My apologies for not posting anything for a while. As a lot of you will know, my lovely girl has been having a pretty torrid time at the moment getting her NF2 problems sorted out at Wellington Hospital, and it has been a very hard time for all involved. We ( my husband and I) spent a very strange day pacing round Wellington on the day of the surgery.It was probably the longest and hardest day of my life, we were so afraid for our girl, even when the nurses had said that there was a very low chance of not surviving the surgery (1%!)
I wandered into Made on Marion and saw Maryanne,( who, very rightly, said that Juliet was very unlikely to look at any form of hand sewing after her surgery, and she is only now, after 3 weeks, beginning to have an interest in sewing again ... Pinky Pie cross stitch, but I am her machinist for clothing for the present..)
When we finally got the call 10 hours later that the surgery was going well, and that the ENT specialists were now finishing up, we were so relieved, but had to wait a further 2 hours before she was finally taken to ICU and we could see her. We were able to go and see her, 2 at a time, in the ICU ward. I am amazed that so many people are wafting in and out. I am grateful to be able to see my loved ones, its just I am terrified of all the germs being trekked in and out of each ward! So many people, who are having traumatic events in their lives. I will never look at Wellington Hospital as just a big building. Lives are being helped and saved all the time.
I think I must have aged 10 years in that one day. About a week later, Juliet said "You and Dad are looking a bit haggard".... I'm not surprised!
Jono (her partner), Evan, (her brother), and I spent the following week at her bedside, quietly watching her fall in and out of sleep, and helping her out with anything that she wanted.. The pain killers kept her in a state of being aware for a short time, and then spells of sleep. It was the cutest thing, when she woke up, she brightly said "Hello!" as if she was seeing us for the first time that day... then a sleep a bit later, and again the "Hello!" when she woke up. She looked great, even in her head bandages, but we took no photos, we just didn't think about it. On day 5 the bandages came off, and the lovely surgeons had been very kind and only removed a bit of hair, so there are no nasty bald patches visible at all.
It was a very calming and healing place for all of us. I became a lot better at Sudoku that week!
And now there is a long period of recuperation. I am so glad that right now I don't have much work on the go, and we can spend the days as we wish. What a luxury that is. Many, many thanks to all the lovely ladies of the WBSN for the lovely presents. What a lovely group you are.
