Paul update - Day 37

Day 37 – Friday 19 December

We passed the tests – he can come home for the weekend!

Somebody from Occupational Health visited the house today to have a look around and deliver some things that will help Paul when he comes home. This includes a bath seat, a special toilet seat and also a stool to perch on in front of the sink when he does his teeth etc. She didn’t envisage any problems and so we came in to Maidencraig for our second run through with Paul and we covered getting in and out of the car, the bath and another go on the steps and he did really well – so much so that he doesn’t really need the kit they have delivered and they were quite content for him to come home for the weekend.

The plan is that we will pick him up tomorrow morning (Sat) around 10:30 and bring him back around 20:00 on Sunday which is brilliant – so please note that he won’t be at Maidencraig but if you want to visit Saturday afternoon that will be fine – we would prefer if you could limit it to between around 1400 and 1800 so that he will have had lunch and can watch the final of Strictly Come Dancing – no, I’m not joking! Also, we don’t want to overtire him and take him back knackered in case they don’t let him home again!

This also means that it is virtually guaranteed that he can come home for Christmas and also again over New Year which both we and he are looking forward to. The physio said that the next goal will be more practise with outside mobility – dealing with kerbs, road safety (hmm, bit late...) and the like and once this has all been covered I guess he will be spending more and more time at home.

Stuart visited again this afternoon and then Andrew arrived, unfortunately just before Paul went for supper so he didn’t stay for long as he had to pick his Mum up from town. After supper we played a couple of games of UNO and watched television and then Andrew and his Mum returned and Mark, Ramsay and Duncan arrived and later Eilidh and Stevie came in and stayed until the end of visiting. Eilidh thought he had improved immensely since Monday and she thought that his voice was almost back to normal. Paul was very much on form again, joining in with everything and laughing and joking with everyone and he is slowly getting back to his old self. His main problem at the moment is that he can’t seem to tell a joke that Kevin told him without creasing up with fits of giggles – which is brilliant to see!

The other chap that was in Paul’s room (Ian) was discharged today, and although he used to spend most of his time on the day room, he was company for Paul in the morning and so there is just Paul and Kevin in the ward now.

Paul says many thanks to you all for his text messages, which he enjoys reading, and he apologises that he hasn’t got round to replying to many yet, but he still finds it a bit of a struggle. Please keep sending them, and he says he will get round to replying eventually!

So we are all geared up for Paul’s first visit home which is the first step to being discharged so we are well on the road to recovery.