So as it turned out it wasn’t me or the infection that put my mum in hospital but still not great she is feeling a lot better and home and seems to be more a scare than anything else. Apart from some new meds I hope things will settle down for her.
For me things finally started to improve, I was feeling better and there’s always a stage when I know I’m ok and I change gear and start to be more active and show that I am able to get home ok. It turned out that it was parainfluenza that I had, a cold. So all the antibiotics didn’t really do anything and it cleared up on it’s own as it was a virus.
One of the last days after the antibiotics was finished and they were waiting on word from respiratory I was out with the physio and I felt more motivated to show I could go home, I was able to walk down to the gym do all the exercises and would have walked back but she brought me back to the room in a wheelchair. Then more exercises in the room, which the doctor came in to watch and seemed quite impressed what I was able to do.
The next day I was allowed to get home which was a relief, not that things are much different from being in hospital, sitting around not doing much, but at least at home I can have a bit more freedom and the food is much nicer, although not as nice as home home.
Things continued on for a couple of weeks, I was doing the exercises which the physio in the cancer centre game me which were much better than the ones in Musgrave gave me, they gave me 3 to do and one I wasn’t able to because of the muscle not working. The Cancer centre physio gave me 3 pages with about 6 on each, one page for standing, one lying and one for sitting down. So so so much better.
I wasn’t pushing myself too much though, I knew I was more able than what I was doing, but I wasn’t taking any chances and being cautious. The last week or so I’ve started doing more without the brace on my leg, but there are times still when I do have it on I can feel the knee go, not loads but it just needs to happen once when I’m not wearing it and I’ll be on my ass.
The leg is still numb and the muscle to straighten the leg still doesn’t work but the exercises have been helping keep the other muscles in check. With what isn’t working I don’t believe there has been any change in that, but I went to see the surgeon on Thursday and he thought there was an improvement, I’m not so convinced.
With the “improvement” it’s a very good sign according to the surgeon and he was pleased with that. I had a CT done while I was in hospital but at the time they were checking for an infection so the surgeon was getting someone to have a look at it in regards to the nerve itself.
Later that day he called back to say that the nerve was all good, there was no damage to it and nothing interfering it. Which would mean that it should make a full recovery he was asking his colleagues about patients with similar issues, people all made a full recovery and were able to walk without any aids and were able to manage without the brace but there were some with a lasting weakness there and that recovery was slow.
I asked how slow was slow and he replied months and gave a couple of examples, the first was a year and the second was two years, which seems a more realistic timeframe than the four weeks that had passed two weeks ago with no progress.
At least now knowing a timeframe it is more possible to plan something than just waiting. The main issue is driving, I can’t drive and if I want to, I would have to get an automatic, which is incredibly annoying as I got a new car less than a year ago. Where I live, I would need a car to get to and from hospital and I can’t get deliveries to the house so would need a car for shopping. Taxiing would be very expensive, and unreliable.
Another option is to move, which could finally give me the push to get my own place rather than renting. It’s all just a bit of a mess atm, I had a quick look the other day to give me an idea but apart from that I’m just giving myself time to let the emotions of the whole thing subside before making any decisions.
I’m not annoyed or anything about it, if anything happy that I know more and can plan things rather than just waiting. I am lucky that I have options though and may actually end up being a good thing in the end.
We’ll see how things go though so interesting times ahead. Would be nice if the leg started working but then I wouldn’t have to change anything. Watch this space I suppose.