POTENTIALLY SOME GOOD NEWS
Wednesday, 25th July. Four weeks to the day since Janet's stroke.
Well, the scan on Monday didn't happen. The doctor in charge, Dr. Kerr, saw Janet that day and decided that because she is on the maximum dosage for her injections, in relation to someone who has had a stroke, and because Janet now is in no pain at all, there is no need for a scan. As far as the doctor is concerned, the blood clot will have dispersed, although the injections will continue until the end of this week. Good news, although Janet is disappointed that she won't be having the scan to confirm all of this. She is however, also having her blood pressure taken every two hours, as it was low and she was taken off her blood pressure tablets for the past few days.
Dr. Kerr said that she expects Janet to be walking, perhaps with a stick, within the next two to three weeks and to be home in that timescale. The doctor was not so certain about Janet's right arm and face / speech getting any better. A mixed prognosis but it'll be good news if she's home in three weeks. She will be sent to Hay Lodge Community Hospital in Peebles for continuing physio, something which Janet is not too keen on as a physiotherapist in the Kirkcaldy hospital bad-mouthed Hay Lodge and had said to Janet not to go there. Having said that, Dr. Kerr had sent patients there previously and was quite happy with that hospital.
The above all happened on Monday. Come Tuesday (yesterday), matters have changed somewhat. There seemed to have been a meeting between the various health professionals (a regular occurrence) and the on-duty staff nurse in the Stroke Ward has said to Janet that it was now likely that Janet would be moved to Hay Lodge by the end of this week, for rehabilitation care and continuing physio. Janet is not happy at all about this proposal, particularly being a resident at Hay Lodge - she said that it's only old people there, some of whom have dementia and she does not think the environment at Hay Lodge would help her. The staff and care at the Borders Stroke Ward is very good and Janet would much rather continue her rehabilitation there.
I did have a word with the Staff Nurse, who confirmed what Janet had said, but did mention that Janet would not be forced out to Hay Lodge, if she didn't want to go. Janet was also concerned that her condition had perhaps "plateaued" and this was why she would be going to Hay Lodge. The Staff Nurse assured us that this was not the case. In addition, Dr. Kerr wishes to see both Janet and I together later this week and hopefully all this can be sorted out to everyone's satisfaction.
Janet is certainly progressing and she showed me that she can now lift herself out of her chair and stand unaided. Her right leg that used to shake when she tried standing up now feels much better and this can only be a good sign. She had been down at the Hospital gym in the afternoon and had walked back and forward between the parallel bars there. She's picking up speed with her improvement.
We wait and see.
Well, the scan on Monday didn't happen. The doctor in charge, Dr. Kerr, saw Janet that day and decided that because she is on the maximum dosage for her injections, in relation to someone who has had a stroke, and because Janet now is in no pain at all, there is no need for a scan. As far as the doctor is concerned, the blood clot will have dispersed, although the injections will continue until the end of this week. Good news, although Janet is disappointed that she won't be having the scan to confirm all of this. She is however, also having her blood pressure taken every two hours, as it was low and she was taken off her blood pressure tablets for the past few days.
Dr. Kerr said that she expects Janet to be walking, perhaps with a stick, within the next two to three weeks and to be home in that timescale. The doctor was not so certain about Janet's right arm and face / speech getting any better. A mixed prognosis but it'll be good news if she's home in three weeks. She will be sent to Hay Lodge Community Hospital in Peebles for continuing physio, something which Janet is not too keen on as a physiotherapist in the Kirkcaldy hospital bad-mouthed Hay Lodge and had said to Janet not to go there. Having said that, Dr. Kerr had sent patients there previously and was quite happy with that hospital.
The above all happened on Monday. Come Tuesday (yesterday), matters have changed somewhat. There seemed to have been a meeting between the various health professionals (a regular occurrence) and the on-duty staff nurse in the Stroke Ward has said to Janet that it was now likely that Janet would be moved to Hay Lodge by the end of this week, for rehabilitation care and continuing physio. Janet is not happy at all about this proposal, particularly being a resident at Hay Lodge - she said that it's only old people there, some of whom have dementia and she does not think the environment at Hay Lodge would help her. The staff and care at the Borders Stroke Ward is very good and Janet would much rather continue her rehabilitation there.
I did have a word with the Staff Nurse, who confirmed what Janet had said, but did mention that Janet would not be forced out to Hay Lodge, if she didn't want to go. Janet was also concerned that her condition had perhaps "plateaued" and this was why she would be going to Hay Lodge. The Staff Nurse assured us that this was not the case. In addition, Dr. Kerr wishes to see both Janet and I together later this week and hopefully all this can be sorted out to everyone's satisfaction.
Janet is certainly progressing and she showed me that she can now lift herself out of her chair and stand unaided. Her right leg that used to shake when she tried standing up now feels much better and this can only be a good sign. She had been down at the Hospital gym in the afternoon and had walked back and forward between the parallel bars there. She's picking up speed with her improvement.
We wait and see.
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