Day 48 - A Little Reminder.

Drove home this morning after work in freezing weather and even a little snow arriving about 8am to find cleo sat up wide awake, and very pleased with herself at having managed to get out of bed and onto the commode all on her own, twice through the night. This is another one of those major milestones that serve to give her back her independence, and the feeling that she does not have to rely on other people for everything she does any more.

We had tea, and sat for a while, after which i took her downstairs for a wash and bacon sandwiches for breakfast. As I have to work again this evening I needed some sleep, so cleo stayed in the bedroom, doing stuff on the pc, and later watching television, while I slept. I woke about 2pm, and we spent a little time together, after which I got ready for work.

While it is a neccessary evil, at this time of year my work is pretty quiet and i really wished I could stay at home with cleo, but that cannot happen, so I prepared to leave at 4pm. Just as I was going, literally walking out the door, I heard a great clutter from upstairs. I ran up the stairs to find cleo in tears, and Sarah holding her: cleo had attempted to move from the bed to the chair, and lost her balance, faklling against the pc desk, but managing to get to the chair nevertheless. She was pretty shaken I could see, although she didn't hurt herself. I stayed a while, and reminded her that when moving she had to be very careful about her feet and balance, not stepping or moving until she was absolutely sure that she was as stable as possible.

Maybe in some ways this is a good thing: the scare which the stumble will have given her will serve to remind her that she must remember to be extra careful at all times. I did speak to our friend Alan, who is in a wheelchair, and he said that you cannot go forever without a fall or mishap, and the fact that she managed to save herself is a good sign. Of course it is also a good indication that her progress is moving along at a rapid rate, as a week ago she couldn't even hardly stand on her own. I guess this is all part of her re-learning process, and is an inevitable consequence of the risk-taking that comes as a consequence of the rehabilitation. It would not be fair or possible to wrap her in cotton wool forever, and I am sure she would agree with me that those risks are worth the effort as long as they are calculated and carefully considered.