Taking a stroll …

My mobility has been gradually improving over the last fortnight, in no small part due to support by a therapy assistant from the Royal Borough Greenwich Community Rehabilitation and Short Term Assessment Team. They have encouraged me to try doing things that I was unsure that I’d still be able to do, and as a result I have learned how to get in and out of Sue’s car, and this has enabled me to get out and about.

They also provided me with a stroller so that I can use it to walk further and faster than I’ve been able to just using my walking stick. The stroller has four wheels, the front two being able to rotate so that it can be steered. It also has handbrakes and a seat so that if I feel tired, I can lock the brakes and sit down to rest and recuperate.

To date I’ve used the stroller twice to go up to the local postbox, which is some distance uphill from our house. Sue and I have also managed to get the stroller into the back of her car so that we could go to Charlton Park for a walk … followed by lunch in the cafe - Frilly’s - inside Charlton House.

With luck, using the stroller will help to improve my ability to walk as well as giving me the sort of exercise that will gradually improve my stamina.

When I look back at how far my mobility has improved over the past two months, I’ve gone from being a bed bound patient who had to be washed and dressed by carers and hoisted in and out of bed to someone who can get out of bed unaided, who can wash and dress themselves, and who can walk with the aid of a walking stick and a stroller.

One wonders how much better my mobility will be by Christmas.