Back in Stavanger

It has been a week since Sophie had her operation. Here is a selection of photos taken since then. She is getting back into a routine and (as you can she) will not allow her temporary setback to get in the way of some serious home computing.

Update from Bergen III

Tomorrow we are going home. Sophie and Jo will fly down to Stavanger and I'll set off in the car a few hours beforehand to hopefully meet them from the airport. The logistics of getting Sophie home have proved challenging, particularly as she's a bit delicate and Jo will have to manage on her own. Still, we've secured an ambulance ride to the airport and the airline has promised to convey her to the gate. Today the sun has come out and it really is a Winter Wonderland here. We've built a mini-snowman, thrown snowballs around and blown and popped countless bubbles. Sophie is in a great mood as you can hopefully sense from these pics (... guess which one Sophie took).

Update from Bergen II

It is now three days since Sophie's operation. She is recovering well and starting to eat again. All of the tubes connecting her to the various fluid systems have been removed and she is able to take trips around the hospital in a wheelchair. If she continues to improve at the current rate we will be able to leave in the next day or two. The next logistical hurdle is getting her home. It has been snowing constantly for the past 24 hours (see view from Sophie's hospital window) and we've watched cars sliding around on the roads outside. The driving option seems a bit optimistic so I'll probably take the car and Jo and Sophie can fly back down to Stavanger.

Update from Bergen

The surgeon is very pleased with how the operation went and yesterday's X-rays showed that everything is in the right place for the healing process.

Sophie is recovering, feeling a bit brighter, watching lots of DVDs and getting lots of treats. She should be able to go for a walk in a wheelchair later today. They think we can head for home on Monday.

This cast goes to her left ankle and right thigh but it is in a sitting position and it doesn't have the dreaded bar between the legs. It should be a lot easier to live with.

News from Bergen

Sophie is now resting after a long day, most of which was spent in theatre. She went down at 8.30 this morning and came out at about 4pm this afternoon. First indications are that her operation went well. It was much bigger than last time with some femur reduction, femoral head rotation and socket reshaping. She's just fallen asleep watching Bobinogs in her own room with Jo sharing. I'm off to get some sleep. It's really cold here; it snowed today.

Kid Buggy

Not much happening in Norway today. In anticipation of Sophie going into another cast after her op (in 10 days time), we've bought this "kid buggy" (... call it a pushchair at your peril). It's one of those all terrain jobs which doubles as a bicycle trailer. We have been told that Sophie's cast will put her in a position bent at right angles at the hip. This means that she'll be able to sit up which will be a great improvement over the previous cast. We feel a bit better prepared for this than last time although I'm not sure Sophie will be as compliant as before. Fingers crossed. On Monday 17th November we will take the long drive to Bergen from Stavanger. This will be an adventure in its own right with some long tunnels and two ferries.

Bonfire Night

Sophie learning all about English Roman Catholic revolutionaries

The Firelady and the Fairy

Sophie and her new chum Saskia playing dressing up.