at Lesley's request

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

Must say I feel very self-indulgent writing this. I still have lots of

catching up with posts since the Xmas break so feel a little strange about

keeping updating on news this end without knowing what is going on with

others who are probably going through way worse. Ah well, here goes.

We are obviously home today minus tonsils and adenoids. The Xmas day fit

obviously did not stop the op going ahead. The anaethetist was actually

more concerned about her cough and cold last week than the fit. Of course,

yesterday was not without its dramas but I kept my cool. It was the first

time Simon and I have not been at the hospital together for one of 's

procedures (Elly developed a stomach flu type thing the day before so we

could not both go) so no-one to vent to but played it cool. Set of notes

got lost and there was threat of no surgery as cardiology notes important in

view of risk of bleed etc. HOW FAR COULD THEY BE??? She only had an out

patient appointment on 22nd Dec so they could not be too far from

cardiology, could they??? Felt like offering to go and look for them

myself. For crying out loud not only had we been in negotiations about this

surgery for ages, but I had left a sick child who in sickness thinks mummy

is best behind! For the record, today she is OK and back to talking for

England. Says she missed me and . I really do believe she loves her

sister to bits, but I digress.

Anyway, all is well that ends well. did go into surgery, and boy,

did she come back in a MAD mood. I got to understand exactly what Michele W

means when she says that now that Aubrie is more aware of procedures, it is

horrible to have to participate in holding her down etc for the various

things to be done to her. has become such a fighter it is hard to

believe she is the same frail child we watched over 5-1/2 years ago.

Despite 3 of us holding her down, she still managed to spit out her premed.

She was also obviously in a great deal of pain after surgery but managed to

spit quite a bit of her morphine (which took such an age to make an

appearance I thought the ward staff were manufacturing it

themselves!)....anyway it got spat all over me so grouchy pain-driven mood

took ages to settle. Felt really awful for the poor girl but what can you

do? Helpless is not the word. Anyway, she eventually settled and didn't

sleep too badly despite an IV fluids thing as she refused to drink anything

and had had no fluid or nutrition for more than 12 hours by the time she

slept. I was supposed to go to parent's accomodation but I could not leave

her so distressed with the possibility of her waking up equally so with no

language to let staff know what the problem was so I slept (or not) in a

chair by her bed. Glad of this. She did wake up in a foul mood a couple of

times but settled without too much trouble. Each time she was ready to

fight any procedures (thermometers, rectal pain relief etc) so she was fully

alert as soon as anyone touched her and this highlighted how aware she has

become.

Anyway, all is well today. She was discharged less than 24 hours from her

op. WE will wait to see how the removal affects her sleep in a few weeks.

She has had a cranial session this afternoon to try to balance things out.

She is totally off her food but is peacefully sleeping now despite my having

put ear drops in (oh yes, fogot to say she had gromet/tube put in one ear

but they found a skin growth in the other one which they cut off to test but

now she has a hole in her ear drum so gromet not needed. Typically, this is

her proposed implant side. May or may not heal itself. More to watch out

for.

So, that is the long answer to a short question. Gees, can't wait till end

of March for CI!!! Same hosp, same ward, lot longer procedure. It had

better be worth it! Lesley, do I recall you describing yourself as

" selfish " last week? With all you are going through, I am surprised you

actually remembered 's procedure that was to last no more than one

hour. Selfish, you certainly are not, but even if you were right now, who

the hell would blame you? Amelie is totally number one priority. Thank you

for asking anyway.

Despite the high drama description I give, I really could not find too may

holes to pick with the brief admission. All in all, the care of was

quite good, but I do know exactly what Lesley is getting at about some of

the joys of the NHS from past experiences.

Better stop and get some sleep after last night.

Flo