New Challenges

Christmas Eve is here! Santa has already started his deliveries! Much excitement among all the little ones! Tomorrow we are off to Martin and Mel's which will be fantastic as there are still believers there! Mel is an excellent cook so we know Christmas lunch will be superb and we are so looking forward to it.
So, back to today - Suzanne and Susie came for physio, bearing a gift!! An ordinary walking stick!
This is the first of the new challenges. Pete took to it very well indeed, surprising us all, but he has to just do short practices to start with as, obviously, he has to readjust his balance. The biggest problem we foresee is that when he stops to do something (eg switch on a light, or pick something up) it will fall over! The one he uses now just stays there as has 4 prongs. Perhaps a wrist strap or something will solve that problem, we will experiment and see. The other thing they are going to try is FES (functional electrical stimulation) and they will bring that machine next Monday. Sounds scarey but Suzanne has assured us his hair will not stand on end!! As I understand it, and this may not be quite right, they will attach electrodes to his leg on some of the nerves, send a very small electrical impulse through them, and this will send messages to the muscles and wake them up and make them contract, thereby making his knee and foot lift up better. They say it will just feel like pins and needles, let's hope they are right! The third, and final, challenge is for him to attend the Vista (I think that's right) group at the hospital which is held in the physiotherapy gym and they have lots of equipment like exercise bikes, treadmills, etc. they are going to try to start that in February as will definitely be ready for it by then. This will pose problems getting Pete there but we will do it by hook or by crook. So that's Pete's agenda sorted for the new year.
My challenge is the dreaded driving lessons!! My provisional licence has arrived, complete with horrendous photo, so no more delaying tactics! Although, obviously, I will have to wait until the new year - at least!! It may then snow, perhaps, it is a possibility, yes??
Anyway, that's it for today except to say I won't be writing a post tomorrow so I would like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas - especially all stroke survivors and their carers. Have a good one everybody.