Ongoing Therapy

As we mentioned on the last  blog update, we had an important meeting to discuss Andy's continued rehabilitation on 22nd January. We asked for prayer as the NHS offers time limited rehabilitation post discharge and we have now come to the end of that. As you are aware, Andy continues to improve, and has by no means plateaued, and so is still in need of continued, intensive rehabilitation.

The meeting was very intense and long. The therapy team and the doctor said that the amount of therapy given is a national strategy and not open to negotiation.We stood our ground and fought our corner insisting that Andy should be given the appropriate rehabilitation. On leaving the meeting we were both very drained and in the natural, the tendency was to fret as we wondered how we might get the therapy that we needed.

We believe that we have had answers to prayer and that provision has been made for Andy to have continued therapy, be it from different sources. Firstly, we stumbled upon a charity based at Birmingham University, which operates a clinic whereby physio students treat stroke survivors, shadowed by qualified neuro physio's. The referral was made on the Thursday 24th and we had our first session on Wednesday. The clinical leader commented that the program is set up to be a long term provision for as long as it is required. He has led a similar scheme at a different university where individuals are still receiving weekly therapy a number of years on and achieving amazing things. Andy has also been referred to the Queen Elizabeth for physiotherapy and he will be starting this on the 25th February.

Also on the Thursday following the meeting, Andy went on an active passive bike for the first time. He completed just under a mile on the bike. The majority of this was passive exercise but the machine gave feedback that 12% of the overall distance was Andy's active voluntary movement and the physios were impressed by this. We are considering getting an active passive bike for at home.

On that same Thursday we also had a visit from the clinician who is overseeing Andy's saeboflex. Without realising how anxious we had been following the meeting, she began giving advice on how we can better use the equipment we have at home to achieve some of Andy's goals and gave the carer and I instruction. She is prepared to work with us on an adhoc basis to give guidance on how we do Andy's exercises at home. 

Andy has been referred to the university for conversation practice with first year speech therapy students for 8 sessions. We had a phone call from one of the students who Andy had been referred to. He said that it was unusual as it was him and another guy who would be doing the sessions and the majority of students are girls. He asked me what Andy's interests are and I said climbing, church and teaching. He said that he felt it was providence as both he and the other student are also Christians and so they would have that in common. He also said that he was a keen climber.

The church currently has two interns and one of them is a qualified speech and language therapist. What a coincidence! She  agreed to see Andy on a fortnightly basis when we told her that Andy's speech and language had been stopped completely. Another answer to prayer. 

We thank you for your prayers in this area. We would like prayer for Andy's spasticity as he is having a lot of spasms and this is affecting his therapy. We are waiting for the baclofen pump but there is a six month waiting list for the operation. They have said that because of Andy's pain, its effect on his swallow and his fatigue that they could request that it is done sooner. Please pray that this is done quickly and that Andy's spasticity is managed in the meantime.