Well, still not seen a good week generally, but some enjoyment was had by the end of the week.

Tuesday saw us go for the final assessment with Ann (the Neuropsychologist). She did some more tests that allow Ann to see where Karen struggles. The idea is that Ann can pass this on to kp’s next neuro-specialists so that they can adapt the way they treat Karen. ie it has been established that Karen takes things in slowly and has a poor working memory, so the counter-action is that the sessions will be more frequent and slower paced. The next specialist is a lady called Jane who specialises is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The meeting with Ann was not a very pleasant one for kp, as Ann took time to explain the results of the tests to Karen. She did so in a way that Karen understood and translated the techy terms into practical examples….eg…..

Poor Working Memory – Karen will need to explain to people she has had a brain injury and ask them to go through things slowly. She may have to take notes.

Poor Spatial Awareness – Karen got upset when Ann explained that shopping at the Metro Centre would not be possible on her own and even shopping in Durham may be a difficult one to achieve without someone coming along as she would get lost and stressed with it. These are all things Karen knows deep down inside, but as I have mentioned previously in the blog countless times, when kp hears it from someone official, it really hits home.

There were quite a few more examples, but the worst one and the one that got Karen hysterically upset was when Ann said definitively that Karen would NOT be able to drive again (for the safety of others and herself). I had told Karen before that it was unlikely she would be able to drive again, but hearing it from Ann was unbearable for Karen. As soon as Ann said that, Karen just “wanted to go home”. She cried the whole way home and the next few days saw Karen go very introvert. In her own words…..

kp:- I feel dead inside.

Very sad. She has been subdued all week and I know there is more upset and realisation to come.

Wednesday saw kp and I go to the dentist. Here’s one good bit of health news re Karen – she has a great set of teeth. No work needed doing and for a change I was the same !

Steve (Physio) came a couple of times during the week. All the physio from the home this week (I think) and on the Friday they did some Wii-Fit stuff.

This weekend has been great and although kp is still not herself, we have been making the most of the absolutely gorgeous weather and have pretty much been outside the whole time gardening. I normally hate gardening, but have really enjoyed spending time with kp and seeing her find some enjoyment from us both doing it together. We have….

• Planted about 500 plants (well, probably 30, but my hips tell me it’s more like 500).
• Been to 3 garden centres – same one twice, because kp had forgot something we needed.
• Done the rose garden
• Cleared out the house gutters (loads of little Sycamores growing in them)
• Swept the drive

It’s been really good and it was great to see kp enjoy the best of the weather. She is such a fighter as well, because we did 2 dog walks as well and despite being in a lot of pain after the 1st day’s gardening (Saturday), she wanted to do more today. Thank god for morphine tablets for breakthru’ pain.

So, all in all, things not outwardly as bad as the previous week, and I expect we have more upset to come, but the weather has been very kind and we have definitely made the most of some gorgeous weather