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Thread: My wife is brave, and getting well!!!

  1. #166
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    Wonderful. It's great to see your tireless support has paid off and soon you can even get some time with her outside the hospital.

    Can't wait to hear that she has left the wards and isn't going back any time soon.
    Chief of Secret Police and CFO - Brotherhood of Jelly
    No Mr. Craig, I expect you to die! On the inside. Of heartbreak. You emo bitch

  2. #167
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    TERRY’S HOME!!!

    Well, not for good, but the doc gave her a weekend pass, I think to encourage her to keep working on her rehabilitation. It was a major logistical and very costly project to arrange home nursing and ambulance transport but worth it to see her sitting in her own home again.

    She usually dozes quite often in the hospital but today, although exhausted, she wouldn’t close an eye, just wanted to take everything in. I performed her daily physio and am pleased to announce, she stood better and longer than ever, those medical types should get some engineering training to better understand structural stability.

    I was the 2nd second nurse during the day and will be again tomorrow, but I hired 2 for tonight, cause this nurse is nackered and needs some sleep.
    Doug

    We start any venture with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before we empty the bag of luck.

  3. #168
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    Nice to hear, Doug.

    Yeah, get some rest for yourself so you can be there for Terry tomorrow.

    Then get her on-line so we can all give our best wishes.
    "A woman without curves is like a road without bends, you might get to your destination quicker but the ride is boring as hell'

  4. #169
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    Hooooooooraaaaay!!!!!!!!!

    Thats just the best news ever Doug!!!
    Attached Images Attached Images
    UCP's BSG Nerd and a resident Freerider.
    flickr page:http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaru72/

  5. #170
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    Great news! please continue to give her our support...
    Zag when they Zig

  6. #171
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    Very brilliant weekend having Terry home. She spent most of the days in her hyper-deluxe recliner I bought for her, watching cricket of all things, and being waited on hand and foot. We're perfectly matched in that she cooks, I eat but this weekend it was; I cook, she eats. She's lucky to have survived.

    We organised her hairdresser to make a house call today. It was quite a mission backing the wheelchair to the basin and getting her hair washed, but she revelled in the head rub and in being wheeled out onto the patio and having the cut outdoors. I prepped the hairdresser about Terry's condition but still, she was visibly shaken and fighting back tears the whole time. That made 2 of us. She even refused payment, muttering something about "a long-time and valued client......"

    The 'looking-after' side was pretty tough. Her present state is somewhere between paraplegic and quadraplegic, so nursey and I did everything for her. First thing we did was get a sheet under her so we could move her, because due to the osteoporosis and tissue paper skin, hands-on is a no-no. There was a LOT of lifting to do between chair, wheelchair and bed and even more just turning her when she felt uncomfortable.

    Worst though, was getting up close and personal with all the wounds on her poor tortured body. When the trachy surgeon heard she was weekend off, he thrust a huge syringe of disinfectant into my hand and gave instructions for me to change her dressing twice a day and clean the wound. When I first saw it, my blood froze in my veins. The small trachy hole is now a jagged crater about 5cm long x 1.5 cm wide and over a cm deep (I couldn't actually see the bottom), with a drain pipe emerging from the deepest part. Glad she wasn't watching my face, she doesn't know. Realising for the first time why the syringe was so big, I gritted my teeth and did my duty, squirting the stuff inside and a squirt down the pipe, mopping up what overflowed. I think I'm going to have a few nightmares over this one.

    Terry is back in their hands now, but I'm so glad we had this time together. I think both of us are a little stronger now.
    Doug

    We start any venture with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before we empty the bag of luck.

  7. #172
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    Wonderful to hear that you had a great weekend together.


    Hopefully it is a sign or things to come as she gets stronger and soon is home permanently, but with the strength to get herself about
    Chief of Secret Police and CFO - Brotherhood of Jelly
    No Mr. Craig, I expect you to die! On the inside. Of heartbreak. You emo bitch

  8. #173
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    Worst though, was getting up close and personal with all the wounds on her poor tortured body. When the trachy surgeon heard she was weekend off, he thrust a huge syringe of disinfectant into my hand and gave instructions for me to change her dressing twice a day and clean the wound. When I first saw it, my blood froze in my veins. The small trachy hole is now a jagged crater about 5cm long x 1.5 cm wide and over a cm deep (I couldn't actually see the bottom), with a drain pipe emerging from the deepest part. Glad she wasn't watching my face, she doesn't know. Realising for the first time why the syringe was so big, I gritted my teeth and did my duty, squirting the stuff inside and a squirt down the pipe, mopping up what overflowed. I think I'm going to have a few nightmares over this one.
    Been there, done that.
    Although not on a trach. When my daughter had a CVC in her chest for the chemo, we had to clean the site and change it's dressing every week. It was not fun, and she hated it every time. When we finally got her involved in the easier parts her fears subsided, but my nightmares of having to do that to her took a long time to subside.
    In short I know how you feel man, and it will get better.
    Last edited by KonaGreen; 01-29-2007 at 08:26 PM.
    UCP's BSG Nerd and a resident Freerider.
    flickr page:http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaru72/

  9. #174
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    We're very glad to hear all the good news Doug!! Please pass our good wishes along to Terry and keep us updated!!
    "NEVER ALLOW SOMEONE TO BE YOUR PRIORITY, WHILE ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE THEIR OPTION"

  10. #175
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    Doug I'm very happy that she can already visit home. It's been an encouraging recovery and you both really deserve it.
    About her bones I don't wether it's expected for them to get any tougher. But how about her skin? How long until it's back in shape?
    It's hard to take care of wounds. But the fact that it's you doing it now, it's a good sign!
    Money can't buy you friends, but you do get a better class of enemy.

  11. #176
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    Sep 2006
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    Johannesburg South Africa
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    Things haven't gone well since the wonderful weekend at home. Somehow, and I have no idea how or when, the trachy hole tore open again. The surgeon blames me for undoing his work over the weekend and Terry went back into theatre on Tuesday for try number 3 to close the damn thing.

    She's been instructed to keep her head tucked down until it knits which makes the usual physio impossible, so this is a big step backwards in the quest to get her back on her feet.

    Also over the weekend, I did not have the equipment to help her cough up the fluids from her lungs (a generic problem caused by being on a respirator and needing a thingy that passes oxygen through saline water to loosen the phlegm), so her chest was really tight come Monday. I tried normal inhalations using steam and a towel over her head which helped, but it wasn't good enough.

    Not to mention we stuffed up the dressings on the leg wounds by having to move her around so much. Our solution was to bandage her legs over the dressings from knee to foot to limit the damage. Fortunately, this worked and the 'wound specialist' was pleased when she redid the dressings on Monday. In fact when she finished redoing them, she bandaged the legs as well. Her legs look scary, like those of a shark bite victim..... a smallish shark of course.

    All in all, Terry is in poor spirits. Part of the reason is that her brother has stopped visiting and this hurts her. He's not taking my calls so I don't know whether Terry said something to offend him, which would be dumb as she's pretty fuzzy and doesn't always know what she's saying. I may have offended him because I tackled him over his cruel and hurtful "jokes" at a time when Terry needs all the positive vibes she can get. If he lets a problem with me stop him from supporting his sister, then he drops to zero on my respect meter. In fact, most of her extended family have gotten off the bus, leaving only her immediate family to carry on. Thank goodness for her old work mates filling the gap. It will only get worse next week because I must go away on another business trip.

    Just to add insult to injury, the speeding fines have started coming in from the early weeks of her hospitalisation, including one on Christmas day. What can I say, my level of anxiety to rush back to her side daily translated to pressure on my right foot. I wonder if the med aid will accept them as "hospital related expenses".
    Doug

    We start any venture with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before we empty the bag of luck.

  12. #177
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    Sounds like Terry enjoyed home almost too much if you did that much to messing up of her leg dressings.

    Hopefully the doc's will finally fix her neck properly this time.

    With the speeding fines take them to court - I can't imagine any judge with a ounce of humanity not giving you a lot of leniency given the situation.
    Chief of Secret Police and CFO - Brotherhood of Jelly
    No Mr. Craig, I expect you to die! On the inside. Of heartbreak. You emo bitch

  13. #178
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cyco
    With the speeding fines take them to court - I can't imagine any judge with a ounce of humanity not giving you a lot of leniency given the situation.
    Agreed- it's not exactly like you were doing it just for fun, you were doing it to be there for your wife of 32 years...

    Best of luck, Doug. I'm sure everything will be OK- she's got this far, and obviously has the will to live of a hungry dog.

  14. #179
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug_Dread
    TERRY’S HOME!!!

    Well, not for good, but the doc gave her a weekend pass, I think to encourage her to keep working on her rehabilitation. It was a major logistical and very costly project to arrange home nursing and ambulance transport but worth it to see her sitting in her own home again.

    She usually dozes quite often in the hospital but today, although exhausted, she wouldn’t close an eye, just wanted to take everything in. I performed her daily physio and am pleased to announce, she stood better and longer than ever, those medical types should get some engineering training to better understand structural stability.

    I was the 2nd second nurse during the day and will be again tomorrow, but I hired 2 for tonight, cause this nurse is nackered and needs some sleep.
    Mate you won't know yourself when she is 100%, You will sleep for months..
    Great news and good luck
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyco
    With the speeding fines take them to court - I can't imagine any judge with a ounce of humanity not giving you a lot of leniency given the situation.
    Humanity in governments i feel has long gone..
    Like when i had too rush my brother too hospital i had too use Citylink too get him there as it was next too his house 10min trip or 40 min the long way. I contacted Citylink as it slipped my mind, They are going too charge me for using it and not telling them, Now even though i told them why i used it and it was a very large emergency they can even check it for them selves i don't mind paying it but finning me for it is abit too much i say, You know what they said, Next time i want too use citylink i should get a pass first!...
    Pardon my French here but how the **** am i at 1am in the morning rushing my brother too the hospital going too stop and roll a smoke and get a pass? It was just a do not think time, They don't care.
    When Brendon and Dan came over Brendon tried too get me a late pass but the days had passed But citylink don't care.
    Last edited by SlickHolden; 02-01-2007 at 12:45 AM.

  15. #180
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    Sep 2006
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    Johannesburg South Africa
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    Application for clemency duly posted to the public prosecutor for the fines.

    A better day.

    Terry is oozing so much haemoglobin through her wounds that she was ghostly pale, weak and tired, the palms of her hands were as white as the bed sheets. So they gave her a blood transfusion last night and today she's all pink, pretty and awake again.

    I decided she needed a treat so I convinced the nurses to give her a real bath in the morning before she went for her dressing change with the wound specialist. I reinforced the request with a phone call this morning 'cause they sounded reluctant. It's hard work, takes 4 nurses and Terry has to be lowered into the bath on a sheet. But, she got her 1st real bath in over a month. Revelled in it!

    The dialysis shunt on her chest, unused since her 1st ICU stint, was removed today. This is not a step taken lightly as there are a limited number of points in the body that can be used for a shunt and few can ever be re-used. Sort of like removing a safety net. So, definitely no more dialysis, an excellent sign that her kidney is much improved.

    One of the longer term patients went home today and slipped Terry a TV remote. These are scarce as hen's teeth in the hospital, only obtainable from the 'secret sisterhood of patients' society. Strange how a TV remote can be so empowering and comforting to a woman.

    The only thing we're waiting for now is the trachy hole to heal and then Terry can leave the hospital and be transferred to the Netcare 911 Rehabilitation Centre, a far more friendly environment, to tackle the final hurdle of rebuilding her body and getting her mobility back. They have the facilities to care for her wounds as well, so that shouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, it's very far from home, right through the thick of the traffic, so visiting will be tougher, but worth it.

    All together now..... GO TRACHY HOLE!!!
    Doug

    We start any venture with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before we empty the bag of luck.

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