Thursday 11 September 2014

11th September 2014

Steven continues his long journey to recovery. He knows he will never be the same as before the accident, but that doesn't stop him or us from doing the best we can to get him close to his previous life. To that end, Steven has started and continued a fitness regime at a local gym which specializes in the treatment of similarly handicapped people. This has resulted in him developing his muscles, and he does eat more. He is beginning to "bulk up" and looks well. A recent visit to the UK for his cousin's wedding resulted in many people commenting on his overall improvement. On a separate visit to UK, we attended the Queen's Medical Centre at Nottingham University Hospital, for an evaluation by pelvis and hip experts. We went expecting them to say that Steven needed another operation to correct his walking action, and help remove the intense pain he suffers at all times. Having looked at Steven's scans and x-rays, the Doctors stated that the hip replacement operation, in their opinion, was first class, and should not be causing the problems that Steven is experiencing, so a new operation was unnecessary. Due to Steven's ungainly gait, and the poor control over his left leg and left foot, they likened it to a baby learning to walk. They firmly believe that Steven's problems including the pain, are caused by severe damage to the sciatic nerve, and that this may take a long time to repair itself. They came to this conclusion because Steven does actually have some control over his leg and foot, if he had no control at all, the nerve would probably be irrepairable. They are confident that, in time, he will regain more and better use of his leg and foot. We left the meeting in a good frame of mind, and were grateful for the input and advice. In the meantime blood samples have been taken to discount any infection or any absorbed metal from the new joint. We will know the result in a few days. The Doctors may recommend pain management, but we have gone down this route before without success, unless there are new ways of pain management other than acupuncture, hypnosis, and botox. Steven will continue with his gym work and exercises at home, encouraging muscle growth, strength, and fitness.