Day 93 - Weight and See

After yesterday's rather bad day, mentally and emotionally, cleo seemed far more upbeat today, and was up early. The tiredness she feels that causes her to be in bed early has in a way moved her waking hours somewhat, in that she goes to bed early, gets up early and then is tired again by the evening. However today she was more tired than usual, but there was a good reason for that: this morning while I was out collecting a car from the garage, she cleared up the bedroom, not just a quick tidy, but a good clean up, of which she was rightly proud.

When I got home with the car she was chatting with Emily, the speech therapist, and once Emily was gone we were out to do some shopping before heading to physio with James. James also took some time to explain how cleo might improve her walk a little, as she has concerns about how unsteady she is sometimes. The trick it seems, which we all do without realising, is to stabilise our hips and pelvis: keep the hips straight and the walk becomes stable, allow the hips to twist and the gait is unstable. So it's about remembering all these things, which everyone else does naturally, but which cleo has to re-learn.

Weight is the key

All these "human engineering" ideas are difficult to understand, and even more difficult to put into practise, but they seem to be the key to the whole problem of the improved walk that cleo wants. We talked about this and have agreed that cleo will work on her fitness a little more, and devote time each day to some of these exercises. James said that simply putting weight through the leg is as good a way as any, and he has given cleo some simple things to do which should help both the walk, and her balance.

These exercises , and the simple setting of goals or targets are now crucial to cleos rehabilitation. What I do have to say here is that apart from Emily, the speech therapist the rest of the home care team seem to have faded away into nothing. Since those first couple of visits there has been nothing. I am not sure that we feel we want them in the house all the time but it would be nice to at least have some contact with them. How can we set goals with them if they never talk to us?

Maybe a little reminder from me is needed?

Look out care team!