Sunday, Sunday

Aloha!

Sunday morning and there’s lots to report. I’m still at Unitas, but I’m really stable and recovering well from my procedure on Friday. Although I’m undergoing lots of tests and proddings, these are all needed to ensure that I’m recuperating well. I’m happy to report that I’m passing these tests with flying colours.

Mom and Dad are also feeling enormously relieved; the past two days they’ve managed to get some well deserved rest. Granny, Oma and Opa are also excited by my progress, with Opa regularly phoning my Dad for updates. He is always so relieved to hear that I had a good night and that my vitals are improving day-by-day. Oma kept a candle vigil going through my entire procedure on Friday – I can’t wait to thank her for this deep dedication and thoughtfulness. Opa has been sharing my newsletters with the neighbours, who is a teacher at Marist Brothers (Marion College) which is Dad’s alma mater. They have shared my news at the school, and although I expect none of the kids there would know my Dad, unless they’ve failed matric 21 times, I can sense that I’m in their thoughts. Some of the kids may remember my cousin, Ryan Lederer, who also went to Marist Brothers for some time (in fact, Marist Brothers is also my Uncle Oliver’s alma mater). My other cousin, also Ryan, who is also at Marist Brothers (St. David), has also had a prayer group going for me at his school.

Another bit of exciting news is that my Uncle Oliver phoned my Dad on Friday afternoon (it was morning for my Uncle – in fact he was driving to work at the time) to find out how I was doing and how my procedure went. My Dad and Uncle had a really nice long chat, and my Dad was so touched and moved talking to my Uncle that I’m convinced a spotted a tear in his eye when he came to rely the story to me.

I’m also happy to report that Friday evening the sheath and catheter in my right leg was removed successfully. It was through this catheter that access was gained to my little brain!  It’s incredible to think that they take what seems like the longest route (groin to brain) to perform the procedure, but the reason is that there is such a large artery in the leg, and its relatively straight access into the body, and then to the brain.  The interventionists prefer the ‘intervention tubes’ to be as straight as possible.  The scary thing is that these ‘tubes’ pass really close to my heart en route to the brain. 

The catheter, relative to my little arteries is quite big. As a result there is a risk that my leg on the side of the catheter no longer gets blood, which, in severe cases, could cause the loss of the leg.  Alternatively, the lack of blood supply could also stump the growth in that leg for a period of time, resulting in my legs being different lengths. The catheter can not be removed immediately after the procedure, because in order to do the procedure, anti-coagulant is pumped into my little body.  It takes a while for this to be dispelled by my body, so removing the sheath to soon could cause excess bleeding and major blood loss, and the complications associated with that.  Once the ACT count is 180 (activated coagulation count), the sheath can be removed.  At 15:00 on Friday afternoon it was still 283!  The nurses predicted that by 2:00am Saturday morning it would be ready to come out.  At 17:00 on Friday the tests were redone, to discover that my recovery i.t.o. the ACT was achieved, and the catheter was successfully removed without excessive blood loss! 

While chilling here in bed I’m also getting some physio. Twice a day a really nice ICU Physiotherapist comes and treats me; I really love the massage and being mobilised. This morning I even opened my eyes during physio, which has been a first for me since my procedure.

Saturday morning was really hectic, as once the physio left an x-ray machine arrived to x-ray my chest to check out my lungs (as there is a suspicion that there is some infection in my right lung). I’d just got comfy after the x-ray lady had left when the sonar machine arrived to do a sonar scan of my heart. This was needed to determine if there was any damage done to my little heart during the past few days, given that it was under such strain. All the reports came back clear, indicating that my lungs and heart are fine.

My Mom and Dad have also been informed that my stem-cell harvesting was successful, and that they arrived safely in Belgium where my stem cells will be cryogenically suspended.

Last but not least arrangements have been made for me to be transported back to Morningside Medi-Clinic on Monday morning. Although the chopper is back in commission, I’m no longer considered an emergency transfer so there is no need to even consider flying back. Trust me, my Dad did try for this option!!!

Bye for now.

Love

Jarrod J

PS – Pictures 2 to 10 below are a collage of pictures of Claudi-Bear tending to me. Enjoy.

Figure 1 Mom with Jarrod

Figure 2 Claudi-Bear attending to my lines

Figure 3 Claudi-Bear making sure the syringe pumps are operating optimally

Figure 4 Claudi-Bear ensuring that my skin stays soft and hydrated

Figure 5 Claudi-Bear making sure the ventilator is functioning effectively

Figure 6 Claudi-Bear checking out the monitor

Figure 7 Claudi-Bear setting the temp on my body heater

Figure 8 Claudi-Bear noting info on my charts

Figure 9 Claudi-Bear ready to check my eyes and ears

Figure 10 Claudi-Bear prepping a syringe for me

Tags: Dad, Granny, Mom, Morningside Medi-Clinic, Oma, Opa, stem cells, Unitas