Ally is going home today - Thursday!

Less than a month after being hospitalised with a broken back, Ally is well enough to go home to her cats! I am still amazed at the miracle of her walking and doing stairs, let alone her being well enough to go home... I am so grateful for this miracle!!

Ally has learnt to self-catheter, can actually "feel" something happening down there (is still numb around her thighs, but has been gifted with some helps in regard to this, so she doesn't have to buy too much when she goes home `cause there's a fair list of supplies she needs to be comfortable and to function effectively.)

Regarding the P.A.'s spinal rehab unit, the waiting list is still really long, but the doctor is looking into her going as an outpatient. As Ally said this morning, there are people in the unit who aren't capable of doing nearly as much as she can (for instance those are need help to lift their hands, etc). But it could be a wise idea to pop in and let them make sure there aren't any bad habits forming; it's still quite tricky to keep her pelvis straight but... the big news is...

she can dance - Ally style!! Yay!!

She's still working towards being able to hop! And she can't do demi-pointe yet - in Ally-speak, that means that when she reaches up to get something, she remembers that she's not quite up to balancing on tiptoes yet!

Oh, and it doesn't hurt to laugh as much any more!

The stitches inside are those that dissolve on their own, but she has two other wounds that need to heal. The major one had it's strips removed yesteday and is healing well, so she now has what Mum jokingly calls her zip-mark... but the chest wound isn't repairing that well because the person who removed the tube forgot to apply something called ?"steri-strips" and only dressed it.

So what does Ally need? If you're interested, I have a partial list of ideas with which we can help:

* foam wedges from Clark Rubber to recline on- she's trying pillows, figuring they'll be cheaper at this initial stage - I'm not sure of the correct angle, but there must be ways around that:)

* cooking meals could be interesting for a while; she is Vegan so lots of fresh vegies and fruit, raw nuts etc;
there's a soy-based protein drink in tetra packs from Woolies - she needs to drink 5 of these a day so her body has the right nutrients to heal;

* specifically: cashews and macadamias, avocados, figs(in season), mandarins, tomatoes

* from a health food shop: vegan chocolate-coated cranberries

* At the supermarket the other day, I found a vegan brand called Mrs May's naturals. This looks like a kind of bite-size cereal- made with fruit and nuts

* her favourite meals come from a small cafe near the Coffee Club on Logan Road at Mount Gravatt that is open 11am-8:30pm Mon-Sat, called The Loving Hut. They have vegetarian and vegan meals (please make sure Ally has vegan meals) that cost $9.90, snacks from $4.50-$7, soups and salads from $5.50 to $6.90, and sweets including cakes $3.50 and ice-cream $5.50. By the way, I just want to mention that, while this cafe looks lovely, I don't agree with its "religious" links... just so you know!

Thanks so much for your love, care, concern and prayers.

Love you Ally!