Mark 2 shoes

Text from Mark ...."I'm going 2 have 2 shoes on 2 day, give me a medal :-) me scab fell off this morning I can't tell u how happy that makes me feel :-) "

Marks pressure sore is finally healing, he's only got a plaster now instead of a big bandage. Just shows how our world reduces in times like this and as much as we're trying to expand it by going out as much as possible what we concentrate most of our efforts on are the little day to day improvements.

Marks days are a bit up and down at the moment, he's still working as hard as he can in OT and Physio and doing really well for his level of injury (one of the nurses told him his transferring would put some paraplegics to shame particularly as he's got such a big frame to move about) but the cocktail of drugs he's taking are making him drowsy so by the afternoon he has been known to drift off in the middle of telling me something. It wouldn't be so bad if they were working but after a couple of weeks on this cocktail they seem to be having less and less affect, particularly on the pain.

We've set another mutiny in place. Pinderfields have cancelled all home stays apart from 1 or if you're lucky 2 just before you're discharged. Supposedly due to lack of money. Home stays are a vital part of rehab, they enable people to gradually get used to their new environment and sort out any problems they might have managing their new life in a chair before they go home for good. We've talked to the Aspire(housing charity) peer advisor who visits every week and he was appalled. He's written a report to his' higher ups', that's gone to a former senior civil servant who is an advocate for patient care now in Spinal Injuries and he's coming to see the 'higher ups' here. None of this will happen in a time frame to help Mark but maybe it will help others coming along behind him. Patient education, which is vital with Spinal Unjuries is also non extistent here, if it wasn't for us nagging for information and reading everything we can get our hands on we would be sent home almost ignorant of the importance of good bladder/bowel and skin management and that's just the most crucial. Pinderfields like many hospitals is in a complete financial mess and it's really showing on the wards and particularly with Spinal Rehab which is the forgotten corner of the hospital.