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.
Tuesday 30 June 2009
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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