Hello everyone!

Mom, Dad and I headed off to Sunninghill Hospital on Thursday morning, to settle in for a 24-hour EEG. It was mostly uneventful, and incredibly boring for me. After being admitted and accommodated in the EEG Lab, about 30 probes were attached to my head, each with gooey conducting gel. Each one was carefully placed in its respective spot, identified by the rainbow of colours on the cables. Once they were in place, either taped down or simply lodged in my hair with gel, my head was wrapped in a bandage – and that was me, captive until the next morning. The cables allowed me about half a metre of freedom – it was terrible.

Fortunately Mom and Dad spoiled me with a new Avengers Lego, which Dad and I built for the afternoon. I watched some stuff on the iPad, played a little, ate a little, but mostly wanted the time to pass as quickly as possible. After we all had dinner Mom and I settled down for the night. There was barely enough space for me and Mom, let alone Dad, so he headed home. I had a good night’s rest; Mom not so much. When she woke me at 6 am to remove the probes, she looked exhausted and blurry eyed.

Friday morning I was starving but couldn’t eat or drink, as I was scheduled for theatre later in the day. Dad arrived back and it wasn’t long after that the anaesthetist arrived. She took my vitals and we discussed the general anaesthetic – we’d settled on gas, and a pre-med of dromicum. Apparently I was hilarious on the dormicum, but it took so long for me to get into theatre that it basically wore off in 30 minutes. People don’t realise that my PTSD and trauma is cell-deep and my body is so wired that drugs actually have very little effect on me. I can actually fight sedative, because of my fear.

I finally went into theatre and was gassed – not a great experience and Dr Aduc administered Botox to my leg.

After theatre back at the EEG Lab I was moved to another ward, and eventually discharged. It was lunchtime by the time we were home again on Friday. Mom crashed for a few hours while Dad and I kept each other company. I was well rested and in top form – Mom and Dad not so much….

In the afternoon we headed off to Sharon’s Dad’s place to collect her to take her to the airport, as she was flying back to Oz after a whirlwind 7-day visit. Her passport had been renewed that morning, just in time – few people believe that passport renewals in South Africa take only 3 to 4 days! Her flight was delayed, which was fortunate as the traffic to the airport was a mare. I started dozing off in the car, much to Mom and Dad’s dismay, as that meant no sleep in the evening! So we all started singing and playing games in the car to keep me alert – it worked.

Check-in was very quick and then we all had a dinner of toasted chicken-mayonnaise sandwiches – apparently delicacy in Australia! We bid Sharon farewell and pulled funny faces at her through the glass at passport control!

Back home we finally all passed out.

Saturday we rested. Granny came for a visit and I announced I needed sushi – a good sign that I was ok again. Dad was sent off sushi take-aways and we gobbled them up like we hadn’t eaten in weeks. Mom snoozed for the afternoon, so Dad and I busied ourselves making tracks for mine carts in Minecraft.

I woke up very very sick Sunday morning. Throwing up and with a really bad toxic headache. The rest of the day was spent with me trying to relax in many hot baths, throwing up a lot, suffering a major headache, and eventually I spotted Mom and Dad getting out the go-packs which meant one thing – back to hospital. Fortunately I managed to start keeping down some valoid and liquids so the hospital visit was put on ice, for now. I noticed Mom didn’t put away the go-packs, and there was some definite whispering and planning happening amongst the folk.

What this does create, and hence tonight’s blog title, is a big question mark over my ABR test tomorrow. Recall from last week’s blog I’m running three sets of tests in the next three weeks to meet the neurosurgeon peer timeline in September – an EEG (followed by Botox), an ABR and then an angiogram. Not an easy thing having to schedule so many different tests, theatres, specialists, anaesthetists and then still coordinate all the results in time. And we literally only have this chance until the next peer review which will only be next year again, and are generally scheduled (or announced to us) at very short notice.

So my rest tonight and my vitals tomorrow morning will determine if we can proceed with the ABR. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers so that I’m well enough to undergo tomorrow’s tests.

Love

Jarrod

Video 1 Jarrod’s escape plan (while on dormicum) – click here

Video 2 Jarrod’s entertaining us on the gurney to theatre, under the influence of dormicum – click here

Video 3 Watch the cow in the mine cart in Minecraft we created – click here

Photo 1 My bribe present for being brave

Photo 2 Fooling around in reception

Photo 3 My last meal of freedom 🙂

Photo 4 Getting probed!

Photo 5 Lots more to go….

Photo 6 Intense building in progress

Photo 7 Confined to barracks

Photo 8 Boredom…..

Photo 9 Entertaining everyone on the way to theatre

Photo 10 Me. On dormicum!

Photo 11 Finally back home on Friday, giving Missy some love

Photo 12 Last thing Sharon saw before leaving SA!

Photo 13 At the airplane viewing deck at OR Thambo

Photo 14 Being brave on Sunday morning, trying not to throw-up

Photo 15 Dad taking care of me

2 Comments on 440. One down, two to go (maybe)

  1. Tom and Di Fincham says:

    Positive energies are being sent your way. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

  2. Sandra says:

    My prayers are always with you…..May God bless you and keep you surrounded in his loving protection.

Leave a Reply