Returning to normality
26 days after heart surgery
I am so grateful today; life has returned to almost normal.
Hannah went back to school today and she had a good day. I wondered whether I’d get a call from school to pick her up at lunchtime, but she managed and she was still smiling when she got home. She looks tired and she found getting up this morning really difficult, especially after taking hours to go to sleep every night and then waking up in the early hours of this morning needing Paracetamol and taking another couple of hours to get back to sleep. But, that said, she’s fine.
On Friday, she had her post-op follow-up at Birmingham Children’s Hospital (please consider donating to the hospital’s charitable fund by clicking on the link). The follow-up went very well:
- Her lungs sounded clear, so although she’s still coughing a bit, the pneumonia is gone or almost.
- Her heart scan was great, everything as it should be and looking good.
- She’s off the post-op diuretics.
- No concerns about the Seroma lump(s). They’ll eventually re-absorb.
- The scar is looking great and healing well.
Hannah still needs time to get her stamina back, she needs to be very careful about carrying heavy weights and can’t do PE for a couple of months. The scar will take 1-2 years to be fully mature and look it’s best, but we’ll help it along with Vitamin E oil as we’ve done before and it already looks pretty good!
In other news, Charlie started 6th Form last Wednesday and is loving it!
LEFT: Charlie in November 2002, starting Reception late after a prolonged hospital stay after her open heart surgery. RIGHT: Charlie last week before setting off at 6.30am for her commute to 6th Form for the first time
She’s doing well with her long commute and likes all her new teachers. Today, she was on an outdoor activity team-building day and on Friday, she is going to London to visit the Houses of Parliament and see No. 10 Downing Street with her Government and Politics class. Exciting stuff!
So, there is life after heart surgery and hospital. We seem to have come out of the hospital bubble and life is returning to normal for us. And I’m very happy about that 🙂
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