29th December 2011

Hiya
Following his operation Steven has suffered varying degrees of pain. Initially the pain increased as the days went on. Xmas Day was the worst day for pain. But Boxing Day and today the pain has lessened slightly, so as I said before, the early signs are good. Steven says that the pain is completely different to before the operation. Before, the pain was permanent as bone rubbed against rough bone. This pain and the action of the joint, forced his left leg to swing outwards to the left. By using a walking frame he now walks in a straight line. This has allowed him to put his foot on the floor in a flat position instead of the out-step hitting the floor, thus removing some of the pain in his left ankle. The pain in his hip is now believed to be operation pain only, from the bruising, and the actions of the surgeon. He found an example of the operation on YouTube, and rather than be upset by the scenes, he found it reassuring. He now understands why he’s in pain, and has seen, that, following the stitching process, his hip is secure. Since leaving the hospital on Friday he has walked regularly using the walking frame, and has for short distances walked without the frame, thereby increasing his strength. We have successfully cleaned the wound at home, although my sadistic nature wishes I had the nerve to rip off the bandage with one hard pull;-). We have bought various pills to aid his recovery, one box alone costing 172euro!!, we hope to recover some of this from the National Health system. On Wednesday 28th, Steven visited the physiotherapy department to enquire as to when he could continue treatment. Here his confidence was shattered when his physiotherapist said that he could see no improvement whatever with Steven’s walking. It’s this sort of thing which upsets us all, so many people have so many opinions we don’t know who to listen to, so we follow our own instincts. I hope you remember some of the things he’s gone through:- his foot must come off, then another doctor says it’s okay; the elbow pain is caused by calcification, then another doctor says it’s a loose piece of bone; a half pelvis replacement is needed, then another doctor says just the ball and socket; and now this where a physiotherapist cannot see any change in his condition. This same physiotherapist is a believer in natural remedies, and considers operations pointless, this is the sort of thing we’ve had to put up with, so many opinions. Nearly everything that’s happened to Steven to get him right we’ve had to fight for, because we’ve learned that doctors and hospitals work to a criteria, rather than consider the differences in people. We’ve had to convince all manner of doctors that Steven is a good healer and he and we are responsive to their directions, and that he should be treated as an individual, not as a lab’ rat.
Best regards, and wishing you all a Happy New Year, Terry