Operation - Feed Again

Kayla went for surgery yesterday at about 08:40 hrs. Her Mum and I were there to wave her off at St Marks. Bless her she looked tiny and terrified under that sheet as she was wheeled into the "Slice em and Dice "em" theatre. She kept our spirits up by doing an impression from "Chicken Run" as she left us she said with a wallis and grommet like face "I don't like Gravy!"

6 hours later we were called to the ITU. Intensive care was not planned but a bed was ready in case of any unforeseen complications.

Kayla Queen of the unforeseen, High Empress of drama, the Veritable Viscountess of being a Victim! was gonna have a complication!!!!!

Yes dear reader Kayla the complicated had complications in the form of a major bleed, a subsequent transfusion and then some worrying instability in her vital signs. So after the operation it was off to Intensive Care.

Once again it was down to me to be the first to lay eyes upon her post operative wonderfulness....Gulp! For those of you that have never had to do this let me explain..............

"God knows what goes on in theatre but your "loved one" does not look anything like how you remember them as they left you............. they are kind of puffed up, a horrid pale colour, covered in tubes, wires, dried blood, sick and unnaturally asleep!"

Kayla was very very asleep and also on a ventilator! Although she did not look as bad as she did from the 16 hour surgery she still gave me the heebie-jeebies and looked a little like Homer Simpson (something to do with the eyes being taped shut during surgery! EEeeewwwww!).

Mother Janet opted not to view at this time and this I feel was the better option. I visited briefly as she did not know that I was there. I told her that we all loved her and we were all thinking of her and that the Op had gone well. I left and we came home. Hope I didn't run anyone down on the way home as sitting here I cannot remember any of the journey! Gulp!

Kayla had a stable night with the machines monitoring her and breathing for her. They tried to let her breath for herself but she had a few problems so they carried on with the ventilator.

I arrived there at 10:30 this morning and she was awake. It is funny trying to communicate with someone on a ventilator. It's a miming fiasco! Kayla is a bad mimer and I am a pants guesser! She was well enough to use a notebook and pen even if only one of her eyes was working! The first thing she wrote was "I'm alive!" A bit more miming and me explaining about the operation. Her next written words were "what day is it?" "What time is it?" and "where am I?" The ventilator was getting on her nerves so a few messages were given to the nurse. My explanation must have been too fast because she then wrote "Tell me everything again but slower you arse!" That's my feisty Kayla!!!!! not 24 hours out of surgery and giving me a hard time! Fantastic!

The ventilator was soon removed and Kayla can breath on her own and talk again. So she no longer needs a notebook to communicate.............she can once again nag in the old fashioned way!!! Hurrah!

She will be in intensive care for maybe another 24-48 hours and then all being well back to the ward. Then a few weeks there and if complication free..................home!

The surgical team came and saw me and said that the operation was mostly a success. The bleed and instability came towards the end. Kayla's lower intestines were in a very poor state with scaring, adhesions and acute radiotherapy damage. Most of the pelvic intestines had to be removed and she now has a 2.7 meter gut. If this intestine is undamaged, efficient and can absorb........ then there is a very good chance that she will be able to sustain herself by just eating and the daily TPN feeding will cease. This will be fantastic as I bet she is well hungry by now....she has not eaten a full meal since December 05!!!!!!

Normality is still a long way off though. Baby-steps for now.........We will just have to take one day at a time......Kayla's long hard road to recovery has just been made into a Dual Carridgeway!

Take Care

StuXXX