Dana had a really good nights sleep and did not need or want any pain relief which was welcoming. We have a physio session at the hospital with Erica again this morning at 9am and have booked the same taxi as yesterday to take us there. I give Dana medication to help with the nerves ending which have been cut and are still shooting messages after we get ready and make our way downstairs for breakfast. I like the fact the hotel provide breakfast as this makes it so much easier in the mornings. We see a physio from the UK who has flown with the family of the child she treats on the NHS at breakfast and we discuss the little boy and Dana's progress. The physio was given study leave of a week by her Trust. What a fantastic learning opportunity as she is working with the best physiotherapists who are leaders in SDR rehabilitation. Why can't this be replicated across the country as families are travelling every week from the UK so their children receive this care. Dana has been working with a private physio before we flew to the USA who will join us via Skype on one of Dana's physio sessions in the coming weeks which will be exciting.
We arrive at the hospital a little bit early and sit in the large reception area where we chat with John who is there welcoming staff and everyone as they enter the building. He tells me he has twin boys and feels truly blessed they are healthy. Johns is a very humble man and is very caring who's profession suits him. I must ask him tomorrow why it's always so cold in the hospital. Seriously I have to go outside to get warm and wear a cardi inside. Wherever you are in the hospital it is freezing. Back home it's the complete opposite.
On the 4th floor we register at reception as usual and sit until Erica collects Dana. I chat to the receptionist who tells me she is the only one on reception and works from 8am - 4.30pm. I am sure I will get to know her better as the weeks progress. Erica calls for Dana and we chat about how Dana is feeling as we make our way to the area of todays session. She asks Dana what she would like to do today and what are the goals she would like to achieve during her time here. How refreshing to hear this is a partnership. Their relationship will be very special I just know it, Dana feels so comfortable here and is so willing to do anything they ask of her. One thing which I do have to control is the amount of chat Dana likes to do. My goodness she has a story for every topic and tell it in great detail. I make a shut lip action to her and she is quite, Erica just laughs. The phrases 'concentrate Dana', 'Dana stop talking' and 'focus Dana' I use a lot. It's incredible to hear what Erica suggests for today, after some stretches Dana will go on the treadmill, leg press and bike. You know she did fantastically, two and a half minutes on the treadmill, 10 leg press, and two laps of the therapy room on the bike. I will post pictures of the therapy room, it is more like the size of a school gym hall. This is only the beginning, can you imagine after a few weeks of this type of therapy, she will be fitter than me. Dana has already told me she wants to walk race for life, now that is a long term goal.
The final thing Erica did was to measure Dana for her crutches and gets to choose what colour to have, Dana has chosen pale blue as first, purple as second choice and red third. We meet another therapist called Mike, actually mad Mike as he known. Dana has him tomorrow so more about Mike tomorrow.
We have until 3.30pm until our next appointment with Dr Dobbs to discuss the hamstring lengthening so we make our way to Starbucks which conveniently is situated in the hospital campus. I sit while we eat and drink and catch up with emails. We meet Dana's intensive care nurse in there and I chat with her, Dana cannot remember her so slightly embarrassing but Dana smiles and politely has a chat. We head back to the hospital as I need to speak with pharmacy, I got confused with the mg amounts to the mls amounts, just didn't make sense. The pharmacist explained the mg matched the strength of the mls which made sense now and did not equal like for like. We Skype nanny and grandad and both Dana and Ollie are pleased to speak to them. Its lovely they can speak to one another. Ollie got upset as he said he didn't have the same time as Dana speaking with nanny.
We have a deli sandwich on the campus and the sky turns a nasty grey, we see lightening and a roar of thunder so we make our way back to the hospital, within seconds it felt like someone had turned on a massive tap, it started to rain so heavy we stopped under a shelter until it passed.
The day was beginning to take it's toll on Dana, she needed to sleep yet we had to see Dr Dobbs. She was in some pain so moving positions was important to relieve the pressure on her back. Dana stands and side steps whenever she feels she wants to which helps. We make our way to Dr Dobbs department and again register at reception. Our appointment is at 3.30pm we are seen at 4.30pm, I suppose somethings are impossible to control. We are shown to a private consultation room and advised Dr Dobbs will be in soon. Over here the doctors comes to the patient rather than the other way round. Dr Dobbs walked in with his team, as did Dr Park when we met with him. Dr Dobbs sat on a stool infront of Dana and to the side of us and asked us a few questions about Dana's history and asked if he could look at her feet. When he took Dana's right shoe off, his face was one of shock. He had seen the operation on Dana's foot and was horrified at the scars left behind. He didn't need to say anything, his face was enough, however he did confirm to Dana when she asked what the scar would be like, by shaking his head and saying they would be much better than the ones she had. He said also that he and Dr Park work very closely together and very much as a team. I asked what Dana would feel in her legs after the operation and he explained very clearly to us. He confirmed Dana has a bed on the ward for the night which Dana will use and that physio will continue the next day. The hamstring lengthening is scheduled for the 16th August. Dr Dobbs and his team left and I was left so reassured how professional and slick everything is run. His PA arrived and confirmed our contact details and we were give his business card if we wanted to email or phone Dr Dobbs directly and an information sheet about the procedure to take away with us.
So it a bit like here we go again, but so worth it in the long term. As I enter deeper in this journey it is quite over whelming at what a decision we made coming here. It's interesting how other families deal with their childrens journey. I feel very grateful Dana is here and Dr Park and team accepted her. Dana has changed since the op, I can't put my finger on it but there is something different about her, in a positive way. She did make me laugh, she sent a friend request to Dr Park on Facebook and he accepted. Not sure he knows what he has let himself in for. Ollie on the other hand is hooked on the teenage programme i-Carly and picking up american words.
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