Our lives are very busy just now as we imagine yours probably are too. The two older boys are going to be busy this weekend taking part in the Bethlehem Experience, in Perth. Hannah was just great in the school concert singing and playing in the woodwind band. She has a birthday coming up this weekend. Parties, nativities, singing round the tree at St Madoes makes for lots of wonderful stuff. School finishes on Friday and that will give us a little chance to breathe somewhat slower.
Our littlest needs time to rest too. After months of high level engagement in therapy with hardly a complaint he has downed tools, quite simply having had enough. And there is not one of us that does not understand that! Initially we thought he could be cajoled round, it is hard not to have that timescale of the "first year brings the biggest improvement" in your mind. The fact is our wee one is tired and everyone is in agreement that he needs a little time. He has been running three OT/Physio sessions, two speech and language and three nursery slots in a week. It is not hard to understand why he has had enough. One session each this week of physio/OT and speech and language and then the holidays. We will reassess after that.
He continues to make progress. He is holding his arm and hand in a better position which is encouraging. His language is showing lots of progress too. We pray that this will continue as we just go about our normal day to day Christmas living.
Thank you for your continuing support and prayers. Over the next couple of weeks we are going to make changes to how we update this blog so here is hoping it can be a bit more often.
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Wednesday 18 November 2009
Finlay continues to make good progress. We are so encouraged by this. He has an ever increasing amount of words which he does put together very slowly into stilted sentences. He has loads of fun at nursery and has adjusted well to the physio session just before nursery in a Thursday, getting a lot out of it.
There are moments though when we watch him struggling to balance or express himself or manipulate something with his hands and there are big lumps in our throats. He had his swine flu injection last week a further reminder that he requires additional care. We can't help but remember before and the things our little boy could do so easily back those few months ago.
His sense of humour and determination often help us as we battle through those moments. We are so grateful to see how after watching Peter Pan with Jed, they both got up to great high jinks playing pirates. He is so full of life and we do not take that for granted.
We are in such a blessed position too, surrounded by many that care for us. Looking at our diaries this week we had realised yet again that both parents were busy with work late Tuesday afternoon and all the kids were due to be here there and every where for clubs and appointments. Grandparents to the rescue and they made dinner for us all.
Finlay has an appointment with the orthopedic consultant and physio team on Thursday. This appointment will look again at all the options to keep him progressing, botox, stookies, splints will all be on the agenda. Next week he gets his new splints and Mum had better get finding the Fireman Sam stickers.
This weekend it was Murray's turn to go off to SU camp. We were able to take Hannah shopping for a jacket in peace as Finlay helpfully fell asleep in the car, transferred to the buggy and did not wake up until after the choice was made. Fraser and a pal headed off on the bus to Perth by themselves to go to the cinema. Our kids must be growing up!!
There are moments though when we watch him struggling to balance or express himself or manipulate something with his hands and there are big lumps in our throats. He had his swine flu injection last week a further reminder that he requires additional care. We can't help but remember before and the things our little boy could do so easily back those few months ago.
His sense of humour and determination often help us as we battle through those moments. We are so grateful to see how after watching Peter Pan with Jed, they both got up to great high jinks playing pirates. He is so full of life and we do not take that for granted.
We are in such a blessed position too, surrounded by many that care for us. Looking at our diaries this week we had realised yet again that both parents were busy with work late Tuesday afternoon and all the kids were due to be here there and every where for clubs and appointments. Grandparents to the rescue and they made dinner for us all.
Finlay has an appointment with the orthopedic consultant and physio team on Thursday. This appointment will look again at all the options to keep him progressing, botox, stookies, splints will all be on the agenda. Next week he gets his new splints and Mum had better get finding the Fireman Sam stickers.
This weekend it was Murray's turn to go off to SU camp. We were able to take Hannah shopping for a jacket in peace as Finlay helpfully fell asleep in the car, transferred to the buggy and did not wake up until after the choice was made. Fraser and a pal headed off on the bus to Perth by themselves to go to the cinema. Our kids must be growing up!!
Friday 6 November 2009
Last weekend did not leave anytime for blogging in the Lockhart household. Bruce was running an SU weekend away so he was away early getting all that set up. Fraser was at a scout cycle and hike camp, complete with a new helmet that needed to be bought at the last minute. In the middle of all that Hannah had to be taken to the SU camp she was going to, which her dad was leading. Sunday we enjoyed catching up with Grandma and Grandad.
Tuesday this week with both Kirsty and Bruce working and the kids needing to be here, there and everywhere, we were grateful to Tricia who calmly volunteered to take the helm of the Lockhart ship and got everyone to the right place on time and back again.
Finlay took the physio to meet his childminder this week, which was good, so she could get up to speed with some of the things he could be doing. The physio had also commented this week on how pleased they are with the positioning of his right hand. He is holding it quite open at times and it is showing reaction to what the rest of his body is doing. We continue to pray for progress with this.
He has been measured for a new splint his week. Mum unfortunately mentioned to him that Jack, a wee pal with two splints, had fire engines and trucks on his. It would appear that different health authorities have different patterns and Finlay is not at all impressed that his will not have trucks!! He has been promised that maybe next time. He is the proud owner of a new pair of boots though which he is much more impressed about as wee boys need boots to be able to do what wee boys like to do very much, jump in puddles. They were given a most successful first outing to the fireworks.
The charity Riding for the Disabled has been mentioned to us. They have a big centre in Dundee and this is something we will definitely explore. Bumping up and down on a horse would appear to be good for his over all muscle tone.
His speech is continuing to improve. We are coming to realise that some of his phrases are learned phrases and as such are just the same as single words in the way he recalls and produces them. For example "Stay there. Be back in a minute." is a regular Lockhart phrase and he is able to use that. This is a good thing. More encouraging is when he is able to put words together to express something that he is thinking that he cannot use a routine expression for. At these times you can see the thinking that is having to happen and it can be slower for him to find and produce the correct words. He is working hard at these. After nursery... "playing-in-house-Jed" and at the fireworks "Hannah-got-Daddy-hat."
We have been looking into reports which have researched recovery after a major stroke like Finlay has had. They talk about intra-hemisphere recovery where the brain finds paths in the same side of the brain to bring recovery or inter-hemisphere where the brain transfers functions to the other side. Interesting things to consider.
Tuesday this week with both Kirsty and Bruce working and the kids needing to be here, there and everywhere, we were grateful to Tricia who calmly volunteered to take the helm of the Lockhart ship and got everyone to the right place on time and back again.
Finlay took the physio to meet his childminder this week, which was good, so she could get up to speed with some of the things he could be doing. The physio had also commented this week on how pleased they are with the positioning of his right hand. He is holding it quite open at times and it is showing reaction to what the rest of his body is doing. We continue to pray for progress with this.
He has been measured for a new splint his week. Mum unfortunately mentioned to him that Jack, a wee pal with two splints, had fire engines and trucks on his. It would appear that different health authorities have different patterns and Finlay is not at all impressed that his will not have trucks!! He has been promised that maybe next time. He is the proud owner of a new pair of boots though which he is much more impressed about as wee boys need boots to be able to do what wee boys like to do very much, jump in puddles. They were given a most successful first outing to the fireworks.
The charity Riding for the Disabled has been mentioned to us. They have a big centre in Dundee and this is something we will definitely explore. Bumping up and down on a horse would appear to be good for his over all muscle tone.
His speech is continuing to improve. We are coming to realise that some of his phrases are learned phrases and as such are just the same as single words in the way he recalls and produces them. For example "Stay there. Be back in a minute." is a regular Lockhart phrase and he is able to use that. This is a good thing. More encouraging is when he is able to put words together to express something that he is thinking that he cannot use a routine expression for. At these times you can see the thinking that is having to happen and it can be slower for him to find and produce the correct words. He is working hard at these. After nursery... "playing-in-house-Jed" and at the fireworks "Hannah-got-Daddy-hat."
We have been looking into reports which have researched recovery after a major stroke like Finlay has had. They talk about intra-hemisphere recovery where the brain finds paths in the same side of the brain to bring recovery or inter-hemisphere where the brain transfers functions to the other side. Interesting things to consider.
Saturday 24 October 2009
New routines in the Lockhart household - again!
Our holidays are well and truly over. We have been back to school and work and all our routines for a week now. Kirsty started back this week too and was blessed with a wonderful bunch of "Welcome back" flowers from all the staff and kids at Inchture.
Finlay's routines have changed a bit this week. He had a physio session in nursery this week half an hour before nursery started. He could not quite work out why Mum was leaving him with the physio rather than the bricks and water tray but like everything else he was quick to take it in his stride. He also enjoyed being back with his childminder and his wee pal there while mum was at work. He continues to work hard with the OT and Speech and Language.
His speech is showing real progress with lots more words and the occasional group of words put together. He was heard to say to a sibling this week "Stop it idiot.". While we rejoice at this spontaneous expressive language put together beautifully we can assure you we did not congratulate him. He was proudly wearing a sticker after nursery this week and could tell us that he got it for "tidy up time". This we could congratulate!! These short phrases are a real encouragement for us. He has not seen one of his Speech and Language Therapists for four weeks and we are looking forward to hearing what she has to say about his progress.
Our holiday was great. Lots of swimming and cycling as we all took our bikes. Finlay gets to ride on the back of Dads. The older boys got to ride quad bikes and Finlay was in a quad pod. (Photo's to follow soon!) Hannah had her nails done and Kirsty had a massage and a facial. Fun all round!!
Apologies for the delay in updating this blog. We so appreciate all the care and prayers for Finlay and the family. We will be trying to update weekly.
Finlay's routines have changed a bit this week. He had a physio session in nursery this week half an hour before nursery started. He could not quite work out why Mum was leaving him with the physio rather than the bricks and water tray but like everything else he was quick to take it in his stride. He also enjoyed being back with his childminder and his wee pal there while mum was at work. He continues to work hard with the OT and Speech and Language.
His speech is showing real progress with lots more words and the occasional group of words put together. He was heard to say to a sibling this week "Stop it idiot.". While we rejoice at this spontaneous expressive language put together beautifully we can assure you we did not congratulate him. He was proudly wearing a sticker after nursery this week and could tell us that he got it for "tidy up time". This we could congratulate!! These short phrases are a real encouragement for us. He has not seen one of his Speech and Language Therapists for four weeks and we are looking forward to hearing what she has to say about his progress.
Our holiday was great. Lots of swimming and cycling as we all took our bikes. Finlay gets to ride on the back of Dads. The older boys got to ride quad bikes and Finlay was in a quad pod. (Photo's to follow soon!) Hannah had her nails done and Kirsty had a massage and a facial. Fun all round!!
Apologies for the delay in updating this blog. We so appreciate all the care and prayers for Finlay and the family. We will be trying to update weekly.
Friday 2 October 2009
There is good progress
Our holidays have started! The kids got to go to school in jeans today which was a big hit, of course. We met with some friends for dinner tonight. The kids played while the adults yacked and occasionally they got our attention by being loud. Finlay likes being loud and is full of mischief and he was in good company for that. At the start of the week we pack our bags and are heading off for four nights. We plan to have a great time, and do lots of fun stuff - swimming, walking, sleeping, eating, and resting.
It is interesting meeting with folks who have not seen Finlay for a while. They commented tonight on the big improvement in his walking and how he is much steadier. They could see progress too in his balance and in his speech. He has a good vocabulary of single words.
This week we had the meeting round the child, a very full meeting with a lot of people. It was so helpful to hear all the professionals sharing information about our wee boy and working out how to co-ordinate the support to ease the burden on us but keep up the intensity. With some jiggling round of appointments and tacking physio and OT on to the beginning of nursery on a Thursday and Friday we will have one day completely free.
We followed that meeting by a trip to Perth to have the cast removed and an OT session. At night we headed back to Perth to Perth High for a transition meeting for Fraser. Busy times! And actually, when we think about it, before the meeting we went to pick up a tractor from Balbeggie. Yep a tractor!! It is for Finlay but we have to confess that we have all had a shot!
(NB A number of you have mentioned that you would like to comment on the blog but are not sure how. You can either sign up and get a google identity. Just follow the instructions. Or alternatively the easiest option is to click on anonymous and that will allow you to leave a comment without signing in. Just remember to write your name at the end of the comment so we know who you are!!)
Sunday 27 September 2009
Learning more
We met again with the consultant neurologist this week. It was helpful for us to ask some of the questions that we were unable to ask last time, so caught up in the emotion of what we had been hearing.
We learned that while a scan clearly shows the part of the brain affected it does not show what level of damage. It might be bruising which will have a much better recovery than cells which are dead. So a significant stroke may not result in long lasting damage and the opposite would seem to be true with a smaller stroke having devastating impact.
The important thing for our consultant was the level of recovery in the first three months. This is the acute recovery phase and the phase they want to see huge progress. While Finlay has made progress they are disappointed that it has not been more. This is what has led them to be more certain that there will be lasting damage. However, the next nine months are also really important because there can be good recovery in the first year. This is what we are working hard for.
In eight to twelve months he will have full neurological and IQ testing. This will determine his level of understanding and will help determine the best strategies to teach him all the different things he will be learning in life.
We were grateful for the time our consultant gave us.
Finlay is making progress and it is good to see. He is now allowing us to hold his right hand and we are looking to see this moving into us being able to do more of the exercise work. He does have more words in his vocabulary. He is only able to use them as single words, no sign of sentences. Sometimes he knows words but he just cannot produce them spontaneously. He needs some help to access them them from his filing system.
This week we have a TAC meeting - Team Around the Child. It brings all the professionals together around a table to discuss how best to meet Finlay's needs in a co-ordinated way.
And the rest of the family? Five more sleeps until the October holidays. We have booked four nights away, just us. How good will that be!!
We learned that while a scan clearly shows the part of the brain affected it does not show what level of damage. It might be bruising which will have a much better recovery than cells which are dead. So a significant stroke may not result in long lasting damage and the opposite would seem to be true with a smaller stroke having devastating impact.
The important thing for our consultant was the level of recovery in the first three months. This is the acute recovery phase and the phase they want to see huge progress. While Finlay has made progress they are disappointed that it has not been more. This is what has led them to be more certain that there will be lasting damage. However, the next nine months are also really important because there can be good recovery in the first year. This is what we are working hard for.
In eight to twelve months he will have full neurological and IQ testing. This will determine his level of understanding and will help determine the best strategies to teach him all the different things he will be learning in life.
We were grateful for the time our consultant gave us.
Finlay is making progress and it is good to see. He is now allowing us to hold his right hand and we are looking to see this moving into us being able to do more of the exercise work. He does have more words in his vocabulary. He is only able to use them as single words, no sign of sentences. Sometimes he knows words but he just cannot produce them spontaneously. He needs some help to access them them from his filing system.
This week we have a TAC meeting - Team Around the Child. It brings all the professionals together around a table to discuss how best to meet Finlay's needs in a co-ordinated way.
And the rest of the family? Five more sleeps until the October holidays. We have booked four nights away, just us. How good will that be!!
Friday 18 September 2009
Would you like to know what I'm thinking?
Do you want to know what I, Finlay, think?I think there has been a lot of stuff going on lately. I am not too sure about all of that. I do know that I like to have fun and I am full of nonsense, or so I am told.
I am always thinking that having friends around to play is great. Josh came today!
I think that Mickey Mouse is the greatest thing. I have the best CD ever. Mickey Mouse says... "Hiya pal. We've been waiting on you Finlay" and then we all get to sing along to Leader of the Pack. I like it very loud and when I turned it up, it made Josh put his hands over his ears!!
I think I should always get to watch what I want on the TV so Hannah and Fraser watch lots of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Peppa Pig and Fireman Sam with me. Murray is not so keen.
I think that playing outside with Jed, in fact playing anywhere with Jed, is great. We like it best when we get to throw water about. Mum says I am full of mischief.
I think a lot of things but sometimes folks do not understand when I tell them all about it. You know, like when we went to the zoo. Mum normally always gets what I am saying but at the zoo she didn't and that makes me quite cross.
I love running around and I do fall over lots, but that is OK. And now I have a cast, but I still run around. I think it was Mums idea to cover the cast with a big sock that has grips at the bottom, stops me sliding. I did try and get the cast off on the way from the appointment when they put it on but now I don't think about it at all. I quickly worked out you can still climb u p the climbing frame with a cast on.
I like to run and keep up with my friends and I like to make a lot of noise. Did I already tell you that already? Josh and I were playing the drums today. We had one stick each which is good cos I just like to use my left hand. Josh used his other hand to block off one of his ears. I was whacking it loud!! My right hand I am not too sure what I think about it. Sometimes I notice that I am holding my right hand and arm up quite high. I am not too sure how that happens but my left hand is very helpful for pushing it back down again.
I think my Mum making cakes is good thing. I like the biggest cake and I am not that happy when Mum says I have to let the visitors have the first choice, and I really do not like when the visitor chooses the biggest cake which I had my eye on. I may not have a lot of words at the moment, but I can let you know what I feel about things.
Mum says I might just be a little "spoiled rotten" or I may be a little frustrated at times by my lack of communication skills, whatever that means. It certainly is fun have lots of attention from lots of different people getting me to do lots of different things.
Whatever, I just think that I like being me!!
Wednesday 16 September 2009
Today
When you wake up in the morning and read your specific appointments for the day you know there is stuff going on.
10.30am Hydrotherapy
1.30pm Cast to be fitted
3pm Speech and Languange
But that is OK!!
10.30am Hydrotherapy
1.30pm Cast to be fitted
3pm Speech and Languange
But that is OK!!
Sunday 13 September 2009
Some weeks are tougher than others.
We met with Finlay's consultant neurologist this week. It was a difficult appointment for us. She explained to us that Finlay will not recover a full range of movement in his upper or lower limbs. She talked through with us what some of the future implications of this might be.
It came as a shock to us and has hit us hard as a family. There have been tears this week. This news has not changed where we are at now. It has changed, however, where we thought the future may be for Finlay, where we thought we may have been heading with him. And of course there is no clearly defined path here, we know that. Each day has to be walked through and the progress, and possible lack of, will inform us as to what the future will hold.
There are questions that we still need to ask. We are grateful to professionals who work with us, listening and answering wherever possible. Finlay has a wonderful group of therapists who continue to help him progress and make gains in movement and in speech. As a family, with lots of support from friends, we are commited to all the therapy we can do within the rich context of our normal living.
Most importantly to us, we know that while our Drs and therapists are highly skilled they do not have all the answers. Our Heavenly Father does and he is a miracle working God. We trust him and believe that he will work all things to the good for Finlay.
We value your prayers.
It came as a shock to us and has hit us hard as a family. There have been tears this week. This news has not changed where we are at now. It has changed, however, where we thought the future may be for Finlay, where we thought we may have been heading with him. And of course there is no clearly defined path here, we know that. Each day has to be walked through and the progress, and possible lack of, will inform us as to what the future will hold.
There are questions that we still need to ask. We are grateful to professionals who work with us, listening and answering wherever possible. Finlay has a wonderful group of therapists who continue to help him progress and make gains in movement and in speech. As a family, with lots of support from friends, we are commited to all the therapy we can do within the rich context of our normal living.
Most importantly to us, we know that while our Drs and therapists are highly skilled they do not have all the answers. Our Heavenly Father does and he is a miracle working God. We trust him and believe that he will work all things to the good for Finlay.
We value your prayers.
Saturday 5 September 2009
Water Therapy
This weekend sees Bruce, Fraser and Murray take to the water, piling tents and supplies into their canoes. Think Swallow and Amazons for those of you old enough to remember and you have got it. If you are around the Loch Lomond area give us a wave. Kirsty, Hannah and Finlay are off to stay the night with friends in Edinburgh, probably the drier option!!
Finlay had his own water adventure this week with another session in the hydrotherapy pool with the physios. These sessions are real beneficial as the water induces real good muscle tone and allows really effective exercising. There is a question just now hanging over putting his foot in a cast. The decision to be made by the orthopaedic surgeon and the physios is whether what he gains from his sessions in the pool is greater than the stretch his muscles would get from the cast.
The physio team continue to be concerned over his unwillingness to use his right hand at any time. It does not appear to be painful to use but it may be that a pins and needles sensation is causing discomfort. We continue to do some exercise to stretch the muscles while he is sleeping. His physios are seeking advice from others who may have experience in this field. Children having a stroke is mercifully uncommon but that does mean that we are travelling down a path with a lot of unknowns.
Speech and Language sessions have continued this week. It is encouraging to see that Finlay is beginning to copy back if you say words clearly to him. He is still using a small number of spontaneous words, with "please" and "sorry" continuing to be the the most used! He thoroughly enjoyed another three afternoons at nursery this week, loving the fun with the other children and benefiting from all the stimulus.
It just so happened this week that we had a whole day free of appointments and happenings so Finlay and his wee pal Jed, accompanied by both Mums, headed out for a few hours of adventure in a big park, everyone enjoying some time out.
This week coming sees all the normal routine for us of appointments, clubs, meetings, school and nursery. Finlay also has his six week appointment with the consultant neurologist. It will be good to hear her assessment of his progress and get her input into therapies.
We are grateful to so many of you who continue to support us, sending messages of encouragement and praying hard for Finlay.
Finlay had his own water adventure this week with another session in the hydrotherapy pool with the physios. These sessions are real beneficial as the water induces real good muscle tone and allows really effective exercising. There is a question just now hanging over putting his foot in a cast. The decision to be made by the orthopaedic surgeon and the physios is whether what he gains from his sessions in the pool is greater than the stretch his muscles would get from the cast.
The physio team continue to be concerned over his unwillingness to use his right hand at any time. It does not appear to be painful to use but it may be that a pins and needles sensation is causing discomfort. We continue to do some exercise to stretch the muscles while he is sleeping. His physios are seeking advice from others who may have experience in this field. Children having a stroke is mercifully uncommon but that does mean that we are travelling down a path with a lot of unknowns.
Speech and Language sessions have continued this week. It is encouraging to see that Finlay is beginning to copy back if you say words clearly to him. He is still using a small number of spontaneous words, with "please" and "sorry" continuing to be the the most used! He thoroughly enjoyed another three afternoons at nursery this week, loving the fun with the other children and benefiting from all the stimulus.
It just so happened this week that we had a whole day free of appointments and happenings so Finlay and his wee pal Jed, accompanied by both Mums, headed out for a few hours of adventure in a big park, everyone enjoying some time out.
This week coming sees all the normal routine for us of appointments, clubs, meetings, school and nursery. Finlay also has his six week appointment with the consultant neurologist. It will be good to hear her assessment of his progress and get her input into therapies.
We are grateful to so many of you who continue to support us, sending messages of encouragement and praying hard for Finlay.
Friday 28 August 2009
Upsidedowncake!
Hannah made us a great pineapple upsidedown cake in Home Economics this week. Everything else we have pretty much managed to keep the right way up! That is if you skim over the fact that Kirsty in attempting to purchase a diary to keep everything in order managed to get two! Don't ask!! Fraser has been at scouts, guitar, netball. Murray has been at cubs and drums and both boys have been at Key club at the Baptist Church in Perth. Hannah has had flute and piano in addition to the cake baking and other school pursuits.
Finlay has been at nursery this week and while Mum stayed with him on the first afternoon he was very quick to say good-bye and wave her on her way on the second day. He had been water painting outside with his wee pal Jed, (a great nursery activity for those of you not familiar with it) and both boys had somehow, just somehow, managed to "paint" each others backs. Great fun and so good to see. He will have three afternoons a week at nursery and he has a support assistant with him.
Our target this week from Speech and Language is for Finlay to learn to say the different pets we have in the house and cat and dog. We are going to allow him to say Buzz as hamster is quite a big word. The focus for our Makaton learning is going to be on food words. Having set targets is a deliberate strategy for all the relearning that has to be done. Finlay has already added the word "sorry" to his list and has the odd occasion to use it, being the wee monkey he is.
He now has the hand splint for his right hand to wear at night while he is sleeping. He does also have a support for his thumb during the day but at this point is not at all keen on this and as soon as it is on, it is off again. It is a concern to us that he will not use his right hand for anything and is resistant to any attempt to encourage him in this. He has quickly developed strategies to do things using his chin, teeth, arm to assist. This is a big prayer point for us right now.
Tomorrow we are off to Glasgow to have a happy birthday Grandad day. There is some talk of fishing or canoeing in the morning with Dad and Uncle Johnny. Should be fun!
Finlay has been at nursery this week and while Mum stayed with him on the first afternoon he was very quick to say good-bye and wave her on her way on the second day. He had been water painting outside with his wee pal Jed, (a great nursery activity for those of you not familiar with it) and both boys had somehow, just somehow, managed to "paint" each others backs. Great fun and so good to see. He will have three afternoons a week at nursery and he has a support assistant with him.
Our target this week from Speech and Language is for Finlay to learn to say the different pets we have in the house and cat and dog. We are going to allow him to say Buzz as hamster is quite a big word. The focus for our Makaton learning is going to be on food words. Having set targets is a deliberate strategy for all the relearning that has to be done. Finlay has already added the word "sorry" to his list and has the odd occasion to use it, being the wee monkey he is.
He now has the hand splint for his right hand to wear at night while he is sleeping. He does also have a support for his thumb during the day but at this point is not at all keen on this and as soon as it is on, it is off again. It is a concern to us that he will not use his right hand for anything and is resistant to any attempt to encourage him in this. He has quickly developed strategies to do things using his chin, teeth, arm to assist. This is a big prayer point for us right now.
Tomorrow we are off to Glasgow to have a happy birthday Grandad day. There is some talk of fishing or canoeing in the morning with Dad and Uncle Johnny. Should be fun!
Sunday 23 August 2009
Definitely back to routines..........
Family walks!
Time out!
The serious business of pond dippingIt is hard not to look back at our holiday pictures without a bit of a sense of longing!! It was great to have those days without too much we needed to achieve. Our life at the moment is requiring the purchase of a diary, which has a lot of extra space to write our commitments for each day.
The kids have completed their first week back at school and have done well. This week we have to look at building in their clubs and other commitments. These things are important. Bruce started back at work officially yesterday. It was fun for us all to be at the Big Day at Lendrick Muir and we really enjoyed catching up with friends while Bruce worked.
Finlay is having a visit to nursery tomorrow with Mum. He has a good level of independence and will enjoy all the fun of nursery and being around the other children. It will take a little while just to make sure that he is well settled and we will see how that goes over the next few weeks. A clearer pattern for his therapy sessions will also emerge as our therapists settle into term time timetables. He also has an appointment tomorrow morning to be assessed and measured for his hand splint. He will wear this when he is sleeping to keep the muscles in his hand in a good position.
Finlay continues to be his cheery wee determined self. He absolutely refuses to slow down when he is moving about and does unfortunately come a cropper on occasions. Today he is sporting a black eye and one day last week went full length into a very large and muddy puddle. This he was not very pleased about! Did it help him learn the lesson of pace? The black eye would suggest not! Does anyone out there know where we can get a hold of a 4x4 pedal car? Most of them seem to have motors and the point is to get his wee legs both working. The reason for the 4x4 is stability.
We really would value your prayers just now for an ability to prioritise and organise all our activities and energy to carry them all out. We pray for Finlay that he would respond to the therapy and we would see his speech, and gross and fine motor skills, continue to progress.
Friday 14 August 2009
Hats, holidays and routines.
Just to show that we are keeping our sense of humour here is our little one wearing a very fetching hat at Jennifer and Andy's wedding.
And no, he did not wear it all day! That was Kirsty's job. Here is the family with David and Fiona................. all looking very smart.
We are now back home from our holiday. We had a great time but it was all too short. We fished, went pond dipping, (Bruce being the most excited at this as he was the only novice at this particular sport!!) and took lots of walks. We took a walk in the grounds of Balmoral, did not see the Queen but she must have been somewhere close by as we did have a chat with some of her body guards who were checking up on what we were up to! We did see Tessa, Alan, Shona and Clare who stayed in a B&B near by one evening. That was lots of fun.
Now it is back to reality again. The older crew are getting ready to go back to school. Murray is battling really bad ear ache and we are praying that this clears soon as he is up every night. Poor kid! (and poor parents actually!) Finlay is due to start nursery but this will take a little planning with the school, his therapists and ourselves and that will begin to happen next week. We know that he will enjoy all the fun of the nursery and we need to look at the support he will require and also how best to fit the different therapy sessions in and around. Again we are so grateful for such supportive therapists.
Finlay will be seeing speech and language twice a week, and Ot and physio continues. Speech and laguage are recognising that the stroke has caused what is being treated as verbal dyspraxia and the therapy is focusing in on this, helping our little boy to co-ordinate his muscles to make different sounds. At the moment he can produce a sentence but without a clear context it is difficult to work out what he is saying. There are lots of exercises and games we can help him play. We continue to work on Makaton.
Later this month he will see the specialist to be fitted with a splint to wear on his right hand to keep the muscles in a good stretched position while he is sleeping. On the 16th September his right foot will be put in the cast as we have mentioned before.
Under Dr's advice Kirsty will not be returning to work quite yet. While coping well with all the challenges of just now, it is not without its stresses and strains and it is important that Mum is able to stay strong. The good news is that Bruce has another week of holiday left so will be around next week to help with getting four kids to a fair number of different venues at a whole collection of different times, all fed and watered too!
Friday 7 August 2009
Enjoying a wee break
We are now enjoying a wee holiday in a lovely little cottage in Braemar and it is just what the doctor ordered! Its nice to spend time just us as a family doing normal stuff.
All Finlay's therapy sessions this week were moved to the beginning of the week to allow us a few days away so we had a very busy few days.
On Monday we saw the Orthopaedic Consultant. He was quite happy with Finlay's progress which was reassuring. He has decided against the Botox for now which we are happy with. Instead he is considering using a splint on Finlay's right hand while he is sleeping. He also plans on putting Finlay's right foot in plaster for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks the plaster will be changed for another which will be kept on for a further 2 weeks. Our wee boys' foot is currently quite stiff and this will ensure the tendons etc are stretched fully and should then minimise loss of movement and ensure his knee is correctly aligned. This is likely to happen in a few weeks time, after Finlay has has another few sessions of hydrotherapy. The Physio we saw previously, who specialises in working with people who have had strokes, is coming to see Finlay again next week during his hydrotherapy session.
Speech and Language therapy sessions continue. Finlay is now able to say certain words clearly but when stringing words together in a phrase the clarity of sound is lost. It is then only possible to understand what he is saying if we know the context. We are continuing with Makaton and the use of a communications board.
It is hard to believe but our wee one is due to start nursery soon..where does the time go?! Our current Physio will continue to work with Finlay once he starts nursery but we are not sure yet if he will continue with the same Speech Therapist and OT or if he will work with folk assigned to the school. What should happen though, is we should get into more of a routine, where we have set days and times for various therapies. This will make life much easier when it comes to planning ahead.
We are very conscious that young children suffering strokes is unusual and as such those working with us are working in a fairly unknown area. However, they have been brilliant and we are really impressed and grateful for the care we have received and are continuing to receive. It does feel that everything possible is being done to help our wee boy in his recovery. We do also really appreciate those of you who pray for Finlay and for us as a family. Thankyou and please keep praying!
All Finlay's therapy sessions this week were moved to the beginning of the week to allow us a few days away so we had a very busy few days.
On Monday we saw the Orthopaedic Consultant. He was quite happy with Finlay's progress which was reassuring. He has decided against the Botox for now which we are happy with. Instead he is considering using a splint on Finlay's right hand while he is sleeping. He also plans on putting Finlay's right foot in plaster for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks the plaster will be changed for another which will be kept on for a further 2 weeks. Our wee boys' foot is currently quite stiff and this will ensure the tendons etc are stretched fully and should then minimise loss of movement and ensure his knee is correctly aligned. This is likely to happen in a few weeks time, after Finlay has has another few sessions of hydrotherapy. The Physio we saw previously, who specialises in working with people who have had strokes, is coming to see Finlay again next week during his hydrotherapy session.
Speech and Language therapy sessions continue. Finlay is now able to say certain words clearly but when stringing words together in a phrase the clarity of sound is lost. It is then only possible to understand what he is saying if we know the context. We are continuing with Makaton and the use of a communications board.
It is hard to believe but our wee one is due to start nursery soon..where does the time go?! Our current Physio will continue to work with Finlay once he starts nursery but we are not sure yet if he will continue with the same Speech Therapist and OT or if he will work with folk assigned to the school. What should happen though, is we should get into more of a routine, where we have set days and times for various therapies. This will make life much easier when it comes to planning ahead.
We are very conscious that young children suffering strokes is unusual and as such those working with us are working in a fairly unknown area. However, they have been brilliant and we are really impressed and grateful for the care we have received and are continuing to receive. It does feel that everything possible is being done to help our wee boy in his recovery. We do also really appreciate those of you who pray for Finlay and for us as a family. Thankyou and please keep praying!
Friday 31 July 2009
Busy week
This week has again been really busy with Kirsty feeling like she has spent more time travelling to and from appointments than actually being in Elie!
On Tuesday there was an extra trip to Dundee to have Finlay's splint altered. It has been rubbing and causing discomfort so he had stopped wearing it. Its all sorted now and Finlay is back wearing it most of the time.
There is some concern that Finlay has restricted movement in his right hand and arm. A Physio specialising in strokes came to see us at the Hydrotherapy pool on Wednesday and she is going to seek advice from experts at Yorkhill Hospital about using a splint while he is sleeping. We also have an appointment with an Orthopaedic Consultant on Monday and will be talking about the possibility of using botox..on Finlay not Kirsty! Our OT is coming with us to this appointment which we greatly appreciate. Botox is not something we would undertake lightly as it would likely involve a general anaesthetic. Please pray that we would be given good advice on this and for wisdom for ourselves, the doctors and therapists.
We have been continuing with Speech and language therapy this week and that has been going fine. Our wee boy is adding new words and sounds to his repertoire which is encouraging. Please keep praying. We really appreciate it!
The Elie mission is now coming to an end. It has been a really good 2 weeks and we have enjoyed our time with what is a great team!
Looking ahead, we have arranged a few days break at Braemar next Thursday through til Wednesday. Therapy continues but we have managed to rearrange appointments to the beginning of next week and the end of the week after. A few days break is currently very appealing!
On Tuesday there was an extra trip to Dundee to have Finlay's splint altered. It has been rubbing and causing discomfort so he had stopped wearing it. Its all sorted now and Finlay is back wearing it most of the time.
There is some concern that Finlay has restricted movement in his right hand and arm. A Physio specialising in strokes came to see us at the Hydrotherapy pool on Wednesday and she is going to seek advice from experts at Yorkhill Hospital about using a splint while he is sleeping. We also have an appointment with an Orthopaedic Consultant on Monday and will be talking about the possibility of using botox..on Finlay not Kirsty! Our OT is coming with us to this appointment which we greatly appreciate. Botox is not something we would undertake lightly as it would likely involve a general anaesthetic. Please pray that we would be given good advice on this and for wisdom for ourselves, the doctors and therapists.
We have been continuing with Speech and language therapy this week and that has been going fine. Our wee boy is adding new words and sounds to his repertoire which is encouraging. Please keep praying. We really appreciate it!
The Elie mission is now coming to an end. It has been a really good 2 weeks and we have enjoyed our time with what is a great team!
Looking ahead, we have arranged a few days break at Braemar next Thursday through til Wednesday. Therapy continues but we have managed to rearrange appointments to the beginning of next week and the end of the week after. A few days break is currently very appealing!
Friday 24 July 2009
More ups and downs
The Elie mission is going well, despite lots of rain. On Monday we made 120 contacts and today our numbers were up to 140! It has been really encouraging.
Therapy had continued with Finlay having Physio Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. On Monday there was concern that he was stiffening up and it was decided that our best efforts at cajoling him and subtly trying to encourage him to use his right arm, hand etc were just not enough. So, we are now doing daily exercises. As you would expect from a 3 year old, our wee boy is not hugely impressed with this. We have been encouraged to do some of his stretching exercises while he is sleeping as apparently muscle tone is good then and thankfully the wee soul sleeps through it and is none the wiser! We were also introduced to the hydrotherapy pool and will be back there again next week for one of the physio sessions. The sessions have been more structured this week and Finlay has worked hard and surprised us with how well he has coped with this.
Whilst we were disappointed at the start of the week at the feedback we received from the Physio, we were encouraged on Thursday to be told that in just a few days there appeared to be a little loosening up. We pray that this would continue and that our wee one will relax into doing his exercises (as opposed to pulling away and objecting which would be the natural response!)
We discovered this week that Finlay's splint has been rubbing and causing a blister so have been advised not to wear it during the day until we can have it adjusted. We have noticed that he isn't as stable on his wee legs without it but this has not stopped him running which has given us a few anxious moments!
Speech and Language has gone fine this week. We have had a few new words, "Daddy" being amongst them, and that has been so good to hear! We continue to pray expectently for more.
We are very much looking forward to our weekend.. free from appointments, therapy sessions and travelling to and from Perth!
Therapy had continued with Finlay having Physio Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. On Monday there was concern that he was stiffening up and it was decided that our best efforts at cajoling him and subtly trying to encourage him to use his right arm, hand etc were just not enough. So, we are now doing daily exercises. As you would expect from a 3 year old, our wee boy is not hugely impressed with this. We have been encouraged to do some of his stretching exercises while he is sleeping as apparently muscle tone is good then and thankfully the wee soul sleeps through it and is none the wiser! We were also introduced to the hydrotherapy pool and will be back there again next week for one of the physio sessions. The sessions have been more structured this week and Finlay has worked hard and surprised us with how well he has coped with this.
Whilst we were disappointed at the start of the week at the feedback we received from the Physio, we were encouraged on Thursday to be told that in just a few days there appeared to be a little loosening up. We pray that this would continue and that our wee one will relax into doing his exercises (as opposed to pulling away and objecting which would be the natural response!)
We discovered this week that Finlay's splint has been rubbing and causing a blister so have been advised not to wear it during the day until we can have it adjusted. We have noticed that he isn't as stable on his wee legs without it but this has not stopped him running which has given us a few anxious moments!
Speech and Language has gone fine this week. We have had a few new words, "Daddy" being amongst them, and that has been so good to hear! We continue to pray expectently for more.
We are very much looking forward to our weekend.. free from appointments, therapy sessions and travelling to and from Perth!
Monday 20 July 2009
Great weekend in Elie
We have had a great weekend at Elie..even in all the rain! We are convinced we are where God wants us to be at this moment in time. We are surrounded by folk who know our family well and they are so supportive and willing to do absolutely anything to help. The kids are having a fab time! Its also felt good just to do something that's normal for us as a family!
We had an appointment with Finlay's Consultant Neurologist this morning and that went well. All tests have come back normal with no underlying medical cause being found for the stroke. The great news is that we have been assured this is very unlikely to happen again. The Consultant was happy with the progress Finlay has made. She commented that his right leg is quite stiff and has advised that the more he wear his splint the better. We have an appointment with the Physio tomorrow so Kirsty will have a chat with her about use of the splint.
The Speech and Language therapist visited us at home today so Kirsty and Finlay headed there after the hospital. She introduced us to Makaton, a form of sign language, and managed to make it fun with the use of a communication board and various games. After weeks of it being necessary to concentrate on why Finlay is having problems with speech, it felt really good to be doing something positive and proactive to help him communicate. We feel quite encouraged with this move and are sure we will all have fun learning Makaton!
Kirsty and Finlay continue to divide their time between Perth and Elie, heading back to Perth on Tuesday and Thursday for sessions with Speech and Language, Occupational Therapist and Physio. Wednesday and Friday are therapy-free days and we are so looking forward to them!
We had an appointment with Finlay's Consultant Neurologist this morning and that went well. All tests have come back normal with no underlying medical cause being found for the stroke. The great news is that we have been assured this is very unlikely to happen again. The Consultant was happy with the progress Finlay has made. She commented that his right leg is quite stiff and has advised that the more he wear his splint the better. We have an appointment with the Physio tomorrow so Kirsty will have a chat with her about use of the splint.
The Speech and Language therapist visited us at home today so Kirsty and Finlay headed there after the hospital. She introduced us to Makaton, a form of sign language, and managed to make it fun with the use of a communication board and various games. After weeks of it being necessary to concentrate on why Finlay is having problems with speech, it felt really good to be doing something positive and proactive to help him communicate. We feel quite encouraged with this move and are sure we will all have fun learning Makaton!
Kirsty and Finlay continue to divide their time between Perth and Elie, heading back to Perth on Tuesday and Thursday for sessions with Speech and Language, Occupational Therapist and Physio. Wednesday and Friday are therapy-free days and we are so looking forward to them!
Thursday 16 July 2009
We're off to Elie!
This week has been busy with therapy sessions. But amidst that we have managed some nice periods of doing very little. Just what summer holidays should be about!
Fraser accompanied us to Finlay's Physio session yesterday and its amazing what a difference having a big brother there makes. Our wee one was more than happy to copy what Fraser was doing and do exercises alongside him!
At Speech and Language today we also had a little helper, in the form of Murray. He enjoyed being involved and again, it made a big difference to Finlay's motivation to participate. Finlay is trying to say more and the wee soul is becoming increasingly frustrated at times...particularly when we don't know what topping he wants on his ice-cream and other things that are of great importance when you are little. It seems increasingly likely that the issue is to do with coordination of the muscles. Please continue to pray for wisdom for those working with Finlay in this area. We so long for improvement! In the meantime we are to learn Makaton and teach Finlay to sign.
An OT visited us at home on Monday. She is excellent... very thorough! We've been left with a book of ideas to use with Finlay and she also brought with her a bag of toys that vibrate, velcro toys and others that (in theory!) require Finlay to use both hands. On a very positive note, he has done 2 high fives, using both his hands! We also feel his balance is improving, with noticeably less falls. We are very thankful for these small but important steps!
Tomorrow, we head to Elie for 2 weeks of beach mission. Friday will be spent setting up the hall etc and the weekend will be spent sharing information, training etc before the Beach mission starts on Monday. Please pray for the work in Elie...its something very close to our hearts and where we believe God wants us to be. It will be hectic though! Kirsty and Finlay will be fitting this round various appointments and Bruce will co-lead. The kids are very, very excited....Kirsty is still trying to pack!
Fraser accompanied us to Finlay's Physio session yesterday and its amazing what a difference having a big brother there makes. Our wee one was more than happy to copy what Fraser was doing and do exercises alongside him!
At Speech and Language today we also had a little helper, in the form of Murray. He enjoyed being involved and again, it made a big difference to Finlay's motivation to participate. Finlay is trying to say more and the wee soul is becoming increasingly frustrated at times...particularly when we don't know what topping he wants on his ice-cream and other things that are of great importance when you are little. It seems increasingly likely that the issue is to do with coordination of the muscles. Please continue to pray for wisdom for those working with Finlay in this area. We so long for improvement! In the meantime we are to learn Makaton and teach Finlay to sign.
An OT visited us at home on Monday. She is excellent... very thorough! We've been left with a book of ideas to use with Finlay and she also brought with her a bag of toys that vibrate, velcro toys and others that (in theory!) require Finlay to use both hands. On a very positive note, he has done 2 high fives, using both his hands! We also feel his balance is improving, with noticeably less falls. We are very thankful for these small but important steps!
Tomorrow, we head to Elie for 2 weeks of beach mission. Friday will be spent setting up the hall etc and the weekend will be spent sharing information, training etc before the Beach mission starts on Monday. Please pray for the work in Elie...its something very close to our hearts and where we believe God wants us to be. It will be hectic though! Kirsty and Finlay will be fitting this round various appointments and Bruce will co-lead. The kids are very, very excited....Kirsty is still trying to pack!
Monday 13 July 2009
24 Fish..an impressive catch!
This weekend has been nice and quiet. We had a trip to a wonderful ice-cream shop near us, were out at church on Sunday and enjoyed a meal at Pizzahut. Very nice!
Today, we headed to the hospital for Finlay's blood test. This went fine...though a squeamish Kirsty admits to having her head buried in a book so didn't see it happen...she claims the book was to distract Finlay of course!
Finlay had another Speech and Language Therapy session today. There is some concern that he has not made the progress they would have hoped for. They are now investigating whether the problem is to do with the coordination of muscles. Finlay's speech is the area causing us as a family most concern. We are praying for wisdom for those working with our wee boy, that they will know how best to move forward. We believe prayer is effective and appreciate all those of you who continue to pray with us.
Our wee boy continues to stubbornly use his left hand predominantly, even when we are subtly(?) trying to get him to use his right. We would so like to see him use that right hand! We have an OT coming to the house tomorrow and she is bringing him a box of items which vibrate, the idea being these should make him more aware of his right hand.
And to finish as we started..on a totally random note! Our boys caught 24 fish on Lismore today! Kirsty is a teeny bit concerned that these are coming home to be cooked. Rumour has it that Fraser has already enjoyed one on top of a jam sandwich...truly, truly disgusting!!
Today, we headed to the hospital for Finlay's blood test. This went fine...though a squeamish Kirsty admits to having her head buried in a book so didn't see it happen...she claims the book was to distract Finlay of course!
Finlay had another Speech and Language Therapy session today. There is some concern that he has not made the progress they would have hoped for. They are now investigating whether the problem is to do with the coordination of muscles. Finlay's speech is the area causing us as a family most concern. We are praying for wisdom for those working with our wee boy, that they will know how best to move forward. We believe prayer is effective and appreciate all those of you who continue to pray with us.
Our wee boy continues to stubbornly use his left hand predominantly, even when we are subtly(?) trying to get him to use his right. We would so like to see him use that right hand! We have an OT coming to the house tomorrow and she is bringing him a box of items which vibrate, the idea being these should make him more aware of his right hand.
And to finish as we started..on a totally random note! Our boys caught 24 fish on Lismore today! Kirsty is a teeny bit concerned that these are coming home to be cooked. Rumour has it that Fraser has already enjoyed one on top of a jam sandwich...truly, truly disgusting!!
Friday 10 July 2009
Therapy continues..
Yesterday we were at the Sunflower Centre for a session with the Physios and OT. When you're only 3 its pretty daunting having 4 adults (2 Physios, 1 OT and mum) all focused on you in a place that's totally unfamiliar. It was no great surprise that poor Finlay was not keen to take part! He was introduced to the multi-sensory corner, where he was being encouraged to use items that vibrate etc, in an attempt to make him more aware of his right hand. It was all very strange and unfamiliar for the wee soul but hopefully, in time, it will be less so and we will see some benefit.
Physio and OT have now given us dates for our sessions with them next week and the 2 weeks of the Elie mission. We are hoping on Monday to be given dates for Speech and Language and that will enable Kirsty to plan her next few weeks and see how everything fits in round Elie etc.
Today, Finlay had another Speech and Language Therapy session. Assessing a 3 year old is not proving to be easy! Does he not understand what he's being asked or is he being a wee monkey?? We suspect it is the latter but it is so hard to tell! Please pray that these folk are able to properly assess Finlay and are able to work out the cause of his speech difficulties in order to then work effectively with him. It is hard to see our wee boy quiet..we so miss his chat. Having said that, he is still a jolly wee soul and we are so thankful for that!
On Monday Finlay is to have a blood test redone. There is probably a much more scientific way of explaining it, but basically his original blood test showed his blood on the sticky side of normal. We think this is probably the last test Finlay will have, looking for a cause for the stroke. Please pray for Finlay on Monday as having blood taken is quite an ordeal for little people..not to mention mums and dads! We see the Neurologist a week on Monday and expect the results of other tests then as well as discussing where we go from here.
Physio and OT have now given us dates for our sessions with them next week and the 2 weeks of the Elie mission. We are hoping on Monday to be given dates for Speech and Language and that will enable Kirsty to plan her next few weeks and see how everything fits in round Elie etc.
Today, Finlay had another Speech and Language Therapy session. Assessing a 3 year old is not proving to be easy! Does he not understand what he's being asked or is he being a wee monkey?? We suspect it is the latter but it is so hard to tell! Please pray that these folk are able to properly assess Finlay and are able to work out the cause of his speech difficulties in order to then work effectively with him. It is hard to see our wee boy quiet..we so miss his chat. Having said that, he is still a jolly wee soul and we are so thankful for that!
On Monday Finlay is to have a blood test redone. There is probably a much more scientific way of explaining it, but basically his original blood test showed his blood on the sticky side of normal. We think this is probably the last test Finlay will have, looking for a cause for the stroke. Please pray for Finlay on Monday as having blood taken is quite an ordeal for little people..not to mention mums and dads! We see the Neurologist a week on Monday and expect the results of other tests then as well as discussing where we go from here.
Wednesday 8 July 2009
Shoe shopping..what fun!
We had our first home visit from the Physio yesterday. Originally Finlay was just to wear his splint in bed but she decided it would be best if he wear it when out and about. This is to help with muscle tone and stop the muscles shortening and Finlay getting into bad walking habits. Wearing indoors is one thing but wearing outdoors presented a wee challenge... he needed 1 shoe 2 sizes bigger to accommodate the splint. The wee soul was not hugely impressed at this latest development so off Kirsty went to the shoe shop she recently purchased his shoes from...shoes he likes... to try and find one to match. To cut a long story short..she eventually successed and Finlay is now kitted out in shoes he is happy with.
The new Physio did a great job involving all the kids in the session, showing them ways they could help Finlay. We need to encourage him to stretch out not only his hand but his whole arm. Involving the others was a very sensible strategy as he is much keener to comply if they are doing it too. We have all been practicing stretching exercises across the kitchen table!
This morning Murray came with us to the Speech & Language session. Again this proved to be a great help as our wee one happily copied his big brother doing his tongue exercises. There was no way he would do them otherwise! He doesn't really see the point in some of the things he's being asked to do and the therapist is going to have to come up with some good games if she wants him to respond! They are still trying to work out the cause of Finlay's speech difficulties but we are seeing little steps, with him becoming fluent in "No" and "mum" over the past few days! He is a determined wee soul and is becoming very good at problem-solving. We are trying to encourage him to use gestures more and he is managing to communicate and tell us what he wants. It is just taking longer!
Finlay's sleeping patterns we are now seeing returning to normal. He had 2 weeks of falling asleep with Kirsty beside him, followed by a spell when he was so worn out by his therapy sessions he was sleeping for hours through the day. This seems to have settled. He is having quiet periods throughout the day but no daytime naps and is now falling asleep at a much more normal time of night.
As a family we are all doing fine, with the occasionally wobbly moment! Hannah, Fraser and Murray are happier now they have started to see their wee brother make progress. We do thank God for the improvements we have seen and continue to pray for more!
The new Physio did a great job involving all the kids in the session, showing them ways they could help Finlay. We need to encourage him to stretch out not only his hand but his whole arm. Involving the others was a very sensible strategy as he is much keener to comply if they are doing it too. We have all been practicing stretching exercises across the kitchen table!
This morning Murray came with us to the Speech & Language session. Again this proved to be a great help as our wee one happily copied his big brother doing his tongue exercises. There was no way he would do them otherwise! He doesn't really see the point in some of the things he's being asked to do and the therapist is going to have to come up with some good games if she wants him to respond! They are still trying to work out the cause of Finlay's speech difficulties but we are seeing little steps, with him becoming fluent in "No" and "mum" over the past few days! He is a determined wee soul and is becoming very good at problem-solving. We are trying to encourage him to use gestures more and he is managing to communicate and tell us what he wants. It is just taking longer!
Finlay's sleeping patterns we are now seeing returning to normal. He had 2 weeks of falling asleep with Kirsty beside him, followed by a spell when he was so worn out by his therapy sessions he was sleeping for hours through the day. This seems to have settled. He is having quiet periods throughout the day but no daytime naps and is now falling asleep at a much more normal time of night.
As a family we are all doing fine, with the occasionally wobbly moment! Hannah, Fraser and Murray are happier now they have started to see their wee brother make progress. We do thank God for the improvements we have seen and continue to pray for more!
Monday 6 July 2009
To Elie or not to Elie?
Our wee one had a good session with a lovely bubbly speech and language therapist today, but even her enthusiasm could not quite keep his attention and after 45 minutes he had headed for the door! Another issue they are assessing is whether there is a problem with the co-ordination of the muscles and/or whether the muscles are weak. It is all a bit of a confusing picture for us but we have confidence in the therapist and even greater confidence in a healing God.
Many of you will know that we have led Elie beach mission for the last few years. For those of you who are not familiar with this, we spend two weeks in Elie, working with big groups of kids on the beach during the day and young folks in the town at night; fast action, entertaining programmes presenting a heap of good stuff from the bible.
Three weeks ago as we wept, literally, over Finlay, with a very negative possible prognosis being presented to us we could not imagine how we would cope with the next day or the day after that. Returning to work was a hurdle too large to contemplate. Now three weeks on we find ourselves in a very different place. Finlay has made great progress and his personality and willingness to have a go at everything is shining through. There are still real issues and we are fully committed to a therapy schedule and totally looking to God who we know promises to meet all our needs according to his riches in glory.
Last week we found ourselves thinking about Elie, seriously thinking about Elie, and in productive discussions with Gordon and Phil from SU. Elie is a big part of all our lives. We met there! (Another story for another day!) We have a huge heart for the place and for the work God is doing there. The agreed decision is that we will go and we are really keen to go. We have a great team. Kirsty will step down from leadership to allow her to focus on all Finlay's therapy sessions, based at Elie or from home and most likely a good combination of both and she is confident too in this. Gavin will co-lead with Bruce. Hannah, Fraser and Murray? Delighted!
If you are a prayer then please pray for the work in Elie. We would love you all to come visit us and will give you dates and details in a post or two.
Many of you will know that we have led Elie beach mission for the last few years. For those of you who are not familiar with this, we spend two weeks in Elie, working with big groups of kids on the beach during the day and young folks in the town at night; fast action, entertaining programmes presenting a heap of good stuff from the bible.
Three weeks ago as we wept, literally, over Finlay, with a very negative possible prognosis being presented to us we could not imagine how we would cope with the next day or the day after that. Returning to work was a hurdle too large to contemplate. Now three weeks on we find ourselves in a very different place. Finlay has made great progress and his personality and willingness to have a go at everything is shining through. There are still real issues and we are fully committed to a therapy schedule and totally looking to God who we know promises to meet all our needs according to his riches in glory.
Last week we found ourselves thinking about Elie, seriously thinking about Elie, and in productive discussions with Gordon and Phil from SU. Elie is a big part of all our lives. We met there! (Another story for another day!) We have a huge heart for the place and for the work God is doing there. The agreed decision is that we will go and we are really keen to go. We have a great team. Kirsty will step down from leadership to allow her to focus on all Finlay's therapy sessions, based at Elie or from home and most likely a good combination of both and she is confident too in this. Gavin will co-lead with Bruce. Hannah, Fraser and Murray? Delighted!
If you are a prayer then please pray for the work in Elie. We would love you all to come visit us and will give you dates and details in a post or two.
Sunday 5 July 2009
Lazy weekend
It has been so good to have the family all together this weekend. We have had late breakfasts, late lunches and late dinners and enjoyed doing lots of not very much. Hannah has returned from camp and is full of all the stories, having had a really, truly fab time.
Today we so enjoyed being at church and being again with a community of folks who have provided us with so much support. Good too for many of them to see Finlay and see all the progress he has been making. We have so valued the folks in St Madoes who have made our meals since Finlay first got sick and they have continued over the last week allowing us just that little extra breathing space to adjust to a different routine. We are now much stronger in ourselves and are ready to get back on with normal living this week. The words "thank you" are not enough but they are very heartfelt!
Tomorrow Finlay has his Speech and Language appointment at Ninewells. This is the area that continues to give us real concern. We are so longing and praying for an increase in speech. We really believe that prayer is effective and appreciate those of you who share our faith and are able to stand with us in prayer.
Being at the hospital also gives us all the perfect excuse to check out the best ice cream shop in Dundee.................!
Today we so enjoyed being at church and being again with a community of folks who have provided us with so much support. Good too for many of them to see Finlay and see all the progress he has been making. We have so valued the folks in St Madoes who have made our meals since Finlay first got sick and they have continued over the last week allowing us just that little extra breathing space to adjust to a different routine. We are now much stronger in ourselves and are ready to get back on with normal living this week. The words "thank you" are not enough but they are very heartfelt!
Tomorrow Finlay has his Speech and Language appointment at Ninewells. This is the area that continues to give us real concern. We are so longing and praying for an increase in speech. We really believe that prayer is effective and appreciate those of you who share our faith and are able to stand with us in prayer.
Being at the hospital also gives us all the perfect excuse to check out the best ice cream shop in Dundee.................!
Friday 3 July 2009
Farewells
At the start of our day in hospital today we said our farewells to so many people who had shown us such care over the last few weeks. We appreciate them all so much and were actually sad to say our good byes. We have seen some real God connections and these are particularly precious to us.
Finlay had his last sessions with physio and OT today at the hospital. Yesterday he had been too tired for OT. You can understand that. He has had a significant number of adults working with him each day over the last few weeks. It will be good for him to have some more "normal" time to be the three year old he is, to make progress with the therapy that is scheduled but to just be the normal wee monkey that he is at other times. Anyway, today with the OT he made a jigsaw of himself and then had to put it back together. It was good to see him interacting and really trying with the tasks. Next week he will have one physio session at home and one with OT at the Sunflower Centre.
The Speech and Language therapist is really working hard to try and determine whether the lack of speech is caused by a difficulty in comprehension. It must be difficult when assessing a three year old. There are also possible issues with word retrieval skills and word processing. Those of us with Speech and language backgrounds or teaching may understand this better. The bottom line for this is that we know that God knows where this is at with Finlay and we look to him. Finlay will continue with the S&L team at Ninewells for the next three weeks, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Fraser and Murray spent the day at the Safari park with Jenny and Tim. A slightly unusual birthday treat for Jenny but a good time was had by all. Happy Birthday Jenny! Hannah is due back tomorrow after her week at camp. We are all looking forward to our weekend.
Finlay had his last sessions with physio and OT today at the hospital. Yesterday he had been too tired for OT. You can understand that. He has had a significant number of adults working with him each day over the last few weeks. It will be good for him to have some more "normal" time to be the three year old he is, to make progress with the therapy that is scheduled but to just be the normal wee monkey that he is at other times. Anyway, today with the OT he made a jigsaw of himself and then had to put it back together. It was good to see him interacting and really trying with the tasks. Next week he will have one physio session at home and one with OT at the Sunflower Centre.
The Speech and Language therapist is really working hard to try and determine whether the lack of speech is caused by a difficulty in comprehension. It must be difficult when assessing a three year old. There are also possible issues with word retrieval skills and word processing. Those of us with Speech and language backgrounds or teaching may understand this better. The bottom line for this is that we know that God knows where this is at with Finlay and we look to him. Finlay will continue with the S&L team at Ninewells for the next three weeks, Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Fraser and Murray spent the day at the Safari park with Jenny and Tim. A slightly unusual birthday treat for Jenny but a good time was had by all. Happy Birthday Jenny! Hannah is due back tomorrow after her week at camp. We are all looking forward to our weekend.
Wednesday 1 July 2009
Ups and downs
Today has been a really tough day for us. It is hard at times to know how to walk some of the paths that this situation has led us to. We are praying for real wisdom. We are also in need of some restful sleep. All our boys, on the other hand, have had a really good day and we are thankful for that.
Finlay had good sessions with physio and OT today and has been using his right arm and hand, a little reluctantly, and we have to admit to an element of bribery, but he did use them. He was playing Connect 4 right handed with OT this afternoon. We have it confirmed that he will have speech and language Mon, Wed and Friday next week in Ninewells. There is a lot of assessment of his understanding going on. He is making more noises and he is able to repeat a "Bye!" when encouraged to.
And a big happy birthday to Fraser. The Posh Party was just fab. Grandma had been busy today helping with the cakes and Anthea allowed her house to be taken over by lots of well dressed and polite for about ten minutes boys! (We do not know where we would have been without Anthea over the past days. Anthea, we so appreciate you and Mark!) Apologies for the whoopie cushions and farting whistles that have been brought home. They were nothing to do with us!
Finlay had good sessions with physio and OT today and has been using his right arm and hand, a little reluctantly, and we have to admit to an element of bribery, but he did use them. He was playing Connect 4 right handed with OT this afternoon. We have it confirmed that he will have speech and language Mon, Wed and Friday next week in Ninewells. There is a lot of assessment of his understanding going on. He is making more noises and he is able to repeat a "Bye!" when encouraged to.
And a big happy birthday to Fraser. The Posh Party was just fab. Grandma had been busy today helping with the cakes and Anthea allowed her house to be taken over by lots of well dressed and polite for about ten minutes boys! (We do not know where we would have been without Anthea over the past days. Anthea, we so appreciate you and Mark!) Apologies for the whoopie cushions and farting whistles that have been brought home. They were nothing to do with us!
Tuesday 30 June 2009
Our determined wee one
Finlay seemed happy enough to be heading back to the hospital today which was great. He had good sessions with OT and Physio. The difficlut thing with him is that as determined as they are to get him to use his right hand he appears equally determined to find ways of getting around their tasks, and all with a bit of a glint in his eye. His determination is going to work in our favour to see progress but we are all going to have to be incredibly sharp to get him working in the right way!
We got the results from the MRA today. The good news is that it did not give us any new information. The most significant damage is in the area of speech. We know this and are praying that therapy and God's healing touch will bring rewiring into the brain here. The surrounding areas which have been less affected we are already seeing the real progress in and look for more.
We are beginning to see what therapy will look like in the coming weeks, although nothing is quite finalised. It looks like he will be having speech and language at Ninewells, in Dundee and OT and physio in the Sunflower Centre in Perth. That is likely to keep us busy with therapy four days of the week altho not for the full day obviously.
Tomorrow is Fraser's birthday. He has been busy organising his party, with some much appreciated help (!!!!), a dinner party no less and what he is wearing to this grand event has been the subject of much discussion. Madagascar 2 is also in the plan. Murray has been involved in helping prepare some of the secrets for tomorrow. Hannah is having a great time at camp. We have not heard a huge amount which is, of course, a good sign.
We got the results from the MRA today. The good news is that it did not give us any new information. The most significant damage is in the area of speech. We know this and are praying that therapy and God's healing touch will bring rewiring into the brain here. The surrounding areas which have been less affected we are already seeing the real progress in and look for more.
We are beginning to see what therapy will look like in the coming weeks, although nothing is quite finalised. It looks like he will be having speech and language at Ninewells, in Dundee and OT and physio in the Sunflower Centre in Perth. That is likely to keep us busy with therapy four days of the week altho not for the full day obviously.
Tomorrow is Fraser's birthday. He has been busy organising his party, with some much appreciated help (!!!!), a dinner party no less and what he is wearing to this grand event has been the subject of much discussion. Madagascar 2 is also in the plan. Murray has been involved in helping prepare some of the secrets for tomorrow. Hannah is having a great time at camp. We have not heard a huge amount which is, of course, a good sign.
Monday 29 June 2009
Change of plan
We arrived at the hospital to discover that an MRA had been scheduled for today. It meant a bit of a shift of gear in our thinking. He was sedated for the procedure which happened this afternoon and did well with the whole thing but it is tough to watch your wee one going through this kind of thing.
We still managed to fit in a session with OT and Physio this morning. Tomorrow should be a much more normal therapy day. We are praying that after the upheaval of today Finlay will still be happy to head off to the hospital in the morning.
We are a little unsure when we will get results back from the MRA. We are not due to see our consultant until the 20th July, which feels an awful long way away.
Tonight we are exausted and our wee boy who had a lovely long sleep this afternoon is not quite ready for his bed ........................... .
We still managed to fit in a session with OT and Physio this morning. Tomorrow should be a much more normal therapy day. We are praying that after the upheaval of today Finlay will still be happy to head off to the hospital in the morning.
We are a little unsure when we will get results back from the MRA. We are not due to see our consultant until the 20th July, which feels an awful long way away.
Tonight we are exausted and our wee boy who had a lovely long sleep this afternoon is not quite ready for his bed ........................... .
Sunday 28 June 2009
Fun therapy at home.
Today has been a good day. Uncle Johnny has been Finlay's therapist for the last couple of days and we have so enjoyed watching the fun and the antics of these two together, with Murray and Fraser in the mix. There has been a lot of laughter and lots of opportunities to work on the movements and to encourage speech. His right hand seems a little less sensitive although he is not using it without encouragement. We do so want to see more speech and this is a big prayer focus for us.
Fraser and Murray went to church this morning. We stayed at home with Finlay. We are so grateful for the huge support our church has given us but we were not yet able to deal with bigger groups of people, enjoying and benefiting instead from the comfort of being at home. Two weeks ago when all this kicked off Bruce was in the middle of a much needed garage clean out. All the stuff that had been moved into the front garden for a sort through had been unceremoniously dumped back into the garage. We have been able to progress that a little.
Tomorrow we have to head back to the hospital. We are anxious that Finlay will find this hard. We are working hard to explain that it is just a visit but it is hard to know how much he is taking in. We are due there at 10am and if the pattern follows on from last week we will leave around 3pm. Grandma is back and Grandad is here too, and we are grateful to them for the stability they will provide on the home front.
Thank you to so many of you are are reading this blog. It is so encouraging to us to know we are surrounded by a community of people, probably wider than we even realise. Thank you to those of you who believe too that we have a God who answers prayers. These prayers are sustaining us in a huge way, we know that.
Fraser and Murray went to church this morning. We stayed at home with Finlay. We are so grateful for the huge support our church has given us but we were not yet able to deal with bigger groups of people, enjoying and benefiting instead from the comfort of being at home. Two weeks ago when all this kicked off Bruce was in the middle of a much needed garage clean out. All the stuff that had been moved into the front garden for a sort through had been unceremoniously dumped back into the garage. We have been able to progress that a little.
Tomorrow we have to head back to the hospital. We are anxious that Finlay will find this hard. We are working hard to explain that it is just a visit but it is hard to know how much he is taking in. We are due there at 10am and if the pattern follows on from last week we will leave around 3pm. Grandma is back and Grandad is here too, and we are grateful to them for the stability they will provide on the home front.
Thank you to so many of you are are reading this blog. It is so encouraging to us to know we are surrounded by a community of people, probably wider than we even realise. Thank you to those of you who believe too that we have a God who answers prayers. These prayers are sustaining us in a huge way, we know that.
Saturday 27 June 2009
It certainly is good to be home! Finlay clearly thought so. He spent a lot of time out in the garden and decided he would empty out the shed just to check on all the toys in there. He is able to get himself around with his wobbly walk and on Friday he played a game of football with the physio. He did all the kicking with his left foot but that did mean he was able to weight bear on the right side. Today he has enjoyed playing with Murray and Fraser. The OT was confident that he would get a lot of therapy at home and there was a lot to see when they were playing with the pirates, combined with lots of normal fun.
He was so excited last night that he did not sleep before 10pm. We need to look at a side for his bed, which he is not keen on but we can probably sneak it up tonight when he is sleeping. We will also need a stair gate just to keep him safe and us calmer, just when we thought we had finished that stage. The consultant is concerned about the position of his right foot and he will have a splint for night time to keep those muscles holding that foot correctly which should help his walking, as at the moment he is walking with a toe to heel movement which is making his walk stilted.
Tomorrow we will be getting the paint and sand out. We have been encouraged to get him using his right hand as much as possible. He has some reluctance with this and there may be some hyper-sensitivity in his hand. We can possibly help with this with lots of touching, games and activities. We are planning a quiet day at home. We need to encourage Finlay into some rest periods and we ourselves need time just to be. We are grateful for our meals which continue to arrive. Things like that take such a pressure off.
We are coping well, conscious of an inner strength that we believe is God given. There are moments where we maybe want to curl up because this does hurt and this is hard. It is tough to think that maybe Finlay will become defined by this stroke rather than who he is, if that makes sense. It is so great to sit around our table as a family and eat dinner together but there is a lump in our throats as our wee-est would normally be the one to start saying grace, always with something he would be thankful for. And yet we see him, his cheery self with a determination and we too push on, knowing that God will see us through.
The case conference yesterday confirmed that he is making good progress which is encouraging. We did not get feedback from Speech and Language and we are keen to get this soon. We do understand that the physical progress will come first but there are anxieties for us with speech. There were more clear test results back which is good. One test will be redone in four weeks as it was on the high side of normal. In four weeks all the trauma that his body had initially suffered will have settled and a more accurate result can be obtained.
Next week he will go in as a day boy so to speak arriving at 10am and will do therapy during the day. If all goes well he will be discharged on Friday in to community care with sessions a couple of times a week. This is all encouraging but we do want to be confident that he will be getting as much therapy as he needs and will be glad to have the contact next week with folks who know him best. We are working hard to explain to him that we are leaving his pyjamas at home so he is not upset going back in.
And next week sees the end of school and Fraser's birthday!
He was so excited last night that he did not sleep before 10pm. We need to look at a side for his bed, which he is not keen on but we can probably sneak it up tonight when he is sleeping. We will also need a stair gate just to keep him safe and us calmer, just when we thought we had finished that stage. The consultant is concerned about the position of his right foot and he will have a splint for night time to keep those muscles holding that foot correctly which should help his walking, as at the moment he is walking with a toe to heel movement which is making his walk stilted.
Tomorrow we will be getting the paint and sand out. We have been encouraged to get him using his right hand as much as possible. He has some reluctance with this and there may be some hyper-sensitivity in his hand. We can possibly help with this with lots of touching, games and activities. We are planning a quiet day at home. We need to encourage Finlay into some rest periods and we ourselves need time just to be. We are grateful for our meals which continue to arrive. Things like that take such a pressure off.
We are coping well, conscious of an inner strength that we believe is God given. There are moments where we maybe want to curl up because this does hurt and this is hard. It is tough to think that maybe Finlay will become defined by this stroke rather than who he is, if that makes sense. It is so great to sit around our table as a family and eat dinner together but there is a lump in our throats as our wee-est would normally be the one to start saying grace, always with something he would be thankful for. And yet we see him, his cheery self with a determination and we too push on, knowing that God will see us through.
The case conference yesterday confirmed that he is making good progress which is encouraging. We did not get feedback from Speech and Language and we are keen to get this soon. We do understand that the physical progress will come first but there are anxieties for us with speech. There were more clear test results back which is good. One test will be redone in four weeks as it was on the high side of normal. In four weeks all the trauma that his body had initially suffered will have settled and a more accurate result can be obtained.
Next week he will go in as a day boy so to speak arriving at 10am and will do therapy during the day. If all goes well he will be discharged on Friday in to community care with sessions a couple of times a week. This is all encouraging but we do want to be confident that he will be getting as much therapy as he needs and will be glad to have the contact next week with folks who know him best. We are working hard to explain to him that we are leaving his pyjamas at home so he is not upset going back in.
And next week sees the end of school and Fraser's birthday!
Friday 26 June 2009
We are home!
We are so pleased to all be together at home. Finlay still requires a high level of intensive therapy and we will give you more details about how this will all play out tomorrow. It is so good he is well enough to be at home.
Pray for us that we will be able to balance the need for real rest, especially for Finlay, with the activities that a big and busy family have.
Pray for us that we will be able to balance the need for real rest, especially for Finlay, with the activities that a big and busy family have.
Thursday 25 June 2009
All three of our boys were involved in some kind of sport today. Fraser and Murray had Cub Sports this evening and Finlay was doing his best to keep up with his wee pals, Jed and Beth, who came to visit today. The three of them enjoyed a picnic in the grounds and got to watch a helicopter arriving. Finlay's walking is continuing to improve but it is very tiring for him. He had a wee trip out in the car today and we are pleased to report that he was not car sick so that is one thing we do not need to worry about.
OT continue to work on the grip of his right hand and to stretch out those muscle. He seems to have good feeling in his hand but maybe not so much in the top part of his arm. Another session of making animal sounds today with Speech and Language; the kind of thing three year olds some times surprise you with but hard to coax it out of them on demand. These exercises work on his facial muscles and we are seeing the weakness on the right hand side.
Tomorrow there is a case conference for Finlay, a chance for all the people providing his care to get together, to look at all the progress and areas that require therapy and to plan how best to provide his care. We are praying that wise decisions will be made that allow Finlay to receive the best care possible. We are praying too that we can continue to balance the needs of all our kids.
Wednesday 24 June 2009
Lots of small steps for Finlay
Our littlest managed a wobbly walk across the room today all by himself! The offer of a sweetie was enough motivation for this major progress. (We have laughed a bit about the state of his teeth by the time we leave the hospital.) We are really encouraged by this progress. We so appreciate our physios. The position of his foot needs to be monitored and the OT is picking up a reluctance to use his right hand. It may be there is a need for splints to keep muscles stretched and in good positions. He actually managed to be awake for speech and language today and had an interesting session being encouraged to make lots of noises.
Some tests were done quickly this morning and Finlay coped well with these. At lunchtime there were more scheduled. After examining all the information available, and seeing how distressed Finlay was becoming, the cardiologist was very confident that there was no real need to put him through one particular test and made the decision to put this on hold just now. We were happy with this decision.
We were really pleased to have time with the consultant today. We feel blessed to have her working with Finlay. She talked through a lot of things with us which was very helpful. It is actually an MRA not an MRI he will be having on the 13th. This is a much more specific scan. She is actually very pleased with the date we have been given as it will allow all the trauma resulting from this stroke to settle which will give a clearer picture for the medics to assess. This is definitely an example of praying and God giving the answer that we need even tho we are looking for something different.
School finishes up next Wednesday and as you can imagine our older crew are looking forward to that. Actually Hannah finishes Friday as we confused the date of the end of term and booked her into an SU camp that she wanted to go on. She has decided still to go and we are happy for that knowing that the camp leaders will look after her well and as she is at Lendrick Muir we can make plans for her to see her little brother.
A big thank you again for all your encouragement, practical support and prayers. As a family we know that God hears and answers.
Some tests were done quickly this morning and Finlay coped well with these. At lunchtime there were more scheduled. After examining all the information available, and seeing how distressed Finlay was becoming, the cardiologist was very confident that there was no real need to put him through one particular test and made the decision to put this on hold just now. We were happy with this decision.
We were really pleased to have time with the consultant today. We feel blessed to have her working with Finlay. She talked through a lot of things with us which was very helpful. It is actually an MRA not an MRI he will be having on the 13th. This is a much more specific scan. She is actually very pleased with the date we have been given as it will allow all the trauma resulting from this stroke to settle which will give a clearer picture for the medics to assess. This is definitely an example of praying and God giving the answer that we need even tho we are looking for something different.
School finishes up next Wednesday and as you can imagine our older crew are looking forward to that. Actually Hannah finishes Friday as we confused the date of the end of term and booked her into an SU camp that she wanted to go on. She has decided still to go and we are happy for that knowing that the camp leaders will look after her well and as she is at Lendrick Muir we can make plans for her to see her little brother.
A big thank you again for all your encouragement, practical support and prayers. As a family we know that God hears and answers.
Tuesday 23 June 2009
Tests
Today has seen its ups and downs.
Finlay just loved having his wee pal Jed at physio with him today. It was an exciting and tiring session for him. We are seeing that he copes with therapy for about 45 minutes and then he completely falls away, having nothing left to give. It is tough to see this. OT today were looking at his sight and hearing on the right side, something else to explore further.
Finlay fell asleep again this afternoon and was woken, probaby before he was ready by the squeaky door. He was very distressed at this point and we were grateful to have the medics around to assure us that he was not experiencing additional difficulties. It is hard for us just now to work these things out and more than a little stressful. We will be looking for a can of WD40!
Tomorrow he has two more tests. A blood test will happen at 7.30am and then the line will remain in his wee hand in preparation for the ultrasound in the afternoon. Our prayer is that the distress of these will be minimal for our wee boy and that there is good wisdom on how much therapy to do around these tests tomorrow. We were disappointed to hear today that the MRI is not until the 13th July. We are hoping to be able to have a good chat real soon with a doctor who is familiar with Finlay, or indeed his consultant, to gain a fuller picture of where we are at.
Kirsty has been home for a while this evening and has met the newest member of the family, Buzz, the hamster. Jenny and Tim will require two cars to keep up with all the comings and goings of Hannah, Fraser and Murray, normally busy but now with the added visits up to Ninewells to catch up with the wee brother.
Finlay just loved having his wee pal Jed at physio with him today. It was an exciting and tiring session for him. We are seeing that he copes with therapy for about 45 minutes and then he completely falls away, having nothing left to give. It is tough to see this. OT today were looking at his sight and hearing on the right side, something else to explore further.
Finlay fell asleep again this afternoon and was woken, probaby before he was ready by the squeaky door. He was very distressed at this point and we were grateful to have the medics around to assure us that he was not experiencing additional difficulties. It is hard for us just now to work these things out and more than a little stressful. We will be looking for a can of WD40!
Tomorrow he has two more tests. A blood test will happen at 7.30am and then the line will remain in his wee hand in preparation for the ultrasound in the afternoon. Our prayer is that the distress of these will be minimal for our wee boy and that there is good wisdom on how much therapy to do around these tests tomorrow. We were disappointed to hear today that the MRI is not until the 13th July. We are hoping to be able to have a good chat real soon with a doctor who is familiar with Finlay, or indeed his consultant, to gain a fuller picture of where we are at.
Kirsty has been home for a while this evening and has met the newest member of the family, Buzz, the hamster. Jenny and Tim will require two cars to keep up with all the comings and goings of Hannah, Fraser and Murray, normally busy but now with the added visits up to Ninewells to catch up with the wee brother.
Monday 22 June 2009
Paint and sleep
We had really hoped the MRI would happen today but it was not possible. We have been told that they may be able to fit Finlay in at some point this week, so our prayer is that the anaesthetist and radiologist will have both have a slot in their diary free at the same time. We were really disapointed and it is at times like this you realise how exhausted you are and how numb you feel inside.
Finlay had a very busy time with OT this morning. There was paint everywhere, some on the paper and some up Dad's arm. It was great to see significant arm movements and some muscle movement in his right hand. We are also seeing him take more definite steps in his walking. His determination to relearn these things without any signs of frustration is so good. After OT he fell asleep, completely shattered, and missed his speech and language session, all agreeing that sleep was more important this afternoon. He had loved every minute of our own therapy sessisons this weekend out in the fresh air but seeing the exhaustion today makes us see that we have to learn how to balance all of this.
Kirsty popped home for a little while yesterday evening to spend time with Hannah, Fraser and Murray. Bruce will sleep at home tonight. Grandma heads home tomorrow for a well deserved rest and Jenny and Tim arrive to look after the home front. One of Jenny's first tasks will be to take Fraser to buy a new hamster - don't ask! We are really proud of all our kids.
Finlay had a very busy time with OT this morning. There was paint everywhere, some on the paper and some up Dad's arm. It was great to see significant arm movements and some muscle movement in his right hand. We are also seeing him take more definite steps in his walking. His determination to relearn these things without any signs of frustration is so good. After OT he fell asleep, completely shattered, and missed his speech and language session, all agreeing that sleep was more important this afternoon. He had loved every minute of our own therapy sessisons this weekend out in the fresh air but seeing the exhaustion today makes us see that we have to learn how to balance all of this.
Kirsty popped home for a little while yesterday evening to spend time with Hannah, Fraser and Murray. Bruce will sleep at home tonight. Grandma heads home tomorrow for a well deserved rest and Jenny and Tim arrive to look after the home front. One of Jenny's first tasks will be to take Fraser to buy a new hamster - don't ask! We are really proud of all our kids.
Sunday 21 June 2009
Picnic Therapy
We are learning that the weekend brings a real shifting down of gears at the hospital. Since Wednesday of last week the door to Finlay's room seemed to have been revolving constantly. In these few days we have gotten to know a whole array of therapists who quickly learned to hide their uniforms under a jumper, so suspicious was our wee one that he was going to be prodded or worse by them. Quickly though these skilled people have smiled and produced bubbles and earned his trust and he is engaging well in these sessions. He is seeing Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy and Physio.
The last two days we have been able to do our own therapy sessions, therapy for Finlay and for the whole family. We have had time outside in the grounds of hospital, and fortunately we have discovered some nice grassy areas, to play, to picnic and to enjoy the fresh air. It has been great to see how, when supported, he is able to move his right leg to walk. Uncle Johnny was kept busy today. These encouraging signs have been confirmed by the doctors. Today Hannah, Fraser and Murray have enjoyed a day with the Thompsons, bringing some additional fun therapy for them.
Tomorrow begins another week. The therapy sessions will continue and OT have told Finlay to come dressed in his old clothes tomorrow morning -paint and play dough we are guessing. This is good because we are desperately praying he will have an MRI tomorrow afternoon and it will be great to have a distraction before this.
Blood test results came back clear on Friday which is good but does mean that a focus of this week will also be to try and determine the reason for the stroke. It may purely be a virus but there may be an underlying condition. As the results were not back until Friday the paper work was processed then for the MRI. MRI's only happen on Mondays. It would be so good not to have to wait a week for this. Some other tests are scheduled for Wednesday.
And the parents? We are exhausted, encouraged to see progress and so grateful for all the support.
Saturday 20 June 2009
Saturday 20th June
If you have made your way to this blog you will know that a week ago Finlay, our three year old suffered from a stroke. It has been a long tough week but we are so grateful for all the support we have been shown from so many people who have looked after us in different ways. We know that we are being carried by an army of folks praying and we know beyond all doubt that our God is a God of love and He is more than able!
We have decided to blog. We hope in doing this we can keep all of you up to date with what is going on, when at times it is hard to answer all the texts and communications and our heads are not always the clearest. It seems like the best way, too, to keep those of you committed to praying up-to-date,with what we see as the current needs. Thank God tho that he directs the prayers of his people.
Finlay is showing his determined wee personality and we are grateful for that. The physio is encouraged with some movement in his right shoulder, arm and leg. We are praying that this progress will continue. We are also praying that there will be progress in his speech. It is more difficult to determine at this point what the underlying issues is with this.
Today the whole family are together for an extended time at the hospital, just enjoying being together. We can maybe picnic in the grounds (sounds grand eh?) if the weather holds up.
We have decided to blog. We hope in doing this we can keep all of you up to date with what is going on, when at times it is hard to answer all the texts and communications and our heads are not always the clearest. It seems like the best way, too, to keep those of you committed to praying up-to-date,with what we see as the current needs. Thank God tho that he directs the prayers of his people.
Finlay is showing his determined wee personality and we are grateful for that. The physio is encouraged with some movement in his right shoulder, arm and leg. We are praying that this progress will continue. We are also praying that there will be progress in his speech. It is more difficult to determine at this point what the underlying issues is with this.
Today the whole family are together for an extended time at the hospital, just enjoying being together. We can maybe picnic in the grounds (sounds grand eh?) if the weather holds up.
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