Thursday 16 April 2009
Thursday 16th April 2009
Laughter and lots of it is what we've had over the last few days! I haven't seen sarah this happy and content for over a year. We have seen friends and family, been on trips to the cinema, and there has been walking - albeit with me following behind singing the Pingu theme tune(Sarah waddles like a penguin because she walks with her leg locked!!)but she's walking and its wonderful!!. She is willing to leave the house without crutches, (we went to the cinema without them last week) and she only took 1 for a trip to Richmond shopping with her sister 'just in case'!! I'm nearly on the verge of losing them altogether! The physio is coming next week to watch sarah riding her bike (!!""??) and climbing stairs - how she is going to ride her bike I have no idea - I keep panicking she will lean over to the right, stand on her bad leg and fall right off and break it - but we've got to start somewhere I suppose!! Sarah's hair is so long now and madly curly its hilarious!! When its wet, her fringe nearly reaches her eyebrows, but its got so many kinks in it, it looks really short! She spends ages every bath time in front of the mirror, trying to get a Danny Zuko quiff at the front - she finds it so funny! Laughter - so much laughter - and how happy we all are at last!
Wednesday 8 April 2009
Wednesday 8th April 2009
Well, 1 year and a day from Sarah's diagnosis, we are here, and progress is being made. Actually, things are so nice and NORMAL that the anniversary of that awful day almost passed unnoticed in the Ardrey household. I had remembered it was looming, but we had a fab weekend, and it slipped our minds! I took Katie to Hillingdon to do her ACT test for her university in the USA on Saturday morning, then came home, bet on the Grand National and lost, took Sarah bag packing in Waitrose with the guides,pottered around and had chinese takeaway for tea. Sunday, we had a lovely lie in - haven't slept past 8.30am in months and we were still in bed and asleep at 10.30!!! Wonderful, and really needed! In the afternoon, I took Sarah to the park for a game of tennis as I had promised. She walked from the car to the court with no crutches on the flat bits, and with 1 crutch on the hills. We had a giggle at her stumbling around the court,and missing the balls that weren't close enough for her to hit, but we were there, and laughing, and being active - it was great!
I took her to physio on Monday and she was very pleased with Sarah's progress - she said her walking had improved, her exercises were better, and she was getting stronger.
Monday night Sarah went to swimming club, and after her session, as it was Easter, they kept the slide open and Sarah went on the snake slide - she climbed up the 4 flights of stairs to the top and down she came, grinning from ear to ear! She then got up, and did it again, and again, and again!! Better exercise for her legs than anything else I have tried to get her to do!! Tuesday - 'D' day - then came and went - oh what a difference to 12 months ago - no hospital appointment, no team of specialist nurses there to pick us up from the floor and tell us it would all be OK; just us working, and Sarah playing with friends. What a relief.
And what a turning point too - it seems Sarah has found the use of her leg from somewhere in the depths of her brain. I always said it was in her head, and she needed to want to do it - well, Tuesday she went to her nieces house to play (Shai is 12), and ended up going to Hounslow for pizza by themselves, and a trip round the shops. They came home on the bus, and she had a sleepover.She has had a taste of independance and its lovely to see.She's now asked me to get her an Oyster card so she can go out more often!! Today, she has been out in the garden, walking about playing swingball, and not a crutch in sight!! She's been up steps, down steps, and in and out of the shed to get garden toys, and didn't even bat an eyelid when I said if she carries on like this, she won't need her crutches when she goes back to school in 2 weeks time! It is amazing to think, that just 1 month ago she was nervous, and wobbly, and refused to leave the house without her crutches - now there's no stopping her. She still walks really slowly, and there is a slight limp(bigger when she's not concentrating!) - her technique needs some work, but I think she has realised what she has been missing having to carry the crutches around with her all day, and no amount of nagging and pleading was going to get her to realise it - she had to find out for herself and she has at last - roll on summer, and long may this wonderful life continue!!
I took her to physio on Monday and she was very pleased with Sarah's progress - she said her walking had improved, her exercises were better, and she was getting stronger.
Monday night Sarah went to swimming club, and after her session, as it was Easter, they kept the slide open and Sarah went on the snake slide - she climbed up the 4 flights of stairs to the top and down she came, grinning from ear to ear! She then got up, and did it again, and again, and again!! Better exercise for her legs than anything else I have tried to get her to do!! Tuesday - 'D' day - then came and went - oh what a difference to 12 months ago - no hospital appointment, no team of specialist nurses there to pick us up from the floor and tell us it would all be OK; just us working, and Sarah playing with friends. What a relief.
And what a turning point too - it seems Sarah has found the use of her leg from somewhere in the depths of her brain. I always said it was in her head, and she needed to want to do it - well, Tuesday she went to her nieces house to play (Shai is 12), and ended up going to Hounslow for pizza by themselves, and a trip round the shops. They came home on the bus, and she had a sleepover.She has had a taste of independance and its lovely to see.She's now asked me to get her an Oyster card so she can go out more often!! Today, she has been out in the garden, walking about playing swingball, and not a crutch in sight!! She's been up steps, down steps, and in and out of the shed to get garden toys, and didn't even bat an eyelid when I said if she carries on like this, she won't need her crutches when she goes back to school in 2 weeks time! It is amazing to think, that just 1 month ago she was nervous, and wobbly, and refused to leave the house without her crutches - now there's no stopping her. She still walks really slowly, and there is a slight limp(bigger when she's not concentrating!) - her technique needs some work, but I think she has realised what she has been missing having to carry the crutches around with her all day, and no amount of nagging and pleading was going to get her to realise it - she had to find out for herself and she has at last - roll on summer, and long may this wonderful life continue!!
Thursday 2 April 2009
Thursday 2nd April
Not much to report really over the last 9 days - more of the same - physio, exercises, walking, school, physio, more walking, lots of laughter, a few tears, but everything NORMAL.
A little bit of trouble at school - Sarahs friends have gone off the idea of Sarah being the centre of attention now she not 'ill', and have therefore got bored of sitting with her at break and lunch, and want to go off and do things that kids do at school. Sarah has therefore felt a bit hard done by and friendless - Sarah has had to find friends who want to sit with her because she's Sarah and not because she is different. Took a bit of doing, but we got there in the end. I think all of them need some time away from each other - it has been Sarah's first term back at school since the end of treatment, and its taken its toll. She's tired and fed up, her friends are bored with her situation, and they all need the Easter holidays.
Anyway, her real friends have stuck by her, and the others have drifted away, and we have reached equilibrium - all is calm, she is happier now, and Easter starts tomorrow lunchtime.Her walking is improving - she hardly uses her crutches at home now, and I have even managed to get her to go to guides with only one crutch now for 2 weeks running.She goes to school with 2 crutches, but takes one to the office JUST IN CASE. She's not ready to leave it at home just yet, but I have told her we are going to after the Easter break. We'll see if it works. I think she walks better with only one. Its almost without any limp at all when she thinks about it.Over Easter I have said we are going to walk loads and play Tennis ......she is horrified, but it will be fun - might need to enlist Katie to do the running on her side of the net, but it might get her moving.Now the evenings are getting longer, lets hope we can get out and about.
Sarah had to have 2 days off school this week with a tummy bug - and of course my mind started racing again - what type of tummy ache? What type of pain? Anywhere else? Why is she so tired? Headache? Sure you are OK? etc.etc. but she has been back to school today, and is back to normal, giggling, and being daft as usual. Just a tummy bug - will there ever be 'just' a 'normal' illness, or will we always live in fear? I'm sure it gets better over time, but at the moment its hell.
A little bit of trouble at school - Sarahs friends have gone off the idea of Sarah being the centre of attention now she not 'ill', and have therefore got bored of sitting with her at break and lunch, and want to go off and do things that kids do at school. Sarah has therefore felt a bit hard done by and friendless - Sarah has had to find friends who want to sit with her because she's Sarah and not because she is different. Took a bit of doing, but we got there in the end. I think all of them need some time away from each other - it has been Sarah's first term back at school since the end of treatment, and its taken its toll. She's tired and fed up, her friends are bored with her situation, and they all need the Easter holidays.
Anyway, her real friends have stuck by her, and the others have drifted away, and we have reached equilibrium - all is calm, she is happier now, and Easter starts tomorrow lunchtime.Her walking is improving - she hardly uses her crutches at home now, and I have even managed to get her to go to guides with only one crutch now for 2 weeks running.She goes to school with 2 crutches, but takes one to the office JUST IN CASE. She's not ready to leave it at home just yet, but I have told her we are going to after the Easter break. We'll see if it works. I think she walks better with only one. Its almost without any limp at all when she thinks about it.Over Easter I have said we are going to walk loads and play Tennis ......she is horrified, but it will be fun - might need to enlist Katie to do the running on her side of the net, but it might get her moving.Now the evenings are getting longer, lets hope we can get out and about.
Sarah had to have 2 days off school this week with a tummy bug - and of course my mind started racing again - what type of tummy ache? What type of pain? Anywhere else? Why is she so tired? Headache? Sure you are OK? etc.etc. but she has been back to school today, and is back to normal, giggling, and being daft as usual. Just a tummy bug - will there ever be 'just' a 'normal' illness, or will we always live in fear? I'm sure it gets better over time, but at the moment its hell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
