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 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.
xx
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 17th 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 23rd 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 24th 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,
Emxx
