t think I dare publish those photos.

After the strange positions, she did a stand :-

When she stands, her right leg locks lovely, but she doesn’t have the sensation in the left leg to realise when her left leg is locked. In the photo about, she probably thinks her left leg is locked, but as can be seen, it’s got a bend in it.

After some standing, it was time for walkabout. With wheelchair in front of her……….

she walked about 20 steps. She walked out of the physio room and down the corridor to the “Quiet Room”. The main man was on his knees controlling her left leg and making sure the left foot was in the right spot so it could carry the weight as her right leg moved forward. He wanted kp to feel the motion of walking and to get into the rhythm of it. She wasn’t far off either, but I don’t think I helped matters. The main man was by kp’s left leg on the floor, the other physio was on kp’s right (for support just in case) and I was in front of the wheelchair making sure it didn’t run away too fast, but I think I was slowing it down too much, when really kp should have been pushing it. Anyway, I know for next time.

Physio over, we went outside to enjoy the sunshine and Marie, Michelle and Glenn arrived. Marie is back from her hols and it was good to see her. kp (and I) had been looking forward to it. She had brought kp a T-shirt. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Tomorrow, Angela is visiting kp, so we are looking forward to that.

I picked Angela up today to visit kp. kp was all bathed, dressed and sitting in her wheelchair when we arrived. She looked lovely in her new “I’m a walking miracle” T-shirt.

Angela and kp gassed for ages about their situations. It is very interesting hearing Angela’s perspective of everything, as she is back at home now and experiencing life with the lack of mobility (that she currently has) due to the accident.

Time flew and I nipped out for our Fish Supper while they still gassed.

kp wasn’t hungry but managed to eat a whole chip buttie, before we returned to the room so she could get rid of her numb bum. I was knackered and just had to sleep (sorry Angela). kp woke me up when it was time to take Angela home AND THAT’S IT for today. Seems like a very short day for me.

kp has more entertainment tonight in the form of Jane Burns and Marie. They are going to be having a Pizza Night. Should be fun.

I was knackered yesterday and I see today that my blog entry missed a couple of funny things out.

So, the following incidents occurred yesterday :-

Sometimes when I am very tired, I find everything goes wrong, yesterday was a prime example.

In the morning, kp wanted to empty her bladder. Essentially, this just involves turning a tap and placing a cardboard urine collector (normally used by men) over the end of the tap. So, I turned the tap and waited for kp to get some relief from a full bladder which took about a minute. Normally at this time, the urine starts coming out more slowly, so to confirm this was the case I pulled the tap slightly out of the urine collector to have a look, only to drip it on the sheets in between kp’s legs In my haste to correct this, I tipped the urine collector up the wrong way and spilled about 1/4 pint all over kp

I was f’ing and blinding. I quickly ran over to the other side of the bed to get some new sheets, hitting my head on the TV. More f’ing and blinding.

I then came back to sort out the mess and got some paper towels to dab the end of the tap. I kind of gave the plastic hose end a flicking action with the paper towel only to find a load of urine splatter across my face.

It’s funny now, but at the time, it wasn’t !

More from the front line later………

Karen had had a great late night with Jane and Marie, enjoying pizza and garlic bread in the Day Room. The leftover pizza/garlic bread was enjoyed by the nursing staff.

Well, after a 14 hour sleep, I was feeling much more refreshed and ready to tackle kp in all her glory.

We went through blog comments and kp had a few bowel issues which the sister is looking into before we did the bath thing.

Bath over, we went outside to enjoy the glorious sunshine and some tea and fruit salad for kp.

I had a snooze before physio. kp said that one of the nurses nearly had heart failure when she came in to give kp her tablets and saw my feet hanging out alongside kp’s bed. I apologised later, but asked her “where was the kiss of life”. She laughed, obviously not thinking I was keen for any kiss going from a nurse.

Physio today was great. It involved some strengthening routines and then a walk (with wheelchair in front) beyond the Quiet room to the first nurse’s station. She did really well. Her walking is getting better as well. Although the main man was positioning her left foot every step, he commented on how much better the flow of her legs was.

We only stopped because a bed was in the way. I estimate 25-30 steps.

Whilst the main man nipped back to the physio room for something, kp asked the other physio :-

kp:- “Dya think if I ask (MAIN MAN) how long before I am walking, he will tell me straight”
Daniel O’Donnell Fan (Physio) :- You can always ask

When he returned :-

Daniel O’Donnel Fan (Physio) :- Karen has a question for you
Main Man :- Karen, with a question, I don’t believe that. This must be a first

Well, we were laughing at that. Karen is known in the family for asking 100 questions where one would do. If there are any new boyfriends on the scene for nieces or sisters, she gives them a full blown interview before they can have a first kiss. Karen and I didn’t think she had been too bad and had been very toned down. In fact, we were amazed they had sussed this aspect of her

kp:- So, (MainMan), when do you think I will be walking
Main Man :- 6 weeks

Wahey……………….!

kp was very pleased with this, because walking means she can go home. We had thought just before Xmas, and now its mid November.

Obviously, we understand that this is not set in stone, but it’s a might sooner than we thought.

As soon as we got back in the sun outside, kp was straight on the phone to my dad to share the good news.

Marie arrived to enjoy the sunshine. We must have stayed out an hour or so before numb bum syndrome set in.

Tomorrow it’s the big day. Donny Osmond Concert Day ! kp is really looking forward to it. I am going in for 4pm and Marie is doing the early shift. We are going straight from the hospital.

Should be interesting. I can’t wait. Let me try and say that more enthusiastically, “I can’t wait !!!!!”

I’ll keep working on that.

Actually, I am going to enjoy seeing kp enjoy herself. Last time Donny came to the Telewest Arena, kp was ill and couldn’t use her ticket, bizarrely this time, she is MORE ill, and is going. Funny old game, life.

I’ll try and snap some shots of kp with a smile. I think there will be plenty of opportunity.

D-Day !

Donny Day !

Marie did the early shift today and arrived at 12pm to find a fully showered kp. She had had her first shower which she really enjoyed. That might take the place from the bath from now on as it is easier for kp. We will see. The nurses had done her hair lovely.

I didn’t arrive until 4pm. She was just waking up from a snooze, and was very quiet for a while and I thought she may be going on a downer. But it was only temporary.

Marie, kp and I went outside for a bit of fresh air. Marie took control, which I really appreciated. It’s nice to just sit and talk with kp without being responsible for every move required. And then something happened which took my breath away. Marie helped kp sit up on the bed and dangled her legs over the end of the bed, positioning the wheelchair so it was next to the bed. With NO assistance, kp got up and turned and sat in the chair ALL by herself. I am so used to the routine we have for doing that, to see her do this for herself without my help was amazing.

After the fresh air, it was time to go back inside to get beautified for Donny. kp’s hair had got a bit ruffled during the snooze so the same nurse came back in (ex-hairdresser) to give kp a tong and curl. Once dressed, I took a picture of her holding a pair of Netty Knickers that one of the physios had given her to chuck at Donny.

We were all set. Marie set off home, we set off through Newcastle (hellish traffic) to arrive at 1 minute before start time. We were greeted by Tony Sagar (kp’s ex work colleague) who was very pleased to see kp and vice-versa. He kindly ushered us to our seats. It’s thanks to him, that kp was able to go at all. Thanks Tony !!

The show was very good. Donny has a very good voice, and the most important thing is kp enjoyed it.

To see a video of kp with loads of smiles and some Donny, CLICK HERE

He did “Puppy Love” and some other songs I knew in the first half and it was great. As soon as he finished the first half, a chap came up to the barrier right in front of us and said :-

Chap:- David, Can I get you some drinks ?

I was looking good tonight, but I wasn’t too pleased I was appealing to someone from the same sex.

Chap:- Tony Sagar said they are on him. He insisted !

Well, that was lovely. One, it saved me opening my wallet, which I always appreciate, but more importantly it was a lovely thought and we were very grateful. It also meant we didn’t have to try and push the wheelchair through the hordes to get a drink.

The second half had another song I knew “Crazy Horses”, and loads kp knew, but it got all a bit too loud for me and I had to resort to putting some motorbike ear plugs in. I quite enjoyed it muffled.

kp loved every minute of it, but a major bout of Numb Bum Syndrome (NBS) crept in just before the end of the first half. So during the break she stood up for about 2-3 minutes, which was great. I slapped her bum a lot, people probably thought it a bit strange, but it helps, so I do it.

NBS crept back after the break and she started contorting into a variety of sitting/prone positions to ease the discomfort. She stayed the whole show out and was pleased she had.

At the interval, kp said she found some of the songs quite emotional. I thought she had looked a bit tearful at times. When Donny sang “Perfect Moment”, I was close myself !

I’ll leave this blog entry on an absolute corker kp came up with at half time.

kp:- Eeeeeeee, It’s times like these where I am really glad I have a catheter fitted. The queues to the ladies are huge at the interval.

Another poignant thing I forgot to mention yesterday.

After Donny had strutted his stuff to some particularly jiggy number, I asked Karen if she was enjoying herself. She was of course, but she added :-

kp:- But you realise what you can’t do that you normally would do. I would normally be up dancing with everyone else.
dp:- Aye
kp:- And I can’t clap.

I had noticed this after the first song

But I tried to get her to clap by slapping her thigh, but she wasn’t keen on that. She had too many aches and pains to be inflicting more discomfort.

CLICK HERE for October’s Chapter