Smashing Major Goals and Setting New Ones!

So this is going to be a long one guys, but Cory has had some amazing progress the last dozen days and has absolutely smashed some goals well past where we ever imagined that he could!

Starting off on the 07^th Feb Cory was busily doing his physio with Nicola where he walked up and back in the parallel bars and then stood unaided for about 3 mins after lots of stretching. I had just arrived back from Bunbury and had a surprise that I was not too sure how it was going to be received by Cory.

Cory’s new Crisp Bros Racing Team Frame and Merch package arrived and even know he had expressed how much he was still excited to be on the Crisp Bros Team, I was really unsure how he would feel actually receiving a BMX frame when there is no way that he can get on the bike!

When I did give him the box the look on his face and his body language immediately assured me that it was indeed the right decision to give him the frame!
Cory was absolutely ecstatic!!!

We then headed to our family meeting where we discussed reducing Cory’s pain meds and trying to wean him down a little bit more along with starting to work more on his posture in particular his lumbar support, Cory spent the entire meeting playing with the contents of his Crisp Bros Racing box…. Haha

 

Family Meeting or Crisp Bros Racing Session? It’s not clear….After the family meeting we had an OT session with Laura and Aileen where we caught a train to Clarement Quarter shopping centre and got an icecream and a coffee, it is very interesting seeing the world from the perspective of someone in a wheel chair! For instance some of the minor cracks and layout issue we normally experience in walkways are accentuated when trying to traverse these in a chair! Then there are the street signs that are plonked straight in the middle of a footpath that is barely wide enough for a chair in the first place?? Not too sure what that is all about, but being able to get out of the hospital with these two wonderful ladies who already thought of all the problems that we would encounter is absolutely invaluable! Thanks Laura and Aileen!

 

When we got back to PMH it was dinner time, Cory’s meal was pretty average and it was just fortunate that Starlight had a BBQ going on up at the Megazone!! These guys are awesome, what a ripper of a feed!

Aaron & Cory enjoying the BBQ at MegazoneOn the 8^th Cory woke up feeling pretty slow, tired and a bit sore, for some reason one of his charted pain killers had also not been re-ordered and there was none available on the ward. After smashing down a couple of toasties for breakfast and some Oxy- Codon, we headed off to I-Rehab. While waiting for I-Rehab to start we caught up with Amber from Rebound WA where we looked at some possible sports for Cory post rehab one that stood out was the downhill hand cycling.
Cory really does not enjoy his I-Rehab and heading there already in pain was not looking like it was going to be a great session, but strangely after a session in the Lite Gait and a walk in the Rifton Tram, Cory was actually feeling pretty good. This is his first session where he felt better after the I-Rehab than he did before it.

On Friday the 8^th Cory was again pretty slow to start, after being woken to take his morning meds, he slipped back into a quick sleep since there was nothing pressing to get up for immediately. We discussed with the Doctors about changing his charted Oxy-Codon from a dose of 10mg to a dose of 5-10mg and we are going to try to see how this reduced dose works for him when in pain. A slow lazy start to the day soon changed when we started physio at 12 where after lots of stretching we had Cory walk from the Physio Plinth to the Physio reception (about 20 metres) only holding on to Nicola and myself! He even walked about 3-4 Metres only holding on to Nicola, everyday we can feel more and more strength coming into Cory’s legs, trunk and core! Cory also did his first balance test and although he could not complete it, we feel that he is so well advanced from where he started.

Cory then set a goal to be able to walk completely unaided for the length of the Parallel bars by Friday the 16^th Feb.

 

After arriving back from I-Rehab late Laura from OT was waiting for us in his room with some more new mobility aids. Laura had brought a new shower chair and a new toilet chair in trade for the commode. This is awesome as the commode was really difficult to get dried and dressed etc after a shower and now with the ability to do a stand transfer, there really was no need to be stuck in the commode.
Pretty much flowing straight from here we headed to I-Rehab where Cory then walked 3 X 5 minutes in the Lite Gait on the Treadmill then about 40 metres from the I-Rehab gym to the Physio Gym with only about 20Kg of weight supported in the Rifton Tram! Progress Progress Progress! Everytime he does this we see more and more strength and form coming into his legs.

Cory then headed off to Live wire with his roommate Ben then came back to the room where we played the Boganology Board game, needless to say I was thrashed and Ben emerged the victor….

Saturday the 10^th Chad and Meghan arrived (Again…) and we headed down to the Satellite room for physio. After lots more stretching Cory showed off his ground to plinth transfer skills before smashing out 5 push-ups!!

We then headed out to town where we got some MOP doughnuts before meeting up with my cousin Hayley and Shaun who were down to watch the AFLW. We headed into the Apple store where Cory bought himself a new Apple watch with his birthday money.

On Sunday Jeldi came up for a visit with Uncle Noel, we headed up to the Megazone for a little while before they had to head home again, later that night we headed out for dinner at Sizzlers to celebrate Gary’s Birthday, what a great night to be able to get out and have a semi normal meal and night out, although again we experienced the lack of thought for disabled people with some teenage and fully able kid tying up the disabled toilet for a lengthy amount of time and leaving it in an absolutely disgraceful state (I had to clean his crap off the seat before Cory could use it). With Bladder and Bowel function still not 100% right, Cory was lucky to be able to hold on for long enough to wait for the toilet to become available….. We then dropped Cory back at the Hospital before Shona and I both headed back to Bunbury.

I then headed back up to Perth for Monday morning arriving just as Cory got to the Pool for Hydrotherapy (I suggest if travelling in peak hour in Perth, get yourself a motorcycle). Last time Cory did Hydrotherapy he had to transfer from his wheel chair to the pool chair and be hoisted in and out of the pool, this time with a the aid of Nicola and myself, Cory was able to walk himself down the stairs and into the pool! This in itself was an amazing feat!

Once in the pool Cory tried to do some breaststroke which was average to say the least then did some walking and balancing exercises. While standing with his feet apart he had to balance in one spot while Nicola swam around him trying to make the water turbulent to knock him off balance, he then had to put his feet apart, then close his eyes. It was pretty awesome and hilarious as Nicola tried to unbalance him until finally she had to give him a push to get him off balance. It is amazing how fun and amusing Nicola is able to make his rehab sessions, she has him working so hard and laughing at the same time, she truly is a special person. After then walking up and out of the pool via the stairs, Cory realised that he had not brought a change of clothes to the pool……. Hmmmmm looks like he was heading back to the ward in wet pants….. hahaha

When we got back to the room (and put some dry clothes on) Cory and Ben headed up to Livewire where they made a clock in Art before saying goodbye to Ben as he was being discharged. But it was only a matter of a few short hours when he got a new room mate who just happened to live across the road from my Cousins! What a small world!

Later in the day Cory had another Asia test (normal Monday routine) with Renae, every week he is gaining more and more sensation, mobility and strength, it is very hard to describe here in this blog how this changes, it is still strange to see that in places on his body he can feel a cotton wool ball touch him, but in the same place cannot feel a sharpened pop stick poke him??? It is weird and we are still amazed by the way the nervous system works/ doesn’t work. Infact can’t I can’t remember if I already noted that at several points Cory’s right foot has been icy cold, purple and with really poor capillary refill while his left foot had either been hot or very warm. This was all caused by the nerves not really knowing what was going on and stopping/ slowing the blood flow to his foot. Since adding more of the neurological pain killer meds into the middle of the day, this has almost completely stopped this problem. What and amazing thing the human body is!

On Tuesday the 8^th Cory awoke without pain again, he is starting to have more and more mornings where he is not in pain when he wakes up which is fantastic. After Cory had is micro lax and shower he walked (aided) back to his chair and dressed in his chair, this new shower chair is certainly promoting more activity for him. After breaky we headed down for physio with Christina where he did lots of balancing work and some side stepping, then smashed out 8 push-ups too!

After a quick rest we then headed to I-Rehab where Cory was able to complete 3 X 6 minutes in the Lite Gait before walking in the Rifton Pacer this time instead of the Rifton Tram. The Pacer is much better as although it does not have the ability to take Cory’s weight by lifting up like the Tram does, the rear wheels are able to lock directionally and the pacer is much lighter allowing Cory to actually control it and push it along by himself with it simply aiding his balance and able to rest down in it if it all gets too much. It is kind of like a giant baby walker.

After getting back from I-Rehab, eating some lunch and doing some OLNA practice tests in class for a while, we headed down for OT with Laura and Aileen where they had an amazing surprise for Cory.
A New wheel Chair! This time a Panthera U2 which is like night and day compared to his last chair. This one is so much stiffer, lighter and way way more nimble, not to mention a lot more easy to flip…. We grabbed a couple of traffic cones and some paving bricks and headed out to the carpark so that Laura and Aileen could teach Cory some more wheel chair skills that he will need to have for everyday life. We practiced going up and down descents and ramps, learned how to perform drag turns around corners and his favourite… How to hop up over and off curbs! This is something that he had been looking forward to for sometime.

Learning to get up curbs

On Wednesday the 14^th Shona returned as we were in Physio and after stretching and some sit to stand and soft knee work, Cory Smashed his Goal to walk completely unaided for the length of the parallel bars. This is a couple of days short of where he set to achieve this goal! We then re set another goal for the following Friday the 23rd, to stand up from the ground completely unaided. This was going to be a tough one to achieve as Cory was really struggling to even sit to stand from 54cm without using his hands!

Also being Valentines Day Cory and Fliss spent some time in the park on the Hospital grounds laying on a blanket on the grass and eating some of the amazing treats from the absolutely amazing Kristy & Rick!

TO BE CONTINUED…….

#corycrombiecan
#muchlove

The Crombies