Cold!!

It is so cold here that we haven't been out for a walk around for several days, but Pete is continuing with his walking exercise inside. Not the same, but better than nothing. He has built it up now and today walked up and down the hall and round the sitting room 12 times. Not a lot to you and me, but a marathon to him. Whilst he is doing this exercise I try to do a bit of housework.
The only reason he stops is that his leg gets tired, rather than him getting tired. The FES is still sitting on a table, unused and forlorn!! He is using the ankle brace or nothing at all - trying to do it without an aid is his preference but he has to make a conscious effort to lift his knee and foot. His right heel is now making more contact with the floor of its own volition which is good as it has tended to lift when either standing or sitting in a relaxed stance. Tonight he noticed that his knees were level when sitting!
The jigsaw therapy is going well and he can do 60 pieces now on his own. I bought some more yesterday (in charity shops - a good source) but puzzles with 60 to 100 pieces are very rare. Very difficult to find. Then they seem to jump to 250 pieces which are way beyond him at the moment. Things that he can do and see the result are excellent therapy. We may try some family games next as I think he would enjoy them now.
Jane, from Connect, came yesterday just to have a cup of coffee and a chat with Pete. She is such an amazing person, willing to give up her time like that. The best thing is that she has been there herself and knows exactly how Pete is feeling about stuff. She repeated her rule that you never look back - keep looking forward and you will achieve things. I asked her again about her speech and she didn't have any at all for 12 to 18 months, then it returned slowly but surely. So, as she said, we are only a short way along the track, still plenty of time. As I expected, she didn't want me there!! That way Pete had to communicate without looking to me to help. She was here for about 45 minutes and I know Pete benefitted from it. She said she will call in again in 2 weeks time but when I went to write it in the diary I see Pete has a hospital appointment on that day, but I am sure we can change the time of her visit.
Speech therapy today, Bev has a student with her at the moment and this is good as she has to do different exercises with him, comprehension etc. which stretches Pete and makes him think. Also she has to stretch herself dealing with such severe Aphasia - she was thrown in at the deep end a bit!!
Physiotherapy tomorrow, we have been doing all the required exercises so should be ok. Such a difference from days ago when Pete was refusing to do any, now he is indicating that he wants to do them all every day. The ones which really stretch the muscles in his right leg are still hard for him and he says he can really feel the stretch, but this is what is wanted.
Pete has been in a fairly good mood the last few days so I hope it lasts - he is being more like his usual 'laid back' self!

In the Gym

Today was Pete's first session with the Vista Class which is held in the gym in the hospital. I think he was quite nervous about it, and this wasn't helped by the fact that his leg has been playing him up. The class meets every Monday for 12 weeks and lasts one and a half hours. Pete had to go half an hour early today in order for the physiotherapists to assess him. They asked that I stayed for this as I could tell them things Pete couldn't. After explaining all that he can and can't do, we got onto what goals he has. The main ones are to walk a distance, perhaps without a stick eventually, to be able to do some gardening and to be able to do everything in the kitchen. The kitchen side of it is almost sorted, the main problems being actually cooking and transferring food from the pans to the plate. They didn't seem to think anything was out of the question. They will take him up stairs as well as this is something we haven't done as we haven't got any!!!! They will also do arm exercises to keep the tone in it. I left at 10.30am and had to go back at 12 when they finish. They do exercises etc. for an hour and then have a cup of tea and a talk by someone. It is very difficult to know what Pete did, all I can be sure of is that he was on the exercise bike at some point. I don't really know what he thinks about it, not overly enthusiastic though!!! I don't think he is raring to go again - but this is not optional, so attend he will!!! I was looking forward to having time to myself but this didn't really happen! On my way out I met one of the girls I work with so had to stop and have a chat (!!!), then when I got home I had to prepare everything for a casserole as Pete had got it all out and wanted it ready for him to put in the dish and mix etc. when he got back. So, I only had about half an hour to myself, but I did make the most of it! When he is with therapists it is the only time I don't think about where he is or what he is doing or worry that he is ok.
We have also done the exercises this afternoon and Pete has done a fair amount of just walking about which is exercise he has to do. I didn't think he would want to do anything today having done so much this morning, but he was all for it. He hasn't moaned about his leg this afternoon or evening so I am wondering if it was paining him because we hadn't done exercises and all the muscles were tightening. Anyway, he hasn't mentioned it so I won't!!
This afternoon Jane from Connect rang and she is coming tomorrow to visit Pete, just a social informal visit. I'm not sure whether she wants me there - probably not! But will ask her tomorrow.
It may have been a couple of degrees warmer today, but still chilly. I have noticed the odd daffodil in flower in the hedges so am hopeful more may be out by 1st March!
And that is it for today - I'm sure there was something else to write about but can't think what it was!

New Therapy!

Pete has still been a bit down - mostly I think because of his arm, last night he seemed to be very upset with it, maybe because it was very tight and getting in the way. It must be very depressing to know that he will never get movement back. We went out shopping on Thursday night and this always cheers him up, being out doing normal stuff.
He is also having problems with his right leg/ankle, not sure which or whether it is both. I have tried to find out what it is but can only get that it aches. He has not used the FES for a few days and has been wearing the ankle brace, so whether it is that I don't know. Yesterday and today he has used nothing and been wearing slippers instead of shoes, so obviously it has become quite uncomfortable. There is no swelling or redness so at least I know there isn't an infection. We will just see how it goes and hope it gets better over a couple of days as his foot really does need the help to lift it.
Back to exercises yesterday and today and I was surprised at how well they went, not having done any for nearly a week. I have also had a phone call that Pete can start at the Vista Group in the hospital on Monday. This is held in the gym and is physiotherapy for stroke survivors. It is usually held for one and a half hours every Monday and lasts 12 weeks. This is another reason why we had to get exercises going again! I am not sure exactly what goes on in the gym, but I do know exercise bikes may be involved!
Also yesterday my sister, Wendy, came up again for the day. We both enjoy her visits so much. Mind you, having said that, Pete fell asleep for a while after lunch! She brought some late Xmas presents up from her son, Mathew, who lives in Switzerland. One of Pete's was a jigsaw puzzle, which apparently is standard therapy in Switzerland and Europe. It promotes thinking things through as well as hand to eye co-ordination. It has 48 pieces and I wasn't sure Pete would be able to do it, but he did. It took an hour but he did it with no help at all from me, all I did was open the packet of pieces for him. I felt quite proud of him and he was pleased himself. It had to be left for Martin to see today. This morning we had to find some of the puzzles we have had for the kids and found a box of 10 puzzles with different numbers of pieces. He had no problems at all with the 2 that had twelve pieces each, nor the 2 with twenty four pieces each, and the next one to tackle is one with 40 pieces. They are quite difficult with a lot of sky and greenery in them, along with wild animals. This is brilliant therapy for Pete as it really absorbs him and he has something to be pleased with at the end. It should be standard therapy in this country!!
So when I next go to town I will have to look around and get some more.
The weather has been bitterly cold the last few days so we haven't been out walking around much. Hopefully it will warm up soon!

Sneaky Blog!

It is 10.30am and I am taking this opportunity to write a post whilst Pete is having a speech therapy session, so he won't know I'm doing it!
We have had 2 very fraught days, mainly because Pete wanted some things changed around. The thing is that he decides to do it and it has to be done NOW. Then he expects me to understand with vague arm waving what he wants. He wanted all the music system moved which involved disconnecting speakers and then re wiring them all up, as well as disconnecting and reconnecting each individual section (amplifier, record player and cd player). This did not go well with both of us getting very angry - but it was done in the end but we spent the rest of the day hardly speaking! Very bad atmosphere. He doesn't think things through like he would have before. Then he wanted a new small canvas wardrobe, which Martin got for us, but this involved rearranging some bits in the bedroom. I went to town in the morning and when I came back he had moved a lot of stuff and left total chaos! Then he couldn't grasp that where he wanted to put it was not a big enough space. More anger from us both!! I got frustrated that he couldn't seem to understand what I was saying, whilst he was adamant it would fit! Eventually he got the point and so more rearranging. He had moved and dragged a lot of things around and by the evening was totally exhausted, he seemed very vague about everything. This was a bit worrying but he seems ok this morning.
I can't help losing my temper, and nor can he - I tell myself to stop it, but it still takes over. These are very bad episodes as I know he can't help it whereas I can. Then I feel very guilty and depressed over what I have said to him (not nice things). What can I do about this?
We have done no exercises as he has refused to do them when I suggest it, so this is another bad side effect of my temper outbursts.
On the good side, he seems able to switch off his annoyance with me as soon as someone comes as yesterday he had a good speech therapy session and told Bev we had been out to Ilfracombe using the ordinance survey app on the iPad. Then when she had gone it was back to bad atmosphere for a while.
Also, good news, the doctor did ring yesterday and I have to go and get more sleeping tablets for him. The dr. said that was fine and he would put them on repeat (in other words don't bother me again???) but never asked how he was or anything or did we have any other questions.
Also I have been to see about returning to work in 4 weeks time and am waiting to hear back whether they can accommodate me dropping one day a week. I know they can as a couple of people are looking for more hours, but they just want to make me sweat!!! Pete will be glad to see the back of me I'm sure!!
So, that is the end of this sneaky blog whinging post!

Out and About

This weekend has been brilliant! The weather has been good, no sunshine yesterday until late afternoon but today has been sunny all day (there has been a sneaky cold wind but not too bad).
At least it has been dry!!
Yesterday Martin took us down to Ilfracombe to see the Damien Hirst statue called Verity. She stands 60 foot tall and is very impressive. There had been a lot of publicity locally about this statue as from one side you see a naked pregnant woman, but from the other you see her without any skin!! All muscles and foetus etc!!! She holds aloft a sword and stands on a pile of books. I had my reservations about it, but must admit it is actually amazing and well worth seeing. Then we went into the local Aquarium (after establishing we could get a wheelchair in there) which was fascinating with all the sealife from around this coastline and the local rivers. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and it did Pete so much good to go out and do normal things. (3 photos today from our day out - one in particular shows how much Pete enjoyed it).
Today we have been to Atlantic Village for a bit of retail therapy!! First into Asda to get boring grocery shopping out the way, then on into other shops. I have to say that the whole place is wheelchair friendly and it also had plenty of Disabled Parking available. So, again, a good afternoon out, but spent too much money!!!!
We haven't done any exercises as haven't had the time!! Pete is again having trouble with the FES but I'm not sure what the problem is. I, very bravely, tried it on myself and it seems to be working Ok but Pete doesn't think so. It certainly has a kick!!!
What we have been doing is writing and sounds. Pete has now mastered the sound for 'w' and today has also got the sound for 'sh', but often the perseverance kicks in and he can't get past one sound. But we are carrying on and just trying to get the sounds he can do to come without too much effort. We have been trying for 'b' as well but just can't get it yet. Pete can say the word 'why' but can't use it in context yet.
And that has been our weekend, I hope everyone has also had a good time.

Lazy Days

We have had two beautiful days weather wise. The sun has been shining inviting us outside. Yesterday Pete had quite a long walkabout negotiating two lots of steps along the way. Today we have been out again but not for quite so long as it was a bit cooler. Pete cannot walk around unaccompanied outside yet as all the surfaces are pretty uneven - no smooth concrete pavements around us I'm afraid!
Yesterday we did all the exercises, including walking up and down the hall with no stick. This is coming along really well, but not something for Pete to do without someone hovering behind him. He still has slight wobbles, he always manages to save himself but does need someone there just in case. The new balance exercises are still pretty hard for him but he makes a really good effort.
No further progress on writing and sounds but no going backwards either.
Yesterday Pete also made a cottage pie for tea, more or less by himself. All I did was peel and chop the onions and mash the potatoes. He cooked the meat with no problems. What we need now is a gadget that will hold the pan still whilst he mashes the contents and also something to put pans into which will then tip over slowly to get everything out with a spoon. Anyone know of such a thing?
Today we had a visit from Pete's brother which was really nice and Pete enjoyed it. Writing that has reminded me that Bev rang yesterday and said Jane (organiser of the aphasia group meetings) quite understood why Pete did not want to go at the moment and would he like her to just pop in some times for a social visit, just to chat? I said yes I'm sure he would like that as it is a bit of support for him, which he does need at times.
Two phone calls today, one to make an appointment for me to discuss going back to work and another to Pete's doctor. The first went fine with an appointment made for Monday, I am hoping to go back sometime mid-March, but the second call threw up the usual problems. I wanted to talk to his doctor to ask if he could have more sleeping tablets - doctor not in until Tuesday but I could book a phone call!!! As I didn't consider it an emergency and therefore didn't need to speak to a doctor today, I have booked a call from him for next Tuesday afternoon. Will he ring? I am not holding my breath going by past experience!
And that is everything up to date again now.

Addicted!

I think I must be addicted to blogging!! I usually think during the days about what I will write about in that day's post - and today, even though I was going to give it a rest for a few days, I again found things I wanted to say, so have given in and here I am after just one day's break!
The first thing is that we seem to be on the up again with our moods. After several days of being miserable we are both in better frames of mind.
We are doing about 10 minutes at a time of sounds and words - Pete can now write 'Martin' without copying and we are working on 'Adrian', and I regularly spell out lots of family names which Pete writes with no trouble. When I ask him to write the first letter of words, he gets it right about 75% of the time. Sometimes he can write simple words like cat, cow, fox, if I ask him to. Bev came today for speech therapy and so I had one lovely hour to myself! She said she quite understood why Pete didn't want to go to the aphasia group yesterday, but we will revisit the situation in a few months which is fair enough. She said they had a good session today although I am not sure what they did, but apparently he definitely said 'meow' when she said something about cats!! Probably not too useful in everyday conversation, but still very good!!!!
We did try the new exercises yesterday but didn't get on too well with them as Pete seemed to do a lot of wobbling when doing one foot in front of the other! Today Suzanne has done them again and I think I was probably expecting too much from Pete. She says this exercise is very difficult for him but just to keep on trying it and his balance will get better, it is very normal for him to wobble at the beginning, it will slowly improve the more he does it. She has also swapped the standing on his toes exercise to one where he has to just squat a bit (not to get right down, just slightly) and then push back up. It is easier for him to transfer the weight to his right leg with this exercise and this is what she wants, for the right leg to work. If he doesn't work it regularly in lots of different ways then his brain will neglect that side and it won't improve. She always starts now with Pete warming up by walking up and down the hall a few times with no stick. He is getting on well with the FES now, to the extent that he has put the ankle brace away in the drawer! It was obviously all down to placing the electrode pads in the right place!! I regularly renew the ink lines and Pete can very nearly get them on in the right place - it can be a bit awkward for him trying to see the lines solely due to their position.
The last thing to talk about today is that, for the last 3 days, Pete has planned and prepared our main meal by himself - even down to making the gravy on Monday. He could probably now almost cook it all - it is just dishing it up that could be a problem with one hand. Big steps indeed!!
He has also been washing and drying the dishes on his own at times. Greasy dishes defeat him but that is not surprising.
You can probably tell that I am feeling more upbeat just by the tone of this post! I will definitely carry on posting often and regularly!

Extended Exercise Regime

We have now been given four more exercises to add to the regular ones. The new ones are all to aid Pete's balance. The first is to stand in front of a work top and transfer weight from just his left side to the right leg as well, and this should keep his right heel on the floor, and then to stand on tip toe. The second is to put his left foot directly in front of his right foot, again keeping the right heel on the floor (which he finds difficult) and then balance like that for 20 seconds without holding onto anything. Then to repeat the exercise with the the right foot in front. As his right leg is so much weaker he tends to let that knee bend and then the heel rises, he has to concentrate on keeping the right leg straight and the heel down. The third exercise is to pull himself up from the perch stool without holding onto the arms, thereby using his leg muscles and getting the balance of weight right, and then sitting down again, but controlling the sitting action rather than just flopping down onto the seat. Then finally he has to walk around the stool and sit down again, this is keeping his balance in a confined space. Then walk around the stool again in the opposite direction. So, there we go - more work for Pete!
Things have been quite miserable here for the last few days. I am just about at rock bottom and Pete seems to have lost his determination at the moment. We both need to snap out of it but it is hard when there are no noticeable improvements. We just seem to drift from day to day with most days seeming very long. The nights are no better as we don't sleep well. Pete had a tablet last night but it wasn't too effective, he was awake a lot and when he was asleep was very restless. If he doesn't sleep then I don't, the best I can explain it is it is like having a child - I always have an ear open for whether he is awake or not.
We have done sounds and letters again today. I think Pete has now got the phonic sound for w, and he did well on the first letters of words - but there is no sign of him being able to initiate the use of any form of communication, it is still all down to me asking him questions or asking for the first letter of a clue word. He has decided he definitely will not be going to the Aphasia Group meeting tomorrow, which is disappointing, but so be it.
After quite a bit of thought, I have decided that I probably won't post on the blog every day from now on, there doesn't seem to be a lot to say now that we are on a plateau. I can't really put down my thoughts and feelings any more as Pete always wants to hear what I have written and would get very upset if he knew how I really feel at times. I can leave out the odd bits when reading it to him but more than a couple of sentences and he knows. It is also quite relentless in that he always wants to know where I am and what I am doing, so can't sneak away to write anything privately.
So that is probably it for 2 or 3 days when I will be back!

Better

A very short post today as there isn't much to say. Pete continues to improve but not so much yet that we have started walking and exercises again, hopefully tomorrow.
We did have a much better night last night, we didn't sleep all night but definitely an improvement on the previous two nights.
Hoping for continued improvements tomorrow.

Bad Times

We have, unfortunately, had two very bad nights and one very bad day followed by not such a bad day today. Pete has been in absolute agony and unable to express himself apart from moaning and holding his head in his hands in despair. This has been so upsetting and very very hard to bear. The first night we had about half an hours sleep - I was up and dressed at 4.30am and Pete got dressed about half an hour later. I rang the doctors surgery, having made arrangements for his brother to take him to the surgery, but no appointments for 2 weeks (!!!??) apart from emergencies which would be decided by a doctor. So had to wait for a doctor to ring and then explain it all to her (but first I had to wait for her to get all his notes up to ascertain that I was telling the truth when I said he couldn't speak), she decided to write a prescription for me to collect, which I duly did. We started the treatment straight away but there was no relief for Pete until late this afternoon when it all kicked in. Consequently we were both up again at 5am this morning. Hopefully he is now on the road to recovery.
The first night we didn't sleep Pete had taken a sleeping tablet which didn't work at all. He is allowed to take 4 a week which he usually does on consecutive nights. The first one always works a treat and knocks him out quite quickly (within the hour), the second seems to take longer to work (about 2 hours), the third doesn't work that well and the fourth is a waste of time! How anyone can get addicted to something that doesn't always work is a mystery to me! I have suggested he only do two days at a time, but that suggestion was not received very well!!! It seems the logical thing to me, but I can't seem to reason with him as he can't tell me his views.
Pete used the FES all day yesterday, well, he had it on but as he didn't move around much it didn't get much action. He has not used it today, nor had his ankle brace on, but has got around ok, again though he has not moved around too much.
Pete has managed to get some sleep intermittently during the day, but I haven't, so I am seriously hoping he will sleep better tonight. I have been feeling well and truly beaten by life, and didn't know how we can go on like this. But as he is now in nowhere near the level of pain that he was I am feeling a bit better - but still really down about the aphasia. We have tried a couple of different approaches, to no avail. No speech therapy this week, but Bev did ring today and will be here next Wednesday.
One wish for tonight - PLEASE let Pete sleep so that I can as well!

And it's Back!!!

The FES is back! Over the weekend, in a very roundabout way, Pete indicated he wanted to give the FES another try. I don't know what brought that on but I asked Suzanne on Monday and she brought it with her today. She has marked on Pete's leg exactly where the electrodes have to go, she drew around them so there can be no mistake and I will check and renew the lines every morning and night. This should eliminate all the time spent trying to get them in the right place which was the main problem before. After getting it all set up to lift his foot just the right amount it was off with the walking again. She is getting Pete to try walking without any stick at all, and so far, so good. This does tire him out quicker, but as he is doing it up and down the hallway he can easily reach the wall for support when necessary. That is all that was done today as Suzanne was on her own, her colleague being on a training day.
This afternoon we had a visit from one of the girls I work with (and one of the lovely ladies from our Saturday evening outings) and she came with her beautiful Springer Spaniel, Lady. Pete was brought up with dogs and we used to have a Springer ourselves a few years ago, so he was especially pleased as Springers are his favourites. She is such a well behaved dog as well and always looks nice and tidy - which ours never did!! It always does Pete good when someone visits. He is still a bit unpredictable at the moment but this calmed him down.
And that is about all for today I think, we are still very up and down at the moment with some days really hard, but today hasn't been too bad.

Getting things into perspective!

Tonight Mel has sent me a link to a website (www.stroke.org.uk/talkstroke/carers) and this is a fantastic site. It is a forum for carers of stroke survivors to ask any questions, discuss problems, etc. I am definitely going to get involved in this. But, me oh my, it doesn't half put things into perspective - our problems are actually pretty trivial compared to what some carers are coping with. Many stroke survivors seem to become very aggressive, violent and their personalities totally change. At least Pete is still the same person, yes he gets angry but we can deal with it and it doesn't last too long now. He is still my soulmate and our love for each other has not diminished at all.
We have also had a phone call from the local Stroke Association as a follow up and to see how we are doing so told her our problems and she is going to put out a few feelers and perhaps get someone to just come and visit and have a chat with Pete just to give him some support and she is also going to investigate any local carers.
Also Adrian has been able to find another website and he has contacted them with a view to being able to just chat (via e-mail probably) with other carers.
So, I will continue my battle with aphasia with a new heart! All is not lost!

Losing the Battle.

Pete versus Aphasia. Guess who is winning? Definately not Pete I'm afraid. I am just about ready to admit defeat in this battle. Yes, we have had occasional breakthroughs and then I am really hopeful, but they don't seem to last long and back we go to square one. The community speech therapist (Bev) can only do one session a week and this doesn't always happen. There was no session last week due to her taking us to the Aphasia Group (which didn't help at all) and she hasn't made a time for this week so reckon that is off. I have trawled the Internet for help but that seems non-existent for anyone with no communication skills at all, plenty of hints and advice for people who have at least one skill left, but that doesn't help us. No carers of Aphasia sufferers are interested in sharing their experiences. Today I have looked for private speech and language therapists, plenty for children, stammerers, stutterers, etc. but none for aphasia sufferers. Their charges would be prohibitive anyway - they start from £30 to £50 per hour. So that leaves us here on our own, getting nowhere fast, and I don't think I can carry on fighting a losing battle on my own. Pete tries so hard, but is it worth the distress in the end? Over the last couple of days there have been stories of people suffering really bad injuries, but when being interviewed, they all say 'well, at least I can see, hear and talk'. Although not bitter and twisted over our situation, I do wish something would give or some help would miraculously appear!! Not going to happen though so, as I said, I am seriously considering giving up. It is seriously stressful for us both.
Now for better news! Physio today was good. Again a really strong wind was blowing so Pete didn't want to go out. So it was floor mobility! He had to get down onto the floor and then shuffle on his bottom to get somewhere where there was a piece of stable furniture with which to pull himself up onto and he could do that, slowly yes, but no problems. Then onto his knees and get along using his knees and one arm (crawling after a fashion!) and again he could do it without too much trouble. He has to keep practising this, but at least it means he can get up eventually if he is on his own, providing he hasn't hurt himself. Early this morning he fell when getting out of bed, mainly I think because he had had a sleeping tablet and was a bit woozy, but he managed to get into a position where he could pull himself up using the wheelchair which is always by the bed during the night.
So, that's it for today, not too good,but not all bad.

Ended!

The spell is broken and peace is shattered. Nearly a week, but not quite.
Today has been really horrendous - all down to communication problems.
There is no progress in beating this aphasia. Will there ever be? At the moment I don't think so.
I just see the future stretching on like this for ever. No articles anywhere give any answers.

Words.

No post yesterday only because I never got round to it!! The evening just slipped away from me! We had one minor upset when the record player decided not to work properly but after a phone call to Adrian that was sorted. But even this didn't provoke any rage from Pete. We are having such a relaxed time, it is so wonderful. Yesterday was also Martin and Mel's tenth wedding anniversary so we had a bit of a reminisce about that - good memories. They have gone away for a weekend together which they totally deserve - I have said it before and will say it again, they have been incredible supports to myself and Pete.
We had bright sunshine again today, you can really feel Spring is coming. Out for a walk again this morning - 3 photos of Pete in the garden, in the sun and looking GOOD.
The regulation exercises have all been done, the only fly in the ointment is Pete's arm. It is so stiff, but, thankfully, not too much pain at the moment. Also yesterday his right foot seemed to be bothering him, but there is nothing to see so at least there is no inflammation or anything.
Yesterday I decided to see if he could write any words without help - the first word I asked him to write was 'book' - and he did it! He put a bit of thought into it but got it right. Then we went on to just random 3 and 4 letter words and a very few he could do but others couldn't even get the first letter, there seems no rhyme nor reason to it. We just have to keep plugging away at it and this seems to be an exercise he enjoys. We don't spend too long on it, about 15 minutes at a time, as then he tries too hard and his brain refuses to co-operate! The main thing is that he can write his name now straight off without any trouble so if I lose him he can at least write who he is!!!
The toggles on the shoe laces are no problem now, Pete can move them down to tighten the laces quite easily. As I said, just practice.
The last two nights haven't been too bad despite not taking sleeping tablets - Pete has started having Horlicks as a nighttime drink so perhaps that helps. I think it is a totally disgusting drink so I am on the Hot Chocolate!!
I have started making plans now to return to work in mid-March. I have to go and see them and see if I can drop one day a week and the date to go back. The person to see is on holiday for the next two weeks so plans are on hold until then. The only problem I foresee is making the bed as Pete does the physio exercises on it, but he could at least just straighten it out to make it presentable!!