When it rains it pours, but we are greatful.

Well, apparently when it rains it pours.  It appears this year had one more curve ball to throw at us.  I'm not going to lie when I say hope this was the last one.  

Firstly I would like to start by saying thankyou to all those who commented on my last post, I have not replied to them all but I appreciate your well wishes very much and thankyou all for continuing to follow along.  

On the night of Sunday, the 17^th little Angus started screaming in pain after being mildly unwell with what seemed like a slight gastro virus two day prior.  After giving Panadol and Nerurofen with little effect I bundled him into the car and quickly drove him to the hospital 30 mins away.  Once we got there after being assessed and his pain treated with IV fentanyl, IV fluids put up and bloods taken he was transferred via ambulance to the large Women’s and Children’s hospital in the city.  

Angus in the Ambulance.

Once there he deteriorated further over night with appendicitis, they tried to manage his pain, gave strong IV antibiotics which he had a bad allergic reaction too and transferred him to the ward to await emergency surgery in the morning.  Once on the ward they called in the surgeon on call, who debated calling in the on call surgical team to rush him through overnight.   In the end due to the hour, it would have only saved 30 mins or so and the decision was to put him first on the emergency surgery list in the morning.

He came through surgery well with a very good team, but his appendix was burst and the found it was necrotic/gangrenous and that he had a belly full of pus.  My other boys were shipped to their grandparents who are three hours away for the week while Grant managed the post office 1.5hrs away, making the 3hr return commute every night to visit us.  I stayed in hospital with Angus for the 6 nights he was in, and needless to say it made for a long and stressful week.  At one stage I was awake for over 36hours with him.  We were in a share bay of 4 which was not ideal for privacy nor rest but the nurses and staff at the Womens and Childrens were absolutely first rate.  They were thorough, astute, kind, attentive and listened to any concerns I had taking them very seriously.  His bowel was sluggish from surgery and threatened a couple of times to go on strike but we managed to avoid that hiccup.

Recovering post-op.  A DVD offering a good distraction.

At one stage we were unsure if we would make it home for Christmas as Angus was recovering slowly so we prepared to be in the city.  But much to our delight once he turned a coner he picked up very fast and we were allowed home. We were discharged late on Saturday the 23^rd and were oh so grateful to be able to go home.  Grant met family and collected the other two boys which was lovely.  Though we would have made the most of where ever we were over Christmas.  For us, if Angus was getting better and getting the care he needed, the rest was secondary.  The reality is Christmas is not special because of the food, nor the place, nor the fanfare that goes with it.  It is special because of the birth of Christ (if that’s your thing as it is ours) and also the people whom we get to remember and share the day with.  

This kid gathered an impressive lego haul from visiting family and friends!

I sent Grant into town on the 24^th to face the masses and wrangle up some kind of Christmas fare and we threw together some delicious but simply prepared food on Christmas.  There were oysters and prawns for lunch as a treat, a simple roast and veggies for dinner, a Christmas pudding bought from the shops with homemade custard and gingerbread baked and gifted by dear friends.  It was haphazard and imperfect.  Gifts were wrapped at midnight and stockings stuffed.  We were tired, fragile and worn out.  But it was none the less a beautiful as we were together.

Since being home the last 4 days I have spent a huge amount of time in bed, watching Netflix resting and napping.  I cannot express the love I have for my own bed!  I did not realize it was even possible to feel the kind of exhaustion I felt, still recovering from my own heart problems not even a week prior.  It was not at all the low stress, restful environment the Cardiologist recommended.  But by the grace of God, a wonderful medical team and modern medicines we are both home and slowly beginning to recover.            

On the upside 2018 has gotta be a better start then 2017 ended right?  Also, we managed to get good usage of our ambulance cover this year, so that was very frugal of us.  

Anyway, dear readers, I hope this finds you well and that your Christmas was filled with love, peace and joy.  May 2018 be full of good health for us all!

Much love,

Em
xx    

  

An update

Well, what can I say?

My blog has been very quiet I know, but things have not been here.  Where to start?  I guess I should start with the bad and move to the good.  For we must always look for the good, yes?

We have all been unwell with various viruses/infections/asthma.  The crops here are bad this year.  It has been a stormy start to summer and the storms have broken up the pollens into tiny particles which have badly inflamed everyone’s airways.  All of us but Angus are on preventers, we have all been on antibiotics for one thing or another.  We are chronically run down, one of our staff members has retired which means Grant is now working 12 days straight with two off....ugh.  

I have been particularly unwell, and I was constantly sick at the end of term with one thing or another and not being able to get on top of any of them.  The latest being endocarditis which landed me in hospital with acute chest pain, troponin rises and ECG changes.  I spent 4 nights in hospital while they worked out what was going on and sorted me out on the cardiac ward being monitored.  The staff and the care at the Lyle Mac hospital were wonderful, I was lucky to have a single side room and wonderful friends and family checking in on me and sending their love.  I am home now, though very, very tired.  My chest is still a little achy and I’m on meds for the next few months while the inflammation in my heart all settles down.       

Me looking stunning in hospital, hooked up to the heart monitor.  In my usual form of keeping it real.  Ha!

So, what does that mean?  Well I have been told to reduce stress, apparently my heart is fatigued and weak now though fortunately I will make a full recovery….I’m not sure how to do that with three small boys home on school holidays, a business being sold, a husband working long hours, and a half renovated house.  We cannot bring in more staff as there is no time to train them before hand over at the end of February, so we are simply in a tough season we need to move through the best we can.  I have hired a cleaner weekly for the next couple of months to do the heavy work.  My focus will be on preparing nourishing food, the maintenance cleaning and caring for the boys.

Beautiful flowers given by a dear friend.  

But there is always good among the bad, college is finished and miraculously despite the challenges our family were facing I managed to get distinctions!  Which I was SO proud of.  It got mighty tough at the end but the work I did earlier in the semester held me in good stead.  The boys are mostly on the mend health wise too.  The sale of the business is progressing well, and the buyers finance has been approved.  They are now awaiting their Australia Post training, they have got themselves a good business there and I'm sure they will be an asset to the town.  Family and friends as ever have rallied around us and held us up, I am always astounded and humbled by the beautiful people who surround us.  They are the real gems in life, priceless and precious.  All will be well in a couple of months, it’s a matter of just going with the flow and adapting to the challenges we have at hand.  Taking time to nourish our bodies, our relationships and our souls and letting the rest simply drop away.  Lots of sleep and healthy food are on the cards and a little gentle exercise.  

Diffusing essential oils.  

Christmas?  Well I’m not sure what it will look like yet.  We were planning on visiting family in the country, but I think we will likely have a quiet Christmas at home now.   Just the 5 of us, perhaps go to the beach in the afternoon with a picnic.  My shopping in incomplete, the tree only just up and our usual traditions are not done.  But such is life, all we can ever offer is our best and together we will muddle through.

I hope all is well with you dear readers, Sending much love to you all and Christmas cheer!  May it be a time of delighting in wonderful relationships, love, self-care and good health for you all.  

Much love,
Em
xx