this is my second post for today - i wanted my last post to be a happy post celebrating kait's birthday. she really is our angel.
well....where do i start...??? i am sorry but this is going to be a long post and not a very happy one. now's the chance to leave - you have been warned...!!!
as many of you know my sister jo, is gravely ill in hospital. it all started with three visits to ballina hospital's A&E in 36 hours last friday/saturday/sunday and there has been bungles and dramas ever since.
she left A&E last friday night with a handful of panadol and a diagnosis of "you are the mother of a 6 year old and a newborn and just run down. take these and have a few hours rest"...yeah right!!!
saturday afternoon, after going back to A&E early saturday morning, they took blood, gave her more panadol and told her they thought she had glandular fever - "go home, get some rest and see your GP on monday"
sunday morning at 2 a.m. she stopped breathing and thank god brett, her husband knew CPR, didn't panic and they were actually staying at brett's mum's who lives near the hospital. she was breathing again by the time the ambulance got there. the hospital staff were "surprised" to see here again but seeing she was breathing again and seemed ok, the hospital in lismore said she should stay in ballina because they didn't have a bed for her.
so she was finally admitted to ballina hospital by lunchtime sunday and i went down to see her.
she was so ill and still on the oxygen but seemed in good spirits.
brett stayed at his mum's with jarrod, their 6 year old and kye, the baby. he took kye up so jo could feed him through the day sunday but by sunday night we made the decision that jo needed to rest so we put him on a bottle.
she has fed him a few times since but he has taken to the bottle really well and seems to be content.
it has been so hard on her not to be able to feed kye and some days she was even to sick to even nurse him.
all through the week, jo has swung between feeling ok to being on oxygen and doped up with morphine for the pain. they gave her antibiotics "in case it was an infection" but she didn't seem to be getting any better. in fact she just seemed to be getting sicker and sicker. they now think that one of the antibiotics they gave her has "fed" the infection she has.
each time i saw her, her neck seemed to have swollen up even more.
the nurses in ballina were great but they were at a loss as to what was happening with her.
tuesday her doctor told us he thought she had mumps which sent everyone into a panic.
wednesday we are told she had a massive strep infection that had gone through her body and they even had her on a heart monitor for a few hours.
mum called me early thursday morning to say that she had taken a turn for the worse through the night and that FINALLY they had made the decision that she needed to be transferred through to lismore base.
she was transferred by intensive care ambulance in a serious condition yesterday morning.
after a day in lismore's A&E acute care area with more tests and scans, more oxygen, morphine and prodding and poking she was finally transferred to a ward last night.
i went up to A&E last night and sat with her while brett was at home with the kids.
the physician saw her while i was there and after seeing her tests that were back they have put forward a number of things that it possibly could be (still nothing definite though)
1. toxoplasmosis - which makes NO SENSE AT ALL as you get it off cats and she doesn't have one nor does anyone she knows or...
2. a rare but non-fatal form of TB - where on earth she got that from well who knows.
she also has an abscess on the gland in her neck which explains the swelling which will need surgery to drain it + they suspect she has another abscess on her liver + she is having some "unusual" heart flutters.
so all-in-all she is one very sick little girl - well she is actually a woman of 39 but to me she will always be my little sister.
i rang the ward about 11 last night and they said she was resting comfortably. still on oxygen but the heart monitors had been taken off her.
the few hours i spent with her in A&E were so special.
as sick as what she was, we still managed to have a few laughs and i listened to her as she talked about kye and jarrod and how much she missed them.
as sisters, we haven't sat and talked like that in many many years.
we have issues that go back to when we were kids - as adults we have had too many fights and arguments and harsh words said that can never be taken back. but that was my sister lying in that bed, struggling to breathe and with the scared look of a little girl in her eyes.
the arguments and fights we had seem so silly and insignificant now.
i just want her to be well and back with her babies and her husband.
what happens today in terms of her care and surgery depends on the test results but with every fibre of my being i am praying that she will at least have a diagnosis and will be told just what IS wrong with her, not what they THINK is wrong.
so if you are that way inclined, please say a prayer for her, and for her precious children and for brett and for our extended family. dad and erica are still up here helping care for bob who is doing really well after his op and i think dad has been quite shocked as to just how sick jo really is.
in the past dad has been removed from being "on the frontline" when we have been ill because he lives so far away.
i have made many calls to louise in sydney and brett our brother in perth. it's times like this that the distance between us feels so wide but it has been good to have that support on the other end of the phone.
i will try and post any updates as soon as i can. my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has emailed or messaged me with support.
my little cyber support network is filled with some pretty amazing and special friends.
if you reached the end of this post, well done but with sleep eluding me it was nice to know i had my blog to write things down and get things sorted in my head.
i hope today is a happy day for you and that i have better news soon
~*~ shazz ~*~
well....where do i start...??? i am sorry but this is going to be a long post and not a very happy one. now's the chance to leave - you have been warned...!!!
as many of you know my sister jo, is gravely ill in hospital. it all started with three visits to ballina hospital's A&E in 36 hours last friday/saturday/sunday and there has been bungles and dramas ever since.
she left A&E last friday night with a handful of panadol and a diagnosis of "you are the mother of a 6 year old and a newborn and just run down. take these and have a few hours rest"...yeah right!!!
saturday afternoon, after going back to A&E early saturday morning, they took blood, gave her more panadol and told her they thought she had glandular fever - "go home, get some rest and see your GP on monday"
sunday morning at 2 a.m. she stopped breathing and thank god brett, her husband knew CPR, didn't panic and they were actually staying at brett's mum's who lives near the hospital. she was breathing again by the time the ambulance got there. the hospital staff were "surprised" to see here again but seeing she was breathing again and seemed ok, the hospital in lismore said she should stay in ballina because they didn't have a bed for her.
so she was finally admitted to ballina hospital by lunchtime sunday and i went down to see her.
she was so ill and still on the oxygen but seemed in good spirits.
brett stayed at his mum's with jarrod, their 6 year old and kye, the baby. he took kye up so jo could feed him through the day sunday but by sunday night we made the decision that jo needed to rest so we put him on a bottle.
she has fed him a few times since but he has taken to the bottle really well and seems to be content.
it has been so hard on her not to be able to feed kye and some days she was even to sick to even nurse him.
all through the week, jo has swung between feeling ok to being on oxygen and doped up with morphine for the pain. they gave her antibiotics "in case it was an infection" but she didn't seem to be getting any better. in fact she just seemed to be getting sicker and sicker. they now think that one of the antibiotics they gave her has "fed" the infection she has.
each time i saw her, her neck seemed to have swollen up even more.
the nurses in ballina were great but they were at a loss as to what was happening with her.
tuesday her doctor told us he thought she had mumps which sent everyone into a panic.
wednesday we are told she had a massive strep infection that had gone through her body and they even had her on a heart monitor for a few hours.
mum called me early thursday morning to say that she had taken a turn for the worse through the night and that FINALLY they had made the decision that she needed to be transferred through to lismore base.
she was transferred by intensive care ambulance in a serious condition yesterday morning.
after a day in lismore's A&E acute care area with more tests and scans, more oxygen, morphine and prodding and poking she was finally transferred to a ward last night.
i went up to A&E last night and sat with her while brett was at home with the kids.
the physician saw her while i was there and after seeing her tests that were back they have put forward a number of things that it possibly could be (still nothing definite though)
1. toxoplasmosis - which makes NO SENSE AT ALL as you get it off cats and she doesn't have one nor does anyone she knows or...
2. a rare but non-fatal form of TB - where on earth she got that from well who knows.
she also has an abscess on the gland in her neck which explains the swelling which will need surgery to drain it + they suspect she has another abscess on her liver + she is having some "unusual" heart flutters.
so all-in-all she is one very sick little girl - well she is actually a woman of 39 but to me she will always be my little sister.
i rang the ward about 11 last night and they said she was resting comfortably. still on oxygen but the heart monitors had been taken off her.
the few hours i spent with her in A&E were so special.
as sick as what she was, we still managed to have a few laughs and i listened to her as she talked about kye and jarrod and how much she missed them.
as sisters, we haven't sat and talked like that in many many years.
we have issues that go back to when we were kids - as adults we have had too many fights and arguments and harsh words said that can never be taken back. but that was my sister lying in that bed, struggling to breathe and with the scared look of a little girl in her eyes.
the arguments and fights we had seem so silly and insignificant now.
i just want her to be well and back with her babies and her husband.
what happens today in terms of her care and surgery depends on the test results but with every fibre of my being i am praying that she will at least have a diagnosis and will be told just what IS wrong with her, not what they THINK is wrong.
so if you are that way inclined, please say a prayer for her, and for her precious children and for brett and for our extended family. dad and erica are still up here helping care for bob who is doing really well after his op and i think dad has been quite shocked as to just how sick jo really is.
in the past dad has been removed from being "on the frontline" when we have been ill because he lives so far away.
i have made many calls to louise in sydney and brett our brother in perth. it's times like this that the distance between us feels so wide but it has been good to have that support on the other end of the phone.
i will try and post any updates as soon as i can. my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has emailed or messaged me with support.
my little cyber support network is filled with some pretty amazing and special friends.
if you reached the end of this post, well done but with sleep eluding me it was nice to know i had my blog to write things down and get things sorted in my head.
i hope today is a happy day for you and that i have better news soon
~*~ shazz ~*~
4 comments:
Boy oh Boy Shazz, It just makes me cry hearing what you are going through atm. My heart goes out to you and your sister, terrible that she is so sick and seperated from her DH and babies. I am differently a praying kind and I will enlist all the help I can on your family's behalf in prayer until we hear that she is well again. You are truly a beautiful girl inside and out, my prayers are with you too right now!
Ruthy xox
Oh Shazz! What can I say? I'm nearly in tears! I can only imagine the heartache Jo must have not being able to hold her babies....and the heartache you must have - feeling helpless - not being able to help her - but to watch her lying in that bed.
I'm praying.
Love, Marie
I will definately keep you and your sister and family in my prayers. Hope she gets some good news soon.
It sounds as if the one good thing that you might take from this is that maybe everything that has gone before might be water under the bridge, and your relationship with your sister might grow stronger through this. She is lucky to have you as her big sister.
Nic xxx
Hi Shazz - what a terrible shock for everyone in your family right now. Your poor sister, how awful she must feel and scared! You guys will definitely be in our thoughts and please let me know if there's anything I can do Shazz! Hugs!
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