Continued from Part 1...

Monday 14th February 2005
Back in the normal intensive care, I was woken up quite early again for a wash which the morning staff gave me every morning I was in there and to change my gown and bed sheets. They do this with you on the bed and turning you onto the side as they do it. I had to be turned a lot in there preferably onto my left side as I had the operation on the right and so it was very painful to avoid bedsores when staying in one position for a long time.

It was different staff today – one black nurse and an Indian trainee student nurse, there was always loads of intensive care nurses in there where they work in pairs and have two patients each.

I had some cornflakes today which the nurse helped me with as mum and dad weren’t up here yet. When they were it was lunchtime and mum fed me some soup. Dad was in my room for a while doing a bit of work as he can’t really stay off for too long. I was watching ‘This morning’ when they came back after lunch and I always remember that I knew when they were coming down the corridor because of mums heels on her shoes made a noise.

I was watching TV for most of the afternoon, when we had a stroppy nurse come over who said I shouldn’t be watching it, so she went off in a huff and I was still watching it – they are not taking my TV away, I can’t do much else I’d already had enough of counting the amount of tiles on the ceiling.

I had toast for tea and then was in quite a lot of pain and was feeling what seemed to be like a sharp stick digging in my back; it was the epidural I was feeling. I was given painkillers through my drip and turned onto my side, I felt a bit better then. My parents were going to go home now and come back up in the morning, they left me watching the TV and explained to the nurse about the stroppy women and the fact that I was scared of the nebulizer (I was wearing a normal oxygen mask). I had a better day today hit 100 twice – so that’s £15 dad!

I was watching BBC1, it was quite late and a Panorama type thing was on and I thought I’ll watch this – then finding out it was about spines I decided not to and quickly changed it. I saw some stressy looking man talking to my nurse about my TV and he wasn’t happy about it, so I think she told him because he went off in a huff and I got to keep my TV- yey.

Tuesday 15th February 2005
I had a good night, I didn’t need the heavy nebulizer mask at all. I had a whole night in a normal oxygen mask – so a big goodbye to the nebulizer. It was the same staff as yesterday morning, I was helped with some cornflakes and a yoghurt although I wasn’t so keen on that quite yet and had a wash with the sheets changed and told I was going back to the ward at midday – yey.

They took the epidural out – so another yey, as well as the wires but I had to keep the drip on. At 12pm I was ready to go back to my room, when one of the cuts underneath the plaster where one of my drips that were removed was bleeding heavily and I had to catch the nurses attention with the patient next to me because of that and she told me to raise my arm while she got the nurse who took it out to come over and sort it out and put a new clean big plaster on.

The porters then came to get me to take me back to my ward four days later than I was meant to be, so I had all my little friends (teddy bears), mini-eggs, TV, balloon, oxygen cylinder on my bed ready to go.

When I got back they were all pleased to see me and didn’t really do much, just put the bed in, set up the cylinder and left me there. I was like that for about 20 minutes when the physiotherapist came up and decided to sort me out with my table, phone, things to do and positioned the bed and turned on the TV for me, then made sure I was ok and said she’d come back tomorrow.

I then had lunch bought in, and they left me with that assuming I can do it myself – I don’t think so, they eventually sent someone into help me with this Omelette.

My parents got a big surprise when they walked in as they had always gone there before going to intensive care. I had lots of pressies – purple tulips, another get well soon balloon, Easter eggs, chocolate orange and a cuddly Eeyore. I couldn’t get up though as I had no brace. I even rang two of my friends and my cousin who had all been hearing bad reports, so they were all very surprised when I was on the phone, so it very nice to speak to and catch up with them all after my scary ordeal.

Wednesday 16th February 2005
Bit upset this morning, I didn’t have a very good night, as this black nurse Gracie and this other one did the night duty. I rang the bell once to get turned, then again because I dropped something and then again because I was uncomfortable. She then told me to stop ringing the bell, and from that I was too scared to ring it again so I didn’t. I told my mum when she rang up and she then rang back and complained. My cousin Nikki also rang for a chat which cheered me up. I was also seen by the surgeon’s registrar, lung volume person with the spirometer and the physiotherapist. Another nice Chinese nurse was looking after me today. My parents came up in the afternoon, I was so happy when they did, I was quite lonely and just wanted to go home. I got more pressies today – yey, I got lots more chocolate and a present from my friend Chris – a little beanie dog – (another special friend to go with my collection). But another bad thing: they lost the TV signals so none of the TVs in the entire hospital were working, and so all I could do was watch my videos all evening – Bend it like Beckham. When the night staff came on, it was the same two from the night before and they came in a questioned me and got quite stressy and said to press it as many times as you need to. I just rang mum that evening and went off to sleep.

Wednesday 16th February 2005

Still no TV, so still got videos, I was woken up at 7am so they could inject my painkillers in – that was quite painful – it was a strange sharp needle feeling. I was a bit upset, I have been stuck in a bed constantly for 9 days, and feeling lonely, bored and I really missed my friends.

The physiotherapist came in, did my birding, spoke to me for a while and said she’d come back later. I did not need the mask anymore but just a nazzle wire where the oxygen went through my nose.

A good thing was that I got my hair washed, I hadn’t done it since before the op and so it was so manky looking from that and I had to lie on a big type of flat bucket with a bucket on the floor so that could drain the water. It was very nice after.

My parents came up in the afternoon, I wasn’t happy as of being stuck in bed and yesterday I was meant to be measured for my brace but wasn’t, then it was today but it wasn’t so mum and dad aren’t happy. They then got my favourite nurse in and spoke to her and also the physiotherapist who were not happy either, the thing was they had a time for me to be measured at 8am Friday but the chances are I won’t get the actual brace until Monday because they don’t work at the weekend. Had a TV tonight, dad changed the Ariel around, and I rang my friend so I had something to do, plus there were different staff on as well.

Friday 18th February 2005
I was woken up quite early, as I had to be washed and get ready for plaster theatre. I had to wear this rag type gown and my hospital gown on top. The porters came down to pick me up and take me up there. I didn’t what to expect it to look like, but it just looked like a young children’s ward. They parked me in a cubicle and got all their plaster equipment ready, there were two of them doing the actual plaster, the other one was unwrapping it and passing it across and I had someone beside me telling mw what they were doing.

They started by lifting up my sheets, rolling me to my left side then helping me onto my tummy and that really did hurt, the man that was doing it started putting plaster over the rag gown – it did feel quite nice and relaxing and I felt it was helping ease the pain. After they did that they rolled me back onto my back, then did exactly the same and plastered the front. When they had finished, he got out a plaster knife and cut down both sides of the plaster to take it off, then washed all the plaster off and I was done. I then got to choose a pattern for it – there was denim, cars, football, stars, spotty, rabbits – I choose a pink spotty one, and taken back to my room.

My parents were coming up at 5pm, they still weren’t here but this nurse appeared with my brace, she came in and put the front over me and started measuring and drawing lines then told me it would be back tonight and went. It was quite quick, it was back within half an hour and I thought yey – I was so happy!

I decided to phone mum to find out where they were – (got stuck at the Dartford crossing and were ten minutes away). I didn’t tell her I had my brace, I just said something goods happened. They were very happy when they came in. Turns out dad sent a fax through about how depressed and upset I was about being in bed for so long.

The physio then came up, she was paged about it coming and so came up and put it on me and got the Chinese nurse and they helped me sit up. I felt dizzy at first but then it went, so I attempted to stand up with them holding onto me – the floor felt very strange, I tried a few steps, but then I began to feel very strange e.g. dizzy, headache, sick and quite faint so I sat in a chair for a while – it was such a horrible feeling. It went eventually but I decided to go back to bed – now the brace had to stay on.

I didn’t get up again, mum and dad stayed until about 10pm and that included watching Den’s exit from Eastenders – boring. I then went to sleep after a few phone calls.

Saturday 19th February 2005
Today I sat up and felt dizzy again, but not as bad as yesterday. Mum and dad came up earlier today as they had to go to a show tonight. I sat in the chair for the whole day watching my mini DVD player plus I did some walking up the corridor too. I went to bed about 10pm and ended up watching Parkinson as there was nothing else on, had a glance out of the window and noticed it was snowing and so I just rang friends and home before going to sleep.

Sunday 20th February 2005
Today when I sat up it didn’t feel right as my brace wasn’t on properly from this nurse that put it on the night before but she didn’t know what she was doing or how to do it and asked me what to do – I didn’t know myself. It caused me to feel quite bad again and panic but that went off eventually. Mum, Dad and Lauren were coming up later this afternoon as Lauren had an Irish dancing competition this morning, they were not happy about what happened with the brace. After breakfast and a wash, I got dressed for the first time since the operation I had the brace on and sat in my chair with the TV on. I also asked the sister if I could go home today, but was quite sad when they said I couldn’t because it had to be confirmed by the surgeon that did the operation – well I haven’t seen him since the day after briefly and have only been seeing registrars since.

At about 12pm someone knocked at the door and it was uncle Gary and Cousin Nikki come up from Gravesend. So I had company all day with Nikki and then mum, dad and Lauren came in about 5pm, so that was nice and Nikki bought up some DVD’s for me to watch as well.

They went about 8pm and so I watched ‘only fools and horses’ on the DVD player and about 10pm I went to bed and watched more DVD’s before making phone calls and going to sleep.

Monday 21st February 2005
I was awake quite early and about 8am, the sister came in with a work experience girl, and two of the surgeon’s registrars. They asked me questions about how I was getting on and how I was feeling and said I could go home today – YEY!

After they went I then rang home with the good news and found out when dad was going to come and get me.

I was shown how to have a proper shower sitting on a stool; they also changed the dressing on the scar and started moaning when I was pressing on it because it hurt a lot still. I couldn’t look at the scar though; I had a glance down and saw a thick red line but that was it. The physiotherapist came back up and made sure the brace was on tightly and took me for a walk down the corridor and back to my room, where I waited while she got a wheelchair to take me to the physio wards where it was nice to get a bit of fresh air in the corridor. The hospital is built on a hill so it’s very hilly and I did actually feel as if I was going to fall out. I was taken to a room with some stairs as I had to be cleared and able to do the stairs before I went home. I found it quite easy going slowly so I was cleared on that.

Back at my room when I was dressed and still wearing the flight socks, I sat in my chair with my table of things to do, friends, phone and the TV. I then decided to get up slowly and try and start to pack, while I did this I was watching ‘Meet the Fockers’ – quite a good film.

I said bye to my room got my balloons as everything else I had was in the car, thanked the nurses and slowly walked to the car. It was quite cold outside, took me a while to get in the car as I have to do that in a certain way and then we were off at 5.45pm. Bye Bye hospital and then off down the M25 back to Crowborough for home. I got back about 8pm to lots of snow, welcoming family and lots more nice pressies, - more Easter eggs, DVD, J2O’s, chocolate and lots of flowers.

It was also nice to go on MSN – I haven’t been there for a while and it was nice to have everyone ask how I was.

It was also nice that night to be back in my own cozy bed.

It is now nearly two months since the operation and I am coping very well and able to do a bit more than I was. I have been going back to school part time and will be full time after Easter.

I am still wearing the pink spotty brace for 23 hours a day for 6 months, and have become much more used to that than I was as it was very claustrophobic at first. Sometimes when it is off I feel that I need it back on as it is like a support as I can feel this strange feeling of a rod in my back.

The scar is also healing well and I am now looking at it and have been since the sterry strips came off and it’s just a nice long purple-red line that goes from the bottom of my right side up under my arm and to the top of my back.

I am not on any painkillers any more, although they are still on hand if I need them. I still get the odd pain sometimes either it shoots up and down around where the operation was or it is just there constantly. I still also occasionally have the feeling of the injections going into my hand or my drip and even the feeling of the epidural in my back.

Looking at the x-rays I have had and comparing the ones from after the operation to before I have a straight spine with the rod inside along with a slight curve at the top which I hope I will not have to a second op for and that I will straighten out with the one I have had done. And so all I have to do now is remember posture, be straight and when the brace does come off around August I will look much better!!!!

The brace came off on the 11th August – I had a ‘brace off party’ down the pub with some friends, it felt strange at first but I have gotten used to it now and I am getting back to normal. I am happy with what I did and going ahead with it all and I now have a nice long scar which I am very proud of!!!!!

You can talk to Natalie on the SpineKIDS message boards.

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