26th May 2012

Hiya, an interesting few days. We have decided to go to the private hospital for his physiotherapy. After an initial meeting with the physiotherapist, we saw another member of staff, this was after the whole staff had had a team meeting about Steven. The first thing she told us, was how remarkable it was to see someone who had survived such horrific injuries. She also said that the team's prognosis was very good because they could see how far Steven had come along the road to recovery and they could see his determination. We were shown around the brand new facilities and met other members of the team. He had another physical examination where a lot of compassionate interest was shown towards Steven. The examination wasn't just a cursory look, but a full-on prodding, probing, and pushing, in an attempt to see where Steven's problems lay. Straight away they considered that an operation may be unnecessary on Steven's foot, and maybe intense physiotherapy may work. They stated that his body had forgotten how to perform correctly mainly due to the long initial period of inactivity, and then complicated by necessary surgery. Both sides of the body should be a mirror image of the other, but due to Steven's brain injury, his left hand side needs more coaching to work as it should. The brain has basically forgotten how to move the body and needs to be re-trained. The best way he could show the team was by clapping his hands, he just couldn't do it properly, looking very awkward and uncomfortable. When pins were put into his skin on the left side, he was asked to shut his eyes and point with his right hand where the pins had been put. In most cases he either couldn't feel anything, or pointed to a spot nowhere near where the pins had been put. He was given hand-eye co-ordination, by returning different coloured balls to different locations on a table, or by catching and throwing a ball with each hand, this was very successful. He was told that when he walks he bends his left elbow, which we had noticed and thought it was due to the long time he had an injured elbow, but the team told him that this was the brain sending incorrect messages, because Steven concentrates so much on the walking action he forgets other actions. It seems that he just may have to be re-trained so that he then teaches the brain what to do, then hopefully it will become natural. Massages showed where he was in pain in his neck and shoulder areas. These examinations were held over 5 hours over two days. Next Monday he has to go for electrical tests, EMG, then the full process may start Tuesday morning. We all feel more positive. Love Terry

22nd May 2012

Dear All, not a lot of good news. Steven has maintained and increased his physiotherapy and exercise regimes, this is showing an increase in muscle on his arms particularly. The exercise also encourages a better appetite. However a visit to his doctor at the private hospital wasn't as uplifting. Steven had previously had x-rays and a CAT scan. These revealed no break in any foot or ankle bone, which is different to what he has been told by the NHS doctor, yet more differing opinions. Steven now has a decision to make, because it's possible that whatever is done in an attempt to improve the foot function, or remove the pain, is actually irreversible. Steven continues to be in a lot of pain now, and an operation may not remove that pain, because it's not fully known where the pain sensation is coming from. Remember Steven suffered serious brain injury, which has affected the motor sensors of his left hand side. Next Monday Steven is having electric tests done around the left leg and foot, to see which muscles are working. If all the muscles are okay, it may be that nothing can be done, except continuing physiotherapy. If the tests show that (say) one muscle isn't working correctly, he can have an operation to change the use of muscles to make his foot function correctly. However this operation is a one-off, if it doesn't work, it stays as it is, and there's no guarantee the pain will be gone. It's possible that the pain may be caused by 18mths of inactivity, that's why the operation may not work. Yet again Steven is feeling depressed, mainly because he gets hardly any good news. Yes he's alive and has a lot of individual skills that we're all grateful for, but he's being treated as a number by both Social Security and the car insurance, both showing no compassion at all, and seemingly trying to find excuses that Steven is, or will, function perfectly, therefore avoiding any significant payments. Because Steven is feeling a little stronger it is hoped that soon he'll start a new regime of physiotherapy at the private hospital. Steven has lost a lot of faith at the NHS physiotherpay unit after the staff, who have been giving him various exercises, have only just realised that one of his injuries was a broken neck, despite having a full doctor's report. Knowing Steven we're sure that he will continue with his determination to get better, once this initial shock and depression has left him. Best regards Terry

12th May 2012

Hiya another uneventful few days. Steven saw his surgeon, but until Steven has a scan in 2 weeks time, the doctor cannot give any opinions, but it's a new start. Whilst there, due to Steven suffering pain in his left elbow, the doctor gave him a very painful injection directly into the elbow joint. The pain subsided almost immediately, but Steven can only have 3 of these injections, so hopefully only this one will be needed. With less pain there's more mobility, and the more mobility there will be less pain. We have to go this private route because the NHS is so over-whelmed. It's not the fault of the staff, it's the fault of the NHS being too successful in prolonging people's lives, so queues are inevitably longer. Steven was called urgently into Court on Wednesday, however it was only to see the Court's forensic doctor. Steven went in with a friend and solicitor, with all his doctor's notes. The doctor just looked at him briefly and said come back in a months time with the notes that Steven had in his hand!!. This upset Steven because there was no compassion shown by the doctor, and Steven felt that he was just a number. This is the feeling that's coming across more and more as things roll slowly along. Why is more time needed, the reports are there, the operation notes are there, the scars are there, what do people really want as proof that Steven has had an awful accident and is suffering incredible injuries, and may have health problems for a number of years!!! We have also decided that the time has come for Steven to start private one-to-one physiotherapy, so appointments have been made to start that process. In the meantime Steven continues is daily physiotherapy. Best regards Terry

5th May 2012

Hiya, yet again not a lot to tell you. Briefly Steven has been given a 68% incapacity to work entitling him to a pension and all manner of benefits. However, unbeknown to us, we cannot claim these benefits we now have to get a solicitor to do all the ground work to do it for us!!!! However many hoops they give us to jump through we'll do it, Steven must have what he's entitled to. The Government though are doing their utmost to cut down the number of people on benefits, so it could be an uphill struggle, no different to England I suppose. We saw the solicitor Thursday 3rd May, and he has agreed to make the necessary enquiries. Apparently one Social Security department issues their opinion, then we have to visit another department for them to agree or disagree with the first assessment. Steven continues his physiotherapy at the clinic and at home. His appetite has increased, and we can already see the difference in skin tone and general well being. He actually looks forward to eating, preparing it all for himself, unfortunately the food he's doing is so good, we will probably start putting on weight as well. Ref' his physio', at home Monday 30th April, he was outside on his step machine working quite well, when I started chasing the dog around, Steven looked at us (we weren't near him) and due to the halt in his concentration he fell off the step machine, landing on his hip operation area, and his back hitting a flower pot. The floor and flower pot are fine ;-). Steven's only problem was us looking down at him, he's literally had enough of people watching over and caring for him if that makes sense. We are going out for a Chinese Monday night with friends and Steven is going to go to physio' and then afterwards he's going to cross a main road for a coffee to wait for us to finish and fetch him. We've told him our concerns but he insists he wants to do these things, but it's very difficult for us to let go. He's had his second session for his new tattoo, and though I don't like them, it does look good. This is something he wants to do, to inflict pain on himself instead of from the accident, and in any case it takes his mind off the pain for a short time. Next week we start a new round of doctor's appointments about Steven's left foot and ankle. Look up "dropped foot syndrome" if you're interested. In the accident, his leg was almost severed completely between knee and ankle, the scar is huge but clean. As well as bone and extensive muscle damage, nerves were cut which control the action of the ankle and foot. When he puts pressure on his foot, he has a lot of pain from the broken bone deep within the ankle. The biggest problem is that he cannot raise his foot or toes, the front of his foot hangs down permanently. Remember he has to tell each part of his body what to do and that's an added problem because it may be that the problem with his foot could be caused by the motor function of the brain which was damaged. The ankle bone damage is in a dodgy position and may not be able to be operated on. The foot problem may be alleviated by swapping over tendons from one side to the other because it's more important for the foot to be able to lifted than to be pointed downwards, that can come with gravity. Or he can have one of my tendons which he has refused, but if I have to I'll insist. Or he wears a rather large and uncomfortable boot. Or we can try to have an experimental implant in his hip and knee, controlled by a gadget on his belt, which then recognises when the foot is down, and the implant makes the foot come back up. We hope to find out more next Tuesday. Steven’s cousin Ian Wykes successfully made the 12 day trek to Mount Everest Base Camp, although some members of the group didn’t make it and had to hospitalized due to altitude sickness. Well done and thank you Ian. Best regards Terry

17th April 2012

Hiya,
as you know, for several weeks we've been concerned about Steven's depression, and level of pain. Steven was getting very concerned about what's happened to him, and all the questions we continually ask ourselves as to "Why". He's also concerned about the future, especially as we're not getting any younger, who's going to care for him. He's also concerned about how vulnerable he is, in public or even in his own home because he has no defence at all, considering that he is an ex-kick boxer with little or no fear. Then two weeks ago we took him to Alicante for an assessment by the Social Services, in the hope of him getting some sort of pension. This assessment was in our mind a joke, and this also affected him badly. Basically they told him that because he could speak in two languages, and could move his fingers, he could get a job with computers, and that I would have to take him to work and look after him. Steven was so overwhelmed that he failed to tell us all this (the interview was in Spanish and normally Steven has coped), waiting until we were home. He was incredibly upset and angry. This added to his depression, which manifested itself into not shaving, showering, eating, not being able to sleep, and generally not bothering with looking after himself, because as he kept saying what's the point. As much as we told him that he was lucky to be alive, and beginning to function better, he would reply that the Steven he is now isn't the one he wants. Then a few days ago Paul came down to see us for a couple of weeks. Paul approached the problem slightly differently and encouraged Steven to at least eat, which he did. We've always had a lot of humour in the house, and Paul added to it. We then began to realise that Steven was not feeling as depressed as he was. He was eating more, even very soon after breakfast. Then Steven admitted that he hadn't been taking his pills for about 3 or 4 days. So now we began to think, why was Steven looking, acting and feeling different. We looked at the pills and found that two of them for pain relief, the side effects were lack of appetite, caused a nervous state, muscle cramps (he had complaining of a lot of pain), and alteration to sleep patterns. Steven has been taking so many pills that we hadn't looked at the side effects, and it was only when he and we noticed the small change in his demeanour that things fell into place. We have obviously stopped the pills and will continue to monitor Steven but things are looking good. Especially when today we received the news that Steven has officially been classified as disabled and may be entitled to a pension. Surprisingly this pleased Steven because at last it's been acknowledged officially that he needs help, something we knew, but this is better to see in writing. So, more bureaucratic paperwork but we'll get by. As you read this, Steven's cousin Ian Wykes is in Kathmandu preparing to climb to Mount Everest Base Camp, a trip that Ian has dedicated to Steven. This is a wonderful gesture, and we hope that Ian enjoys his adventure.
Love
Terry

28th March 2012

Hiya,
Steven is getting more and more depressed, to the extent that over a misunderstanding of a Monday afternoon trip for a drink, he had a mini-breakdown, which resulted in him crying and screaming, and then putting his fist through a wooden cupboard door. No injury caused but we need a carpenter!!! A very upsetting episode for all of us. He eventually calmed down sufficiently to go to physiotherapy. He has enough to contend with without having extra stress. So we have to be so careful in what we say and do.
Today, Wednesday, we had a very successful day with his solicitor. Steven wanted this appointment because in all the discussions, he hasn't actually put his point of view, mainly because he was unable to do so. This is where Steven is growing in himself, but then the frustration comes to the front, like the breakdown. Remember Steven is growing up as would a child, he is becoming more intelligent, and this makes him think and worry. Steven told the solicitor everything that he felt. His concerns for the future, the unknown damage to his body and brain, the pain he is suffering, and the general inconvenience of life. He made an excellent showing of his character, and it was obvious that the solicitor treated him with a lot of respect considering what he's gone through. The meeting was good because it finally showed the solicitor that he was dealing with a real person. Don't get me wrong, the solicitor is a good man, and he has seen Steven many times, but this is the first time that Steven felt confident enough to speak directly to the solicitor, and to show real emotion. It was an upsetting interview but essential. Steven was clearly upset but kept control.
Best regards Terry

23rd March 2012

Hiya, what started as a good week ended with a sting in the tail. On Wednesday, 14th March, his 500th day, whilst at physiotherapy, Steven was advised to have a go at walking without any support, (except his foot strap). So he put away his walking stick. This was to give him more confidence, and to stop relying on his stick. Apart from that it's one less thing to worry about, moving the stick or where it's got to go. He was very successful with this, and even got a bit of attitude to his walking, i.e. a bit of a swagger and a little faster, though still not normal speed. For 4 days wherever we went he didn't use his stick and he had a really positive attitude. This though provides further problems, in that people now don't realise there's anything wrong with him, and fail to move out of his way, so we have to walk slightly in front of him as "guards". Further, the extra walking action produced extra pain. And that came to a head Sunday morning 18th March, when he woke in utter agony around his neck and shoulders. Unfortunately we were at a car-boot sale at the time, and couldn't get home to help as quick as we'd like. The pain then caused a mini-breakdown, and all his anger and depression came to a head. All we could do was offer the usual platitudes, and painkillers. There was a slight improvement over the next 4 hours or so, but he had to call off an evening out with friends, and a trip to see Paul on Monday. As I've said before we don't know if these are post-accident pains, or the result of increased exercise, or even lying "funny" whilst asleep.
A visit to the solicitor revealed mixed fortunes. We were told that the man who did this was indeed behind bars and would remain there until after the Court hearing, custodial sentence, and his deportation to Serbia, where he is also wanted by the Police. The man had no official documents whatsoever including passport, I.D., and had never held a driving licence anywhere. On top of that there has been a clerical error in one of the Court hearings, in that it was declared that Steven was NOT claiming compensation. However this error was swiftly picked up by our solicitor and also the insurance solicitor, and a complaint has been made by both which will be upheld because the error was actually illegal as Steven has not yet been examined by a “Court” Doctor.
The last few days he's been in a lot of pain, and it shows. He had an injection Tuesday 20th March for his shoulder and neck pain, but all it's given him is a sore arse;-) The doctor reckons the pain and discomfort is caused by new exercise affecting what was a broken neck, and now lack of muscle. Like everything else he's been told it will take time, and though he knows it’s true, he's fed up of hearing that phrase. He became a little more positive but he's disappointed and upset that he couldn't properly celebrate UK Mother's Day followed by Spanish Father's Day, and also we couldn't travel up to see Paul. But as we keep telling him, not to worry about things like that, all will be made up later, we'll have Xmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, all on the same day, no problem.
By Wednesday 21st March the walking stick was back, but at least he tried. Hopefully it's a temporary measure, and he'll offload again it when his neck and shoulder muscles behave themselves. His surgeon will see him again late April re' his hip and elbow op's, and we'll then discuss his foot, to see if he's got a different solution or opinion.
Best regards Terry