Each week (for the first 6 months) I did a lot of physio, my Dad used to push me further and further (something to do with my child hood lol ) both in the hospital and at home.

We both thought that I only had 6 months to do the physio and then it would slow down and only improve a little (something that we found out later wasn’t true as part of the Stem Cells).

Just so you know, I have also done the Arm Physio separately as part of the Stem Cells trial.

In the hospital there was 2 physio’s. One was completely hospital based, the other later visited me at home. They came to the ward and wheeled me to a physio room.  I climbed out of my chair and walked slowly to a bench, then I walked up two steps, tuned around, and then went back down and sat in the chair again. It was difficult, when i was walking I had a rail either side of me to support both of my arms – except one arm didn’t work……

I always wanted my arm working first, in my mind, i said that as long as I have got 2 arms the rest could happen slowly.

However, all the Physio’s say that the legs get better quickly but the arm gets better slowly.  I suppose I will have to go with that theory, but since I have had the Stem Cells they seem to do the same, at the same time i.e a small change in my leg means a small change in my arm and it never surprises me.

That was me trying to see what I was doing wrong

Just after I came home from hospital I had an appointment at Medway Hospital at the Orthotics.  It was fine in that they set the appointment (my mum and dad took me the first time) but then they also set an appointment time for 8 weeks later because it took 8 weeks to make the Orthotic (splint) .  As I say it has been 2 years of the Orthotics, backwards and forwards, lots of tense conversations, each time the splint had decreased.

 

 

So, all in all, again I am looking forward, to when I can see ‘no splint’  – end off !!!!!

At one point my neighbour was asking how I was doing, he was part of the University of Greenwich. He put me in touch with a lady called Rhianne (this would be about May time) She focused mostly on the legs. I went there for 1/2 hour Monday for 6 sessions on and off,  In fact it was the first time I had used a Taxi, on my own !!! and the first time i got out of the taxi and then had to worry about how the College door would open and then how was I going to walk into her room, it was all quite scary !!!

But i did it the first time and then it was easy, again you have to overcome these things (and obviously i needed to sit down and breathe for a bit )

There was different ways that she would do things, my splint came off and we would do exercises with it off, small ankle and foot type exercises .

Then after the operation with the Stem Cells (which took about a month) I decided to go back to the gym.  Lorraine (Physio) visited me once a month to see what i needed to do next or to see if there was a change needed to my splint, she would aside a goal and see how I was doing on the next time she came.  I also showed her the ‘my type of Yoga’ on the right hand side lol.

This was November 2016, I wanted to see how my leg was going to the sideways and not straight

Lorraine visited in August (2017) and said would I consider ‘Botox’ on my leg ………… I must admit, it seemed promising and anyway what did I have to lose ! I remember at work and my friends thought that they could come as well and have Botox on their face and lips !!!

In October we went to the Medway Hospital and a Dr Landham saw me. It was really strange, I sat down on the chair with another chair in front of me.  He decided he would only do 50% Botox as he thought that was all i needed  ( his words were ‘I injected 100 units of Botulinum Toxin in to my right tibialis posterios and solus muscles’) So the first injection was in my ankle, which was a little sharp, the next one was on the side half way up my calf – I have to say,  I cringed – so much !!!!

He said I could have another one in 4 months time, which I will.

By November and December my foot had got straight – quite amazing, my ankle and foot stayed flat rather than rolling on to the right side.  Lorraine said that i just needed to keep doing what i was doing at the gym and try and pull my right leg in shape and to pull the right hip over as well and see how we feel about the Botox next time.