Since we have been home from St. Louis, I have had so many questions from friends and family about Grace's mood, behavior, feelings, etc since the surgery. "What does she think about the surgery?" "Does she say her body feels different to her?" "Is she upset that she can't get around as well as she could before the surgery?" "How does she feel about what is happening?" etc, etc.
And the answers are...I don't know. She doesn't talk about any of this...at least with me. I have explained to her, both before and after the surgery, what was going to happen and why we were doing this. I have asked her many times about how she feels about having the surgery...does her body feel different, does she understand why she had the surgery, does she have any questionas, and on and on. No response, or at least no direct response to my questions. I'm not sure how to feels about what she has gone through because she has a great attitude, like she always did before, and works really hard during her physical therapy (as long as it is not me trying to get her to do it) and generally seems like her old self...just physically weaker. And physically she is doing much better than we had thought at only 1 1/2 weeks out of surgery.
I would be interested to know what types of interactions other moms of children with special needs have when there is some kind of physical change like we had. What am I supposed to think? She is not talking about walking.
3 comments:
you know... she's used to not walking. Perhaps walking is such a foreign concept to her? just happened to think about it this afternoon. Perhaps she doesn't know how she feels... yet...
Nina has never mentioned really that her body feels different. We have asked but I am not sure she is aware of it. The first time she wiggled her toes on her own she said, "The surgery worked!" but that is all she has ever said. However, I can tell the difference.
As for walking, I wonder if it depends on the child. Nina has made incredible progress and she (from physical standpoint) could now walk. She just lacks the confidence and desire to do it. And I think you will understand what that means. She needs to really want it to do actually finally do it.
Hello there! I have been absent from blogging world for so long but have thought about you often. I hope the SDR is a success for Grace. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
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