Just over three weeks ago Imp had his cast removed. It wasn’t as traumatic as we expected as despite him being very nervous the staff at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital were once again fantastic. They reassured him about everything and talked to him about what they were going to do. Once it was done Imp flexed his knees a couple of time but decided it was too painful to move. Off to X-ray next to see the results of the surgery.
After meeting with his consultant who was delighted with the way the surgery had gone and was prepared him to be weight bearing again we were off to occupational therapy to return the large wheelchair! This was replaced with the wheelchair we already owned and a frame to support his walking once he was confident. We were told he needed to get up and about and to allow him to do as much as he could and work with his physiotherapist and hydrotherapist to build the muscles back up and begin to walk unaided.
Slowly but surely after some tough love and tears when he couldn’t see we managed to get him up and walking, one stair at bedtime became the whole flight in a matter of days. A few days after coming out of the cast Imp decided he wanted to try a few steps on his own, to be honest it was like watching a baby take his first steps and the emotions no less immersing. He took two awkward steps and fell forward into a hug with a massive grin on his face. It was a milestone. More and more steps followed but perhaps the pinnacle of his achievement to date was his taking part in a school swimming gala just three weeks out of cast.
He was determined to join in and he took part in two races, yes he came last but when he had done his width he had a massive cheer from the parents watching. He had got into the pool unaided, hadn’t needed the pole to grab onto and hadn’t touched the bottom during the race and got out by himself! This was for us massive and as I watched him come back to his chair poolside I had to swallow a huge lump in my throat.
Throughout the process of everything he has approached it with a positive attitude, he has had a smile on his face and while there have been difficult moments I have watched him, in the main, grow in maturity as he learns to manage his disease by himself. Following the swimming gala there was a school fete, he took the decision to attend in his wheelchair as he wanted to avoid being knocked over. Knowing what you can do independently and what you need to ask for help with is all part of it. We won’t know how much progress he has made in terms of the Perthes until the 12th August when we next see his consultant and he has an X-ray. Until then he will be attending physiotherapy and hydrotherapy at least twice a week as well as completing exercises at home.
To say the Perthes turned our world upside down would be an understatement but we can finally see Imp getting stronger and stronger despite his physiotherapist telling us that he is now -5 steps compared to where he was before surgery we know with his determined nature he will battle back to fitness. He wants to be able to join in with his sisters and now he is more mobile he is getting back into arguments with them and enjoying playing with his toys and relishing his own private bedroom space.
It hasn’t all been doom and gloom of course, only yesterday we had a family get together to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday. For the first time all five of his grandchildren were in the same place at the same time. Hpops was beside herself with excitement as she got to cuddle, feed and generally coo over her baby cousins. Today was the summer gymkhana and Hpops tried hard with her riding. Imp on the other hand visited the Queen Elizabeth Park to go to the F1 Fanzone. A VIP ticket had been arranged for him by a friend who had told them about his struggles and watching the video of him whizzing about in a Caterham, pedalling a cycle claiming it was physio and hearing the excitement in his voice as he recounted the events of the day fills me with joy. As we were sitting in the house yesterday listening to the children play with Meccano cars they had played and laughing their heads off we paused to consider how lucky we actually are.
Three wonderful children, a boy who gets on with what life throws at him and tackles it head on with a smile, two beautiful girls who are growing in confidence and ability in all areas of their life. Fantastic friends who have between them lifted both me, Mr T and the kids when we are down and who have gone out of their way to make Imp feel special in a good way. We have felt blessed to have people to pour our hearts out to and next week we attend the Perthes’ association charity afternoon which will enable all of us to speak to people who have been on the same journey as us. I feel this will be especially important for the girls as they have had to make adaptions to accommodate Imp. We have taken the decision to try and do things that all three children can take part in and this has meant the girls not necessarily doing all the things they would like to! Even so the family unit is beginning to bond again, and I have to say as I write I do feel happy to have such lovely people surrounding us and caring for us and hope at some point I get to return their kindnesses and lovely thoughts as all the treats they have given Imp have helped to temper the bad memories with good ones and for that I will always be grateful.