10th September 2011

Hiya,
Steven has had permission to have the operation, we await the date. He will be having a complete half pelvis, replaced with a ceramic one. Steven is very worried, but he has to trust the doctors. He hopes that what the doctor is saying comes true re' the absence of real pain, and an improved walking state. This will obviously only be known after the operation. We all feel that with the improvement in walking, and the lack of pain, will also produce a feeling of well-being and a return to normality. His elbow will be done later. His left foot is really improving and may not need an op', the ankle straps are really doing their job and his foot movement has improved considerably, time will tell. His walking is becoming more confident, even climbing stairs unaided. His walking is still slow and painful. He's being evaluated, and due to his general improvement is likely to be an out-patient soon. We will stay at Alzira as out-patient for a while (if that's acceptable) then move back home for the same out-patient treatment at a local hospital. Steven's speech therapist is really impressed with his speech, however this speech therapy is in Spanish, and Steven has said he finds speaking English very difficult, so he may have to have further English speech therapy at a later date. Sorry about any greetings cards, I'll make up for this later, it's difficult to go shopping for cards, and even then invariably the address book is in the wrong place. Doing what we're doing is a logistical nightmare with many things being in the wrong place, whether it's 'phone chargers, documents, pills, toiletries, or clothes. At home at the moment, we're beginning to see the signs of neglect, carpets looking scruffy due to lack of proper cleaning, tiles falling off outside walls due to lack of re-grouting, weeds growing through the patio, all due to lack of time and energy to put things right. When we're home for these two days, we prefer it to be Steven's time, away from the noise and routine of hospital, and we certainly don't want to be working and ignoring him, hence the house neglect.
best regards
Terry