Nasal Balloons to Surgery

You may remember a while back, I blogged about my son and his ears.  Although his hearing has improved, he still has fluid behind the ear drum, so he is to have grommets fitted.

He has been booked in for his surgery in June.  It will be done under general anaesthetic and take less than an hour and he should be fine to go home the same day.

We are nervous for him.  We want the issue corrected, as the older he gets, likely the worse it will get.

Nasal balloons worked well for him, but if he were older they may have worked better as it is difficult getting a youngster to use these exactly as it says in the instructions. 

We have explained everything that will happen and what to expect; especially the use of ear plugs while swimming and washing his hair.
The grommets falling out over time and the ear healing itself.

He has taken it all in his stride, with lots of questions, which has led me to do loads of reading about it.
We are the ones who are nervous about it all though.  Can feel my stomach knotting as I think about him being under general and he is having what is considered a minor operation.

Ears of a stranger

So you know the back story. Me, a hospital bed, an ileostomy, wife pregnant with child.

Laying there in the hospital bed, on a drip and pain killers a button push away, your mind wanders. You feel elston for being alive, fear for the future, worry for your family and most of all regret for things you have not done. That more than any other is the kicker, 'Regret'.

I asked to see the chaplain, not because I was at death's door, or that I was very religious, but I wanted someone to talk to who was not family. Someone I could confide in without having to have a relationship with, if that makes sense; it does to me.

She listened and she listened, I had many a tearful conversation with her but most of all I have memories of that point which I can only describe as "Peace".
Not fond, because it was not a happy time. Not pleasant, because as much as it helped me to talk, it was not a pleasant time.

I do remember out though as a time that brought me peace by being able to talk, cry and hug at that point in time author having it follow me as it would have done if I had spoken with family.

So just for those 3 days which helped give me hope, get pain, anger and frustration off my chest and helped me cope with not being there for my son's 3rd birthday - I dedicate this to the chaplain of Whipps Cross hospital,thank you.

The beginning of Change

Continuing on from my previous post......

So there I was minding my own business, a Friday, end of January, a day off work, child at nursery, myself and my pregnant wife down the shops.
Oooohhh, feel like I'm getting a stomach ache.....what did I eat last night....will have to get home soon....

Stomach ache continued a bit over the weekend but not bad enough for me to think anything major, just my body getting over it.  By Monday stomach was paining a bit and not much was coming from the rear and what was was watery.

Got myself down to my Doc and saw a different doc than my own as it was an emergency appt.
Told to drink lots of water as probably constipation. Visited Doc on next two consecutive days, by 3rd visit, senior doc takes a look and ships me off to A&E with a letter.

A few tests later they decide to keep me in overnight for observation and next morning an egotistical consultant with a gaggle of junior docs comes to visit and in his loudest and most "I know exactly what is going on here" voice tells me after a quick check of my stomach, that I have appendicitis and that it is standard procedure nothing to worry about, be back out within a couple of days and flies off to see the next product on the production line a few beds down from me.

They duly took me down to surgery a little later than planned, a week since I was first at the shops with my twinge.  I was lying on the trolley outside of the surgical room in a state of mild apprehension...never been in surgery before...never been put to sleep...wife, child and child on the way....all sorts of thoughts going round my mind.  Nurse gives me something to help calm my nerves.  It sure did!
Woke up in the hospital ward with that ileostomy bag and some wires coming out of me and hanging off me.

I am told that they opened me up went for the appendix, took it out, saw that it was healthy and then had to open me right up, take out the intestines to find out where the infection site was.  Diverticulitis was the name and giving me an ileostomy was the option.

I do view that as the beginning of the days over which my outlook on life changed significantly.  By the end of that year I had gone through a lot of change both physically and emotionally.

If these last posts have kept you interested from either a personal or other perspective, then feel free to come back for further follow up posts.