We had a fairly relaxing weekend as Dana does not have physio appointments at the hospital, but we still do the stretches from the booklet which are mandatory twice daily 7 days a week. Dana also manages to walk up and down stairs and increase her time with the walker. My aim is not to push Dana to hard but to ensure enough progress is made each day she feels the difference.
It's an early start again this morning, I say early, it is in Dana's eyes. If I left Dana to wake me up we would be looking at midday. Dana does like her bed. Ollie on the other hand has a little routine in the mornings. He wakes up and gets up at 6am, helps himself to an apple and juice, turns the telly on and sits on the sofa watching TV and eating. Somethings will always be the same.
At breakfast we meet a new family who have returned for a few days as her daughter had SDR last year and the mother wanted to see Dr Park and also see the physios. Dana talked with the daughter while I had a good chat with her mum. The conversation turns to Dana's operations tomorrow and she tells me her daughter was not able to put weight through her feet for 10 days. This horrifies me, this will take Dana right back to Day 1 again. What I have learnt since being here is parents will share their experience and yes you can listen, however do not take it on board personally as each child is so very different. Yet it is really difficult to be objective when your child is going through it. I feel with tomorrows operation I'm damed if I do and damed if I don't. Dana does need both operations and it is more effective to have this done at the same time as SDR. On the other hand as a mum you really do not want to see your child in pain.
We make our way to the shuttle bus as I'm going to see if Dana can manage the steps on the bus and yes she does with help. This is so great as we don't have to use the accessible taxi. We arrive at the hospital in plenty on time and make our way to our usual pit stop Starbucks, coffee is really weak, not a bit like A&M!!! Back at the hospital we make our way to the usual 4th floor and meet another family who's daughter, Emily, is slightly older than Dana and will also have the same surgery tomorrow. We discuss tomorrow and how we are feeling as we walk into the therapy department and register at reception.
Dana's physio session this morning is with Blaire who is like the others very knowledgable and immediately starts Dana on the treadmill following a few stretches. This time Dana walks for 8 mins stopping only once for a rest. This is such an improvement and Blaire is so pleased. I notice Mike walking past and gives Dana a high five. Blaire also demo's a couple of additional stretches as Dana's thigh and pelvic area, especially on the right is extremely weak which is resulting in her leg and foot compensating. Every physio session Dana has is also an education for me. I learn something new about how Dana's body moves each day. This is coupled with guidelines written in stages dependant on post recovery week which is a therapist and parent guide. Blaire advises Dana will need her splints after tomorrows operation and must not walk without them. Walking without the splint after surgery will lengthen the hamstring further which you will not regain function. This adds another fear to my list for tomorrow, believe me this list is ever so long. Blaire calls Keith to find out if the splints are ready and leaves a message for him to return her call. Blaire also advises Dana will be sore for 3 days, so by Friday we should see an improvement, of course bearing in mind Dana has the splints and she can put weight through her feet. I leave physio feeling really unsure about tomorrow and must put my trust once again in the doctors and the physios.
We decide to travel to the mall by metro so take a walk to the nearest station which is a couple of mins from the hospital by the time you walk out of the campus. The metro is a cross between a tram and tube. People can cross the track and the stations are part of the street. The first thing I notice is a security presence and with a gun. Not sure if I feel safe or scared. I buy the train tickets @ just over $2 for a round trip and wait on the platform for the train. It feels creepy even though it is full of commuters. As we board there is a police officer in our carriage, great more security and as we pass each station I see further security guards. Its time to get off , thank goodness and we walk to the mall. A change of scenery is just what's needed and a welcome break. I Skype my cousin in Italy as Dana has never met her and we have a video chat which is really nice. Dana and Ollie say hello and meet each other for the first time.
By the time we are back at the hotel it's nearly 6pm and my mind turns to tomorrow. I will pack an over night bag in the morning as Dana will be staying the night as a precaution. A lot of families take their children back to the hotel the same day, which is not what I want to do, I'd rather Dana recover properly from the anaesthetic and get the pain relief she needs. Also Blaire said she would do a bed visit later that day. We have to be at the hospital for 10.30am, which is 4.30pm UK time and I think surgery is around midday. Dana's worry is if she has any IV lines and doesn't fully understand how much pain she may be in, I have prepared her. I think it is quite a lot to take in what ever age you are and still have to perform rehab every day.
I am thinking if extending my stay for a couple of weeks longer is going to be enough, Surly 5 more weeks we will see quite a big difference. I hope so. Home is not important and my focus is purely centred around Dana. That crystal ball will came in very handy again.
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