3 weeks ago...

Three weeks ago (13 Sept to be exact) I went into hospital for a relatively "minor" operation. Since March this year i have been suffering with a bladder prolapse and was heading off to have it repaired! I was operated on at 3pm that afternoon (a Monday) by my wonderful consultant and moved up to the ward by 5.30pm, so i was only in theatre a short time. When he came to do his rounds on Tuesday I was fit as a fiddle and told i could probably go home on Wednesday. Delighted is not the word, while the care was great, there is nothing like being at home. I was also on track to be back at work the following week. Hooray! However things conspired against me. I went into retention, this is where the bladder fails to do it job forgets what is is meant to do, meaning you need to go, but can't. Then it backs up to your kidneys. OUCH! So I was given a catheter Golden Hand Bag for another 24 hours to "rest" some more after surgery. Obviously golden hand bags can lead to infection, guess what.. yup you got it.. I got an infection. So now it is Thursday Mr D, my consultant does his rounds and is shocked to still see me here. We laugh some and he says it will come! Tomorrow is my sons 11th birthday. I have got to get home. I cannot miss this day. I missed it. Tears galore and a pity party in full swing was how I spent the day. Still my wonderful hubby bought him to see me and he was having a great day. I was happier. So Saturday comes round and i am told, you can go home. You can have lots of antibiotics and pain meds and a carry out strap-to-your-leg golden hand bag! Still at least i will be at home. I am to return to the hospital day surgery unit a week on Monday for a T.W.O.C (trial without catheter!). I arrive, and am relieved of my porta-bag but still my body fails to do its job. Am sad. So they ring Mr D and he comes to see me, he says we will put a Super-pubic Catheter in through my abdomen. Eh say what? So he continues to put anaesthetic in my tummy and cut me open. I can see everything. OMG. Two nurses are with us, one to help him, one to cheer me on! So he tried 3 times to put this long tube into my bladder form the outside, it was incredibly painful, I winced and tensed up but bit my lip, not wanting to make noise in case I made him jump! It was hard. He tried 3 times (yes my friends 3) before holding my hand and saying "I think i should do this under general anaesthetic next Monday. I can do some more surgery then and make things a bit easier for you." So he stitched me up re-united me with my hand bag and sent me home again with the promise to ring me with my operation details. I was ok, a bit sore but ok. Homeward bound again. I had to go to my family Dr on Wednesday as i was having the most awful pains, he was great gave me yet more meds and the pains stopped almost immediately. Ok so I rattle a bit with all the meds but am pain free! Mr D rang me on Thursday to ask if I could come in "tomorrow", he would like to try something else prior to operating. Erm ok, so I go along and he spends time in a cosy room telling me how he wants to give me a chance to get things going with more surgical intervention as I have been through enough and he has been worried about me! I am so touched by his concern about me. So the new plan is to send my home with new "speedi caths". This means that I can "go to the little girls room" and try before assisting myself. His nurse W taught me what to do and I left to go home knowing I can return to work and have 6 weeks before they even consider more surgery. Phew! So hows it going? Currently I have NOT had to assist myself to go in any way. I am so glad that we went this way and did not leave the hand bag in, going straight to surgery on Monday. I am now a free(er) woman. It's been a long road to recovery but I got here. I'm not going to be upset if I go into retention within the next 6 weeks, I'm keeping a diary as instructed and hopefully when i go back and see him on the 27th October (interim appointment) he will sign me off.

Sweet and sour.

Well I had my pre op today at the hospital. My op is planned for Monday 13 Sept. I have been waiting 6 months for this, and cannot wait till it is over and done with. So i can go back to being a Mum that plays with her kids instead  of watching them. You see i had a prolapse of my internal organs in March (14 to be precise, it was mothers day - in the UK). So i am pleased it is being done finally. I am a bit saddened though as it is David's birthday on the Friday and it is touch and go if i will be home with him. I will be so sad to miss him turning 11.  So i am torn between being honest about my health and any pain or lying my butt off to get home! I am not cancelling the op, but i really have to be well enough to be home on the 17th! Heres hoping i can do it.
Speaking of David, he is back to school tomorrow. His last year at junior school.  This time next year he will be sporting a blazer and tie for school, i have a year to prepare for this. Somehow i do not think that will be long enough!                                    

Ok so a bigger update (with pictures) on all of us!

Ok so i have shared to ups ans downs, highs and lows of Becky's flying life, I guess i better let you all know what the rest of us are up to or you will start to think she has hijacked my blog!
So get yourself a coffee (maybe a Thermos) and a biscuit (or four) then take some time to catch up on the rest of us!
Rich has been working SO hard. He is an amazing husband and father and takes his role as a provider to his family very seriously! There was a point we really were ships in the night. And I missed him. Lots.   
Still in August we went on holiday together, with the children... my parents, my brother, his wife and their two children! Time together in a converted barn in Devon. It was lovely. The weather was kind to us, if you don't count the thunderstorm on our arrival nor the fog on our departure!
It was so lovely to spend time away from home with Rich. Seeing him relax a bit. Watching him enjoying time with the kids. Snuggling with him at night, hearing his relaxed breathing.  

I have been ill pretty much all of this year, well since March 14th (UK Mothers day to be precise!). I need surgery. I am getting my surgery. 13th September is my planned date for it.  It feels like it's been a long time coming! And i will be able to blog more, what with being off on "sick" leave. I will be home for between 10 days and 6 weeks depending what they do to me. ha ha.don't you just love surprises?
 I am still enjoying my job and we are now planning to move house. hooray!
  
So what can i tell you about Rae? Well she is still doing amazingly well at school. She took one of her GCSE (UK exams) exams early and has chosen 13 in total to study over the next two years. The average is 8 or 9. I hope she can find time to a) fit it all in and b) still have fun being a kid. I guess time will tell.
She is now playing the Sax, Flute and guitar as well as her singing lessons oh and doing her music theory exam.
It was great to see her relaxing on holiday:

Laughing in the garden in Devon.

    

Walking along the shore.

Becky has also been doing well at school. She is choosing her GCSE options this year. Eeeek! I am NOT ready to go through ALL that AGAIN!

She has a beau in her life, the lovely C. He is good for her. I like him. He keeps a close eye on her at school for me with regard to her blanking out. 

Becky and her beau C.

She spent a LOT of time in the sea while we were on holiday...

About to start a water fight with Uncle Andy.

Losing at the water fight!

So we move to to youngest member of the clan. David, has surprised me lately. He is thoughtful, helpful, caring, funny and about to enter his final year at junior school. That's right I am nearly the mother of 3 children in senior school. YUK!

He is still my baby. He cannot be nearly 11, despite what his birth certificate says. In typical boy fashion, when we asked what he would like as reward for a good year at school, he asked for... drumroll.. wait for it..

2 Giant African Land Snails. Oh dear Lord.

So welcome to the family... Dory and Crush! (Photos soon of those two!!)

David thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and spending time with Dad and Grandad. With all the girls at home he does like some "man time".

Surf Dude!

First Geocache find of the holiday!

Looking good kid.

And so that my dear friends is you all caught up with the comings and goings of me, him and them! I will really try harder to post more often. Promise!

                                        

                                           
  

Update on Becky.

You may remember THIS.

Just when I thought that Becky had “out grown” her episodes of absences. Having been seen by a lovely paediatrician at the royal Surrey hospital and signed out of his care last October. He had given her EEG tests, ECG tests, blood test and a whole plethora of other tests it was deemed she did not have Petit Mal Epilepsy and we put all her absences down to “hormones / one of those things!”

She has not had one of these episodes since last October. I was sure she was in the clear and could happily get on with her teens like everyone else.

So she joined the Air Cadets, (you can see by previous posts and photos she loves it!) and got on with enjoying life, absence free.

We recently sent her off with the Air Cadets on the annual summer camp. She, like with everything else, went into camp life headlong and got involved with everything the week had to offer.

Imagine my surprise to receive a phone call on the Wednesday night from her commanding officer telling me that she was unwell and needed to come home.

He was very reassuring telling me that a Dr was with her and that she was ok.

She had been flying, doing aerobatics and after returning to camp for dinner she had a running episode of 12 absences.

He then had the unenviable task of breaking the news to her that she would not be staying at camp but would be returning home.
Obviously she was crushed but it was the right decision. She did need to come home.
Prior to leaving she became very hyperactive, rushing around saying goodbyes and packing up.

So three hours later when she was bought to my door she looked exhausted. I have never seen a child so tired and drained of energy. It was a good 48 hours before she looked more like herself.

The RAF Dr that saw her wrote me a letter to give to the hospital (who, I am grateful to say, had given me a one year window to return to their care for this “illness”). The letter has been faxed to her paediatrician and she now has an appointment to see him again in the 21 September.
She has had no more episodes since returning home, although I have been adamant in getting her to rest!

Perhaps it was bought on by exhaustion and the fact that during her aerobatics she was pulling 3 to 4 g’s.

Lets hope we get some answers soon.