Doug continues to make progress in the walking and Occupational Therapy stuff (making soup, chopping veg etc.) but unfortunately, having come off the anti-depressant, his mood swings have returned a bit. Fortunately neither as deep nor as prolonged as before, but more than enough to upset and slow down all the rehab tasks.
He still does not really seem to have made the connection between how hard he works and the rate of improvement which is VERY frustrating for us (and I'm sure also for the staff).
However the good news is that having had the last remaining stitch removed from his left eyelid last month (20th) , his eye seems to be staying in good condition with the application of lacrilube ointment. He has a checkup appointment at the Eye Pavilion to-morrow (Friday 17th) which hopefully will confirm this.
He also had an appointment with the cardiology folk on the 9th April to review his progress towards having a fix done on the PFO (hole in the heart) which is believed to have been the initiation of the stroke by allowing a small clot to pass through. He will be going for an ultrasound examination on the Thursday 30th to resolve the size of the defect and hopefully confirm that there is only one hole. This will provide the necessary information for the fix - in around 6 weeks we think.
The introduction of the probe down the throat is a knock-out job so will occupy most of the day and he'll probably still be woozy by evening time.
So all in all it has been a busy month so far, thankfully all of it positive.
He still finds it difficult to read normal size text so entertainment centres around music (from his iPod), DVDs on the Sony DVD player that so many of you presented to him (back in the Western days!) - oh and it gets very well used for Talking Books also. You have no idea just how much pleasure it has given him. Thank you.
I'll call a halt now, but will update after the eye stuff to-morrow.
Iain
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Monday, 23 March 2009
And the progress continues ....
Douglas paid a visit to the Opthalmic clinic on the 20th and he was greatly pleased when it was decided to take out the remaining stitch in his left eye lid. It is so good to see the eye open fully again! However he still finds it impossible to fully close the lid when blinking so I guess we'll have a continuation of the ointment to provide adequate lubrication. He hasn't said too much about improvement in vision, so I guess it wasn't quite the magic bullet he had hoped for.
He goes back again in a months time for a further check .............
The other day he was given permission by the Physios to walk unattended using a zimmer frame and to mark the occasion he was given his own personal one, set up for his height!!! This is absolutely great news although he is still a bit cautious about using it alone. The other day he walked up and down the ward corridor and appeared to manage it very well - and in a straight line as well! This means he is able to balance the forces in his arms - previously he tended always to go right.
Unfortunately he has had a couple of falls - overbalance being the issue. Luckily he appeares to have suffered no ill effects - as he says 'It'll just teach me to be a bit more careful in future!'.
This is a common issue with stroke patients during the rehab phase and, provided it does no damage either physically or to confidence, is a valuable lesson.
Next big thing is an evening out on the 25th to sample the delights of a favourite Indian eatery (a birthday treat courtesy of Kay)!!
Needless to say we had to do a 'dummy run' at home to make sure he could manage curry and rice and, of course, beer!!! That went well - particularly the beer :-)
So I guess things are progressing well and, despite having come off Amatryptoline (an anti-depressant) cold turkey, Doug has suffered relatively few damaging mood swings in the last month. We can but hope this improvement continues.
Iain
He goes back again in a months time for a further check .............
The other day he was given permission by the Physios to walk unattended using a zimmer frame and to mark the occasion he was given his own personal one, set up for his height!!! This is absolutely great news although he is still a bit cautious about using it alone. The other day he walked up and down the ward corridor and appeared to manage it very well - and in a straight line as well! This means he is able to balance the forces in his arms - previously he tended always to go right.
Unfortunately he has had a couple of falls - overbalance being the issue. Luckily he appeares to have suffered no ill effects - as he says 'It'll just teach me to be a bit more careful in future!'.
This is a common issue with stroke patients during the rehab phase and, provided it does no damage either physically or to confidence, is a valuable lesson.
Next big thing is an evening out on the 25th to sample the delights of a favourite Indian eatery (a birthday treat courtesy of Kay)!!
Needless to say we had to do a 'dummy run' at home to make sure he could manage curry and rice and, of course, beer!!! That went well - particularly the beer :-)
So I guess things are progressing well and, despite having come off Amatryptoline (an anti-depressant) cold turkey, Doug has suffered relatively few damaging mood swings in the last month. We can but hope this improvement continues.
Iain
Thursday, 12 March 2009
Much overdue update ...............
Things have been progressing moderately well with Douglas over the last wee while.
The much anticipated attendance at Nick and Heikes' wedding was a great boost to Dougs morale and he thoroughly enjoyed being amongst all his friends at such a happy occasion.
I thought he looked rather good all dressed up in his gear!! (Got lots of wolf whistles from the nurses - the female ones that is :-))
I was pleasantly surprised that he lasted so well given that this was his first exposure to a big crowd of people with all the attendant buzz and movement. Unfortunately we had to drag him away before the partying really started - we had a 9pm deadline at the hospital (which we only just kept!!). Staff were out with the breathalyser kit on our arrival but Doug had been very aware of the hazards in drinking thin liquids and had stayed off the booze. Shame in a way but I can not but agree with him.
His physio had been focusing on the possibility of walking at the wedding but, although he has been doing rather well in the hospital at this, staff felt it would be unwise to attempt a repeat given all the distractions, carpeted floors and the like. Poor Doug was a bit sad at this but could see the sense of it.
His next hurdle is an appointment with the opthalmic folk on the 20th of this month and we all hope it will have a positive outcome. I fear he may be somewhat disappointed since he has not really come to terms with how slow the healing process of the nervous system really is. He is doing his very best not to build too high an expectation.
He also will have an appointment with the cardiology folk at the Western for a second look at the root cause of all this ........ the PFO (or hole in the heart). It was recommended that this be 'fixed' at some time in the future (back in June 08) and I guess this is a follow up. I sometimes wonder whether that fact that Doug so easily feels tired may be due, in part at least, to the 'bypass' effect of this, although I would have thought that were it seen as being of such significance, a shorter time limit would have been put on the need for a fix.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
We continue with the Saturday day pass and Douglas does say he really enjoys being a home even though it's only for one day a week. The hospital staff feel Doug is getting quite close to the 'week-end out' point, where he effectively leaves the hospital on a Friday evening and returns on a Monday morning. However Doug is quite insistent that he wants to be able to walk better before this happens so I guess we have to be patient.
In the meantime he continues to look forward to visits with all the chat and gossip.
Many thanks you true and faithful friends.
Iain
The much anticipated attendance at Nick and Heikes' wedding was a great boost to Dougs morale and he thoroughly enjoyed being amongst all his friends at such a happy occasion.
I thought he looked rather good all dressed up in his gear!! (Got lots of wolf whistles from the nurses - the female ones that is :-))
I was pleasantly surprised that he lasted so well given that this was his first exposure to a big crowd of people with all the attendant buzz and movement. Unfortunately we had to drag him away before the partying really started - we had a 9pm deadline at the hospital (which we only just kept!!). Staff were out with the breathalyser kit on our arrival but Doug had been very aware of the hazards in drinking thin liquids and had stayed off the booze. Shame in a way but I can not but agree with him.
His physio had been focusing on the possibility of walking at the wedding but, although he has been doing rather well in the hospital at this, staff felt it would be unwise to attempt a repeat given all the distractions, carpeted floors and the like. Poor Doug was a bit sad at this but could see the sense of it.
His next hurdle is an appointment with the opthalmic folk on the 20th of this month and we all hope it will have a positive outcome. I fear he may be somewhat disappointed since he has not really come to terms with how slow the healing process of the nervous system really is. He is doing his very best not to build too high an expectation.
He also will have an appointment with the cardiology folk at the Western for a second look at the root cause of all this ........ the PFO (or hole in the heart). It was recommended that this be 'fixed' at some time in the future (back in June 08) and I guess this is a follow up. I sometimes wonder whether that fact that Doug so easily feels tired may be due, in part at least, to the 'bypass' effect of this, although I would have thought that were it seen as being of such significance, a shorter time limit would have been put on the need for a fix.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
We continue with the Saturday day pass and Douglas does say he really enjoys being a home even though it's only for one day a week. The hospital staff feel Doug is getting quite close to the 'week-end out' point, where he effectively leaves the hospital on a Friday evening and returns on a Monday morning. However Doug is quite insistent that he wants to be able to walk better before this happens so I guess we have to be patient.
In the meantime he continues to look forward to visits with all the chat and gossip.
Many thanks you true and faithful friends.
Iain
Monday, 9 February 2009
Back on track again ...................
Douglas does now appear to have beaten his chest infection and is coming to the end of his short antibiotics course although it certainly left him feeling a bit washed out.
However he managed to summon enough energy to pop off to the cinema in the care of Kay (a long time friend) to see Slum Dog Millionaire which they both enjoyed very much (even the sad bits!).
I was really chuffed to hear that they had also gone to the cinema coffee shop afterwards (ace coffee I'm told!!). Way to go maan :-)
He is doing quite well at the physio stuff, although I suspect he could do more although who am I to talk!! He is quietly working on the unaided standing when opportunity permits (although I suspect he hasn't told the physios yet!!) and on Sunday evening he stood unaided alongside his bed for a good three minutes!! I was absolutely chuffed ............ and it bodes well for the future that there was no apparent unsteadyness!
His moods still go up and down a bit but things are much more even than before.
He was really upset at the week end (Saturday) when we talked about his uncle (Graeme) in Aussy had also suffered a stroke, albeit for different reasons I believe.
Planning is well under way for Nick and Heikes' wedding late February and so there is much discussion on the merits or otherwise of tartan troos - especially valid given the current climate!!
Saturdays out continue and although a visit home does not seem that much of a bif deal, he seems to enjoy being in a different environment (and having REAL coffee for a change!).
Also seems like week ends at home are approaching fast particularly given his ability to eat 'regular' food now. However much hinges on suitable bed arrangements etc. which we still have to work out.
It is absolutely great to see all his visitors - we are hearing about another side to Duggie!!
Thanks folks ..........
Iain
However he managed to summon enough energy to pop off to the cinema in the care of Kay (a long time friend) to see Slum Dog Millionaire which they both enjoyed very much (even the sad bits!).
I was really chuffed to hear that they had also gone to the cinema coffee shop afterwards (ace coffee I'm told!!). Way to go maan :-)
He is doing quite well at the physio stuff, although I suspect he could do more although who am I to talk!! He is quietly working on the unaided standing when opportunity permits (although I suspect he hasn't told the physios yet!!) and on Sunday evening he stood unaided alongside his bed for a good three minutes!! I was absolutely chuffed ............ and it bodes well for the future that there was no apparent unsteadyness!
His moods still go up and down a bit but things are much more even than before.
He was really upset at the week end (Saturday) when we talked about his uncle (Graeme) in Aussy had also suffered a stroke, albeit for different reasons I believe.
Planning is well under way for Nick and Heikes' wedding late February and so there is much discussion on the merits or otherwise of tartan troos - especially valid given the current climate!!
Saturdays out continue and although a visit home does not seem that much of a bif deal, he seems to enjoy being in a different environment (and having REAL coffee for a change!).
Also seems like week ends at home are approaching fast particularly given his ability to eat 'regular' food now. However much hinges on suitable bed arrangements etc. which we still have to work out.
It is absolutely great to see all his visitors - we are hearing about another side to Duggie!!
Thanks folks ..........
Iain
Friday, 30 January 2009
Chickens, Eggs and the like ..........
Just to show that not so good things can still happen ...........
No sooner had I posted the last update than poor Doug caught a bit of a chest infection and is now on a weeks antibiotic course.
Poor fellah now has a really husky voice and a rather sore throat which, given his dodgy left vocal chord, means talking is a bit of a struggle coupled to a bit of a cough. To top it off he has developed a bit of a temperature. So, from having his drugs cut recently, he is now back to paracetamol plus .....
The view of the nurses is that he has been lucky not to have caught anything in the 3 months he has been at the Astley ............. We are not so pragmatic I'm afraid!!
We still plan for a day at home to-morrow (Saturday) but we'll see what the day brings.
Surprisingly he seemed quite chipper this afternoon although it has to be said he was not his usual talkative self.
Hey ho .................
Iain
No sooner had I posted the last update than poor Doug caught a bit of a chest infection and is now on a weeks antibiotic course.
Poor fellah now has a really husky voice and a rather sore throat which, given his dodgy left vocal chord, means talking is a bit of a struggle coupled to a bit of a cough. To top it off he has developed a bit of a temperature. So, from having his drugs cut recently, he is now back to paracetamol plus .....
The view of the nurses is that he has been lucky not to have caught anything in the 3 months he has been at the Astley ............. We are not so pragmatic I'm afraid!!
We still plan for a day at home to-morrow (Saturday) but we'll see what the day brings.
Surprisingly he seemed quite chipper this afternoon although it has to be said he was not his usual talkative self.
Hey ho .................
Iain
Thursday, 29 January 2009
And Douglas continues to improve ...
Well it has been a fairly busy few weeks for all of us, particularly Douglas.
He has been working hard at the business of getting from wheelchair to car and back again without using the bulky and heavy Sam Hall Turner. The new way uses a banana shaped plastic board that bridges the space between seats and Doug has to master the art of sliding himself across this.
So far he has done really well - so much so that we all had our first real day out last week end with a visit to a Roller Derby in the Medowbank Stadium, a shopping trip to the O2 store for a new phone and a few hours at home!!! Absolutely brilliant :-)
I think he felt a little out of place at the Roller Derby, partly because of the seating arrangements (a flat hall floor with banked seating on one side only) which meant that we had to sit close to the exit door (wheelchair issues) but also because everyone there seemed to 'normal', healthy and active. Never the less he enjoyed the time particularly since the two competing teams were all young ladies all togged out in outrageous gear (some fairly scanty!!) :-)))
Oh ..... and he got his new phone too!!
Physio and Occupational Therapy continues apace but, since (in Dougs words) he is a 'lazy git' it is never fast enough for him. He is working on the walking using a small zimmer frame and seems able to manage a reasonable distance although he does tend to veer off to the right a bit - all to do with having a strong right side I'm told. However practice will doubtless straighten things up - it has done with his wheelchair manoeuvres.
He also seems to have mastered the swallowing and chewing side of eating and has progressed from pureed food, through 'minced' food and is now eating normal consistency meals. As a result his PEG feed has been reduced to water only just to make sure he does not get dehydrated.
I suspect the PEG tube will stay in until they are quite certain he can be sustained by mouth.
A great boost is that he now can mix consistencies - no more thickened coffee!!!! Whoopee .....
(Apart from that, Baileys does NOT thicken well at all!)
He is seeing a slow return of feeling in the left hand side of his face although there is a long way to go and the other day he said that he heard me whisper into his left ear! If this is really the case it is terrific news since earlier hearing assessments indicated no hearing at all in that ear!
However we are trying not be overly optimistic about this (chickens and eggs and all that!)
His left eye condition keeps good although he still has one stitch in the lid. He is pinning a lot of hope on its removal and I do hope that this comes true although I have a feeling that the effect of the stroke on the optic nerves may take a lot longer to fix itself. I'm not sure how he will deal with this ...............
Plans are afoot for his attendance at a friends wedding in late February so I guess we'll be getting a flood of instructions shortly regarding suitable dress etc.! He is nothing if not particular in sartorial terms (mind it will mean that he has to comb his hair unless we can get it cut before then!!)
In the meantime the Saturday home visits continue and hopefully we'll be able to go further afield now the car transfers have been sorted.
A big thank you to DavyP in the antipodes who gave him a call the other day ........ he didn't stop talking about it for ages afterwards. It meant so much to him ............. although I'm not sure just how well Davy could understand Doug on the phone since his voice can get pretty raspy when he is tired. Thanks big fellah!!
And big thanks to all his friends who continue to visit (despite being subjected to a film or music quiz when they get there!!). Sometimes you just have to tell him to shut up and listen for a bit :-)
Iain
He has been working hard at the business of getting from wheelchair to car and back again without using the bulky and heavy Sam Hall Turner. The new way uses a banana shaped plastic board that bridges the space between seats and Doug has to master the art of sliding himself across this.
So far he has done really well - so much so that we all had our first real day out last week end with a visit to a Roller Derby in the Medowbank Stadium, a shopping trip to the O2 store for a new phone and a few hours at home!!! Absolutely brilliant :-)
I think he felt a little out of place at the Roller Derby, partly because of the seating arrangements (a flat hall floor with banked seating on one side only) which meant that we had to sit close to the exit door (wheelchair issues) but also because everyone there seemed to 'normal', healthy and active. Never the less he enjoyed the time particularly since the two competing teams were all young ladies all togged out in outrageous gear (some fairly scanty!!) :-)))
Oh ..... and he got his new phone too!!
Physio and Occupational Therapy continues apace but, since (in Dougs words) he is a 'lazy git' it is never fast enough for him. He is working on the walking using a small zimmer frame and seems able to manage a reasonable distance although he does tend to veer off to the right a bit - all to do with having a strong right side I'm told. However practice will doubtless straighten things up - it has done with his wheelchair manoeuvres.
He also seems to have mastered the swallowing and chewing side of eating and has progressed from pureed food, through 'minced' food and is now eating normal consistency meals. As a result his PEG feed has been reduced to water only just to make sure he does not get dehydrated.
I suspect the PEG tube will stay in until they are quite certain he can be sustained by mouth.
A great boost is that he now can mix consistencies - no more thickened coffee!!!! Whoopee .....
(Apart from that, Baileys does NOT thicken well at all!)
He is seeing a slow return of feeling in the left hand side of his face although there is a long way to go and the other day he said that he heard me whisper into his left ear! If this is really the case it is terrific news since earlier hearing assessments indicated no hearing at all in that ear!
However we are trying not be overly optimistic about this (chickens and eggs and all that!)
His left eye condition keeps good although he still has one stitch in the lid. He is pinning a lot of hope on its removal and I do hope that this comes true although I have a feeling that the effect of the stroke on the optic nerves may take a lot longer to fix itself. I'm not sure how he will deal with this ...............
Plans are afoot for his attendance at a friends wedding in late February so I guess we'll be getting a flood of instructions shortly regarding suitable dress etc.! He is nothing if not particular in sartorial terms (mind it will mean that he has to comb his hair unless we can get it cut before then!!)
In the meantime the Saturday home visits continue and hopefully we'll be able to go further afield now the car transfers have been sorted.
A big thank you to DavyP in the antipodes who gave him a call the other day ........ he didn't stop talking about it for ages afterwards. It meant so much to him ............. although I'm not sure just how well Davy could understand Doug on the phone since his voice can get pretty raspy when he is tired. Thanks big fellah!!
And big thanks to all his friends who continue to visit (despite being subjected to a film or music quiz when they get there!!). Sometimes you just have to tell him to shut up and listen for a bit :-)
Iain
Thursday, 8 January 2009
A guid New Year to ane an a an mony may ye see
Apologies for the lateness of this update, due entirely to a whole series of minor PC problems!!
Douglas managed to escape for New Years Day and was home with us from mid morning. He tells us it was ace ....... we managed not to burn the parsnips this time!
He is doing rather well although he had a bit of a mood swing on Sunday/Monday which left him feeling very low and useless. However all credit to him, he does seem to have rationalised things and recovered his equanimity (if thats the right word).
He loved seeing everyone over the festive season and has asked that I send a very big thank you to all, with very best wishes for 2009.
He had an optician look at the possibility of getting spectacles to help improve the sight in his right eye on the 5th Jan.. The results were a little mixed in that all the tests showed that his right eye was perfect and that specs would not do any particular good at this time. The vision effects Doug is finding are therefore down to the stroke and, as such, should improve over time. Needless to say this was a bit of a blow - patience is not one of Dougs strengths right now.
His physio and Occupational Therapy work continues apace and, although he finds it difficult to appreciate, he is making considerable strides. His wheelchair control is very significantly better and improving by the day. As he says he's a bit less like a drunken snake even though longer 'trips' are very tiring.
We are planning a series of 'days out' at week ends (all Saturdays) starting with a home visit this Saturday (10th). We'll be collecting him at around 10:30 am and should be home by 11:15 or 11:30 ish and plan to return him (undamaged!) to the Astley at around 7:30 pm.
All of us would like to wish all of you a good new year and hopes that 2009 brings health and happiness.
Iain
Douglas managed to escape for New Years Day and was home with us from mid morning. He tells us it was ace ....... we managed not to burn the parsnips this time!
He is doing rather well although he had a bit of a mood swing on Sunday/Monday which left him feeling very low and useless. However all credit to him, he does seem to have rationalised things and recovered his equanimity (if thats the right word).
He loved seeing everyone over the festive season and has asked that I send a very big thank you to all, with very best wishes for 2009.
He had an optician look at the possibility of getting spectacles to help improve the sight in his right eye on the 5th Jan.. The results were a little mixed in that all the tests showed that his right eye was perfect and that specs would not do any particular good at this time. The vision effects Doug is finding are therefore down to the stroke and, as such, should improve over time. Needless to say this was a bit of a blow - patience is not one of Dougs strengths right now.
His physio and Occupational Therapy work continues apace and, although he finds it difficult to appreciate, he is making considerable strides. His wheelchair control is very significantly better and improving by the day. As he says he's a bit less like a drunken snake even though longer 'trips' are very tiring.
We are planning a series of 'days out' at week ends (all Saturdays) starting with a home visit this Saturday (10th). We'll be collecting him at around 10:30 am and should be home by 11:15 or 11:30 ish and plan to return him (undamaged!) to the Astley at around 7:30 pm.
All of us would like to wish all of you a good new year and hopes that 2009 brings health and happiness.
Iain
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