Life Changing

Do you know what a Ileostomy is? No? Neither did I until 5 years ago, when I woke up with one after surgery.
I woke up to find in my drug induced stupor that I did not have to get up from the hospital bed as I did not need to go to the toliet to relieve myself, it was all being done for me.
Well the catheter I think most people will be aware of and is no biggie but I also had a hole in my side and a bag covering it, into which was flowing stuff that would have usually been formed and ejected from my body in a regular toilet visit.
It is amazing how casual you can be about these things when you drugged up to manage the pain.

Very close call was how the consultant put it to my Dad and wife, who was 8 months pregnant with our second. Followed it up with statement that a piece of the intestine had been sent off to test for Cancer.  Was all down to something called Diverticular Disease

Amazing how such things change your outlook in life, especially a close call with death and knowing you would have left your family bereft and children with only pictures to remind them of their father.

A bigger experience than I can fit into my first post on it.  Actually the first time I have mentioned it publically via a blog.  It was quite the experience going through it....

More Ears Dears

Last hospital appointment of the year for the family goes to my son, Aden, who had his check up for his hearing.  You may remember me stating that I got a referral for his hearing as I concerned that the selective hearing was more than just childhood refusal to listen to parents. Doctor could not see any issue when looking in his ear and school had not mentioned it, so there was seemingly no issue, just me saying I am sure the TV is too loud and he cannot hear me properly.  On referral they confirmed that he had glue ear and his hearing was not at the level expected.

Cue 6 months of Otovent (Nasal Balloon) treatment and a follow up appointment halfway through the treatment, with significant improvement in the hearing test (though still below the level expected), which I was sure would be the case; TV volume a lot lower and true selective hearing.  

Well the last hospital appointment started with meeting the consultant, a look at his ears, a determination that he still had fluid behind the ear drums and a recommendation that he have a small operation to insert a grommet into each ear drum.

The off we went for his hearing test and then back to the consultant who reported with a surprise in his voice that Aden's hearing was now normal but that he did indeed still have fluid behind the ear.  How much is not quantifiable just a view of, fluid behind the ear drum = yes/no

Much more difficult to sell the operation at that point, but as the consultant put it, "we cannot say what the long term effect of fluid behind the ear drum is, even though his hearing is now normal"

The next 4 months will be interesting to see what will happen.  He will have another hearing test and check for fluid behind the ear before the operation but he is now on the waiting list and we are continuing the Otovent treatment.