All the news (good or bad) from Summerhill Stables

Hospital Update No 2

Now the initial flap-doodle has died down…..
………..I can sum up what has happened.

Multiple myeloma manifests itself (amongst other side effects) by a weakening or softening of the bone structure and results in virtually spontaneous bone fractures where the structure is weakest. For instance several years ago Pikey’s collarbone snapped while she was having a meal in an Italian restaurant in Chapel-en-le-Frith for no apparent reason. This time the same thing has happened to the bottom of her femur. She didn’t fall or anything like that, I didn’t push her - she must just have swivelled awkwardly getting off the stair lift.

The result this time is a fairly long vertical split in her femur which they screwed together. The underlying danger is whether the bone structure is strong enough to hold together; but when she had her spinal op in September the bone structure was strong enough then.

She is immobilised in a whole leg plaster until Wednesday, then she can go on a cunning machine which gently flexes her knee, she may be home on crutches or a zimmer frame at the weekend. After that she is not allowed any weight on her leg for six weeks i.e. until mid February. How we will cope with that I am not sure but no doubt "they" will tell us.

It’s the third time in 12 months that she has been in hospital so we are both getting used to it and are old hands at the game!!!

When I saw this afternoon she was bright and perky and coping very well. If you want to ring her do so on 070 411 40109 which is PatientLine and her extension number is 6964. It’s not the cheapest phone call you’ll ever make.

Loads of love Robert and Pikey in absentia.