DARLSY'S SPINAL SURGERY 2006
G'DAY it's JAY
It has been a little while since we talked, that is because my DARLSY mum has been in hospital for the past Eight day's, she has been very sick and they nearly killed her when they put a drug through her drip that she is allergiv to (poor darsly). She hurts alot, her back is so sore, and very painful.
The past Eight days have been very difficult on me and DARLSY, I know this website is for me, but my darlsy deserves a big spot on this site - she is my carer, my mum my everything and she has just gone through the biggest major surgery ever.
Last week on THURSDAY 29th June, Darsly finally went into hospital to have her Surgery - a SPINAL FUSION LAPINDECTOMY L4-5 S1 it is a very major surgery and very dangerous.
Darlsly was taken down to the operating theatre , I came down with her but they would not let me go any further, I had to say good bye to darlsy. I gave her a big kiss and hugged her and then had to just wait.
Darlsy was then taken into the theatre where she said she talked to the Anethasis and other surgeons for a while and one of the Anethisis was putting a needle into darlsy hand and it went wrong and hand is really black and blue. All darsly can remember in the theatre is the doctor putting the needle in her hand and then she can't remember any more than that, she can't even remember recovery.
I had wait and wait, I walked around the hospital, I visited the Emergency Department where they film the real show on our TV the show Medical Emergency's from the Alfred Hospital which is the biggest Trauma centre in the Southern Hemisphere. The Emergency doctors showed me photo's of some of the trauma patients, and took me to see the wall where all these photos are up of car accidents and things. The Emergency team were great and they gave me a DVD of Medical Emergency. I drew them a picture and I gave it to them and they hung it up on the Emergency wall. I also got to see the Trauma Helicopter land many times, this helicopter brings in the most serverely injured people and this is all filmed by the film crew and the show airs every Thursday night at 9.30pm.
Darlsy's surgery took FIVE HOURS, yes it was a big wait, they told me it would take about 3-4 hours, but it was so difficult that it took longer and took five hours. It was a hard five hours to wait. I was then called down to the recovery room where I was allowed to hold darsly's hand, I was in recover for two hours with darsly, and she can't remember any of it.
After two hours in recovery, darlsy was transferred to ICU - intensive care unit where she stayed for Eight days, yep she was in ICU for the entire Eight days.
It was hard to watch darsly hurt so much - she is in so much pain. They had to come in and roll her and she hated it everytime she saw the roll team come in, it hurt so much for darsly to be moved.
Darlsy is allergic to penicillin, the doctors new this, and while she was in intesive care on the first day they gave her this stuff through the IV drip, well as you can see by one of the photo's darsly's face looks very puffy, well it was worse than than, they gave her a drug she was allergic to and she puffed up, she was itchy and swollen all over, so not only was she in so much pain with her back, but also in pain with the allergy.
The pain each day was getting worse, they had to keep on upping the pain killers, she was ill, vomiting, and pale and in so much pain and could not sleep at all.
I came to visit darsly on most day's, I missed her so much. While I was there some ig flowers arrived along with a HUGE TEDDY BEAR, we had know idea who they were from. When darsly opened the card she could not believe it, it was from our great friend James from America. Darlsy wants to say a big big thank you to James for thinking of her whilst she was in hospital, and the receive the flowers and the bear really cheered her up a lot.
On Tuesday when I went in to visit darsly she was very sick, she was not well at all. In more pain than ever and pale, she looked so sick and there was nothing I could do to make her feel better.
Darlsy's Potasium levels dropped really low - meaning low potassium levels can cause heart problems, so she had to have special medication for that to try to get the levels up. The levels came up but not really to a high standard so that still has to be monitored.
Darlsy's room was right beside the Trauma Helicopter pad and darsly said she never got any sleep, if it was not the pain, it was so much noise in the ward from other patients and nurses and also from the helicopter landing all the time. It would land and leave the rotter blades going for about 30 minutes after it had landed. Getting sleep in a hospital is impossible darsly said.
Across from darsly was a 90 year old lady named Rene, she was so funny, she had a broken leg and memory loss - she was darsly's recovery, because darlsy said you could not help but laugh and some of the things she would try to get the nurses to do (but the nurses had worked her out) she was trying to con them into things and the nurses would not allow her to do them. She would keep darsly awake though all night - darsly would yell out (SHUT UP RENE) so funny - you had to be there to appreciate how funny it was.
Today is Friday 7th July and darsly finally got to come home - she was not suppose to but darsly said (I want to go home) there was no one to look after Jay. Darlsy came home in an Ambulance because she cannot sit in a car and walking is very restricted.
Darlsy has a scar which goes down the entire length of her spinal cord. She is home and I am looking after her. We are getting some personal care on Monday and on Thursdays and some other care but not sure when that is. Darlsy can't have a shower because she needs help and needs her dressings done and this has not been organised yet, so darlsy can't do anything until the care comes in.
When darsly got home we discovered they left the IV drip needle in her arm. I had to take it out of darlsy's arm for her (it was ok, I did not hurt her) it was easy, but how stupid, the nurses forgot to take it out.
Well, I have to go now and take care of darsly, please everyone send darsly a cheer up message, she is really sad and in a lot of pain, and I mean a lot of pain and I know how you all send me lots of wonderful messages and they cheer me up, please to the same for my darlsy mum. The Surgeon who performed the surgery came in before she left to go home and he explained how difficult the surgery was and why it took so long to perform, he said the darsly will be in a lot of pain and unfortunately they pain comes with that type of surgery, so lets all get together and CHEER UP DARSLY.
I am doing ok, I hate to see my darsly like this, I am trying to take care of her like she takes care of me (it is hard to do) but we will cope, and I want darsly to get better, please help me get darsly better. OH darsly was so happy to see SNOWFLAKE, and snowflake was so happy to see darsly.
Thankyou everyone, I have declared this week CHEER UP DARSLY WEEK, lets get her up and out of pain please. I will try to write again sometime after the weekend. Love you all, I hope all my friends are doing great and I have not forgotten you, just got darsly to take care of at the moment, but I will be around to visit you all soon.
ADD ON: Darsly has not been very well, she went back to the Alfred Hospital and she will be coming back home by Ambulance Transport tonight (SUNDAY 9th July).
Friday: 14th July - I will do
another journal sometime this
weekend sorry but Darlsy has
not been very well and I
have had to take care of her - I
promise to do a journal on
Sunday Australian time
(afternoon) when I get
some time. Thank you for
caring.
BIG SMILES ON THE DILES EVERYONE.
posted by *JAY* @ 2:57 pm
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