Day 89 - Normality.

WE scheduled cleo's physiotherapy early for today, because of my work this evening. Arriving at the hospital at 9.30 am James decided to work on cleos hip and leg stability today. This entailed such exercises and stepping up and down blocks, walking sideways, and maintainign control of the left leg in difficult movements. However, never one to be satisfied James also spent a deal of time working on cleo's arm and shoulder too!

Several times lately he has remarked how much better cleo's walking is, and he seems genuinely enthused about the progress she is making of late. As I pointed out to cleo myself the other day, her progress is best looked at in terms of where she was a few weeks ago, rather than the less easily measured day to day improvements, which are of course far smaller.

WE seem to be getting far better at organising our trips out and about now, which is of course to be expected with experience, but is also a measure of the progress that cleo has made. She can get herself into the car, once she is standing by the door, and that leaves me to put the wheelchair in the boot, making the whole process of in and out far quicker. We have become better in shops and other places with the chair now, and are simply better organised with carrying shopping and bags etc. We received cleo's blue badge for the car this week too, which makes one hell of a difference because we don't have to worry about parking on the street now.

So, physio done, and breakfast in the hospital restaurant over, we came home and relaxed until that time again, when I had to get off to work. That said of course it goes round pretty quickly, and while I don't like leaving cleo at the best of times, i am far happier now than I was a few weeks ago: she can get downstairs, she can have a bath using her special bath seat, and she can even do a few bits in the kitchen. That independence she has developed is good for her, and comforting for me. It creates a semblance of normaility that wasn't there before, and that in itself is a good thing.