Kitty’s CP Blog

Final Spinal!!

November 14th, 2008

 At last I can write this title! Atleast I didn’t put “It’s the final countdown” and add the music on to it! Simon would’ve disowned me.

Anyway, here we are, and it’s actually very exciting. Kitty is doing so well, and makes everyone here really smile, so although Em and I might not be missed, I do think my brave little girl will be.

The day started with more of a rush than usual because Kits woke early and I brought her into bed with me and managed to get her to doze off again. The next thing I knew, Em was knocking on the door and it was nearly 8a.m. Kits was supposed to have finished eating and drinking by 8 and I hadn’t given her any breakfast! Managed to shovel that down before Owen came in for the final Electro Wave therapy, followed by acupressure, also for the last time, HOORAY! Kits then had an assesment with Owen, but no actual P.T. and during all this I managed to shower and dress, but not eat anything myself. I think Em and I eventually had a cuppa and breakfast around 11a.m.

The day started to really kick off when the nurses came in to put in Kitty’s I.V. for the glucose drip, and general. They just couldn’t find a vein to use, and after 2 attempts in her hands, they tried a foot. When that failed, they said they would get a paediatric nurse to do it! Of course by this time Kitty was really screaming. The Emla cream we were told to bring to numb the pain, has to be applied half an hour before the needle goes in and only lasts about 45 mins. Eventhough I smothered both kitty’s hands and feet, it really didn’t help. It certainly wasn’t worth the R100 plus, I think I just expected too much from it. However, all this was in vain, (or not…..sorry!) because when the paediatric nurse finally came to the room, she prodded and poked her some more, then said the only place to put the i.v. would be Kitty’s head! I wonder if that was just because she could see a lovely big blue vein popping out of Kitty’s forehead from the screaming she was doing! By this time Emma and I were feeling pretty stressed, and just couldn’t do anything for Kitty that would soothe her. Aunty Em jumping around with Stanley (toy dog) on her head just didn’t do it!

When the nurse started to shave a bit of hair off, that just finished me. I felt so terrible for putting Kitty through this and not being able to explain to her that I was doing it with all the best intentions, to help her in the future. The I.V. eventually went in, of course much more screaming, and it took 4 of us to hold her down. Our previous experiences weren’t as bad as that, and I just had to cuddle her as much as she’d let me.

By this time it was only half an hour before her stem cell treatment, so the glucose drip had to go onto the I.V. Well, she took one look at the nurse walking in and started bawling again. The amount of sticky tape they placed over the I.V. to keep it in place is going to give her another trauma tomorrow when they come to take it off. It’s probably going to rip a few eyebrow hairs and a clump of head hair out, and she is going to scream!

Very soon, Wendy (one of the translators) and a nurse came to take Kits down to the O.T. We have to wheel her on her bed, into the lifts (through the fag fog that obscures the No Smoking signs) and down to the 4th floor. She seems to like this, and was smiles all the way! After being in the Operating Theatre for about 5 mins, the power cut and plunged us into darkness. We all just stood there listening to the theatre staff running around shouting at each other. I really thought we’d be taking Kits back upstairs to wait it out, but luckily after about another 5 mins, the lights came on again. Kitty looked up at me as if to say, “is that it then?”.  I said goodbye to her as she went to sleep under the general, but strangely didn’t feel as emotional at this pont as I have done previously. Maybe I was just wrung out from being so upset over the I.V. ordeal.

Anyway, after about 40 mins, and a very rushed lunch for me and Em, we went to get Kitty, and although she was much more drowsy than before, she was absolutely fine and just about managed a smile. Good old Stanley was there with her the whole time, as he has been for all of her spinals.

The six hours of lying down has come and gone, and Kits is fast asleep. By the time she gets up in the morning, she will again have managed to stay lying down for about 18 hrs straight, which I’m quite happy about. I could’ve got her up at about 9p.m. and she was awake then, but she was so tired and ready to sleep, so that’s what she’s doing.

I need to hit the sack too, with a hard thump, as I’m knackered! I said I’d include some pretty shots on this posting, so here they are.  Roll on Monday!!!

Love to all of you, Deb, Kits and Em x~x~x~x~x

Entry Filed under: cp,Uncategorized