A bit of Christmas Cheer...

Just a few pic's of us in our Christmas hats to give you some cheer.

Xmas 2006

St.Mary's Hospital Day 2

I got back into the hospital around 9.30-10am after getting a few things we needed, and narrowly avoiding a collision with a fool in a Honda who changed lanes without looking on a 3 lane roundabout! (He only indicated after I had swerved around him, beeping my horn! He then made it worse by moving back to the other lane and careering on round!)
We were told by the nursing staff that PJ needed a chest x-ray, as he still had a temperature and they wanted to find out where the infection was. We carried him down to Xray, and he sat on a little stool with me stood behind him, with my 10ton lead-apron on to protect my knacker-swimmers... Jax was waving at him from behind the little screen, and this distracted him enough so that the radiologist could get a good picture. To cut a long story short, it showed that he had pneumonia... He had more intravenous antibiotics and then the doc came round and Jax cornered him and bullied the guy into giving us a professional and complete explanation of his diagnosis... Very persuasive is Jax... Remember these really cute ickle critters, so tiny and sweet till you piss them off? Jax is one of them... they're called ChubbChubbs. Aaaaanyway, PJ is getting better, his temperature is under control, and Jax is an ex-nurse who is more than capable of administering medications and many, many bed baths. So they agreed to let us nurse PJ at home. (Ok, I made the bit about bed baths up, I just wished it). So off we go, and just in time for Santa to visit PJ in his own house rather than at hospital.

St.Mary's Hospital Day 1

Well. After a fun trip to A&E and then arriving in St.Mary's hospital, waiting for 6hrs to see a doc who arrived at 3am, quick examination of PJ later with no answers and we got to spend the remainder of night there. Which involved me and Jax sleeping in metal frame fold down spring bed which we both barely fit, but I was shattered so slept a little, Jax was too stressed. We still didn't have a clue as to what was wrong with PJ.
PJ was still very tired and after having the canula shoved in his hand we let him sleep, it looked rather odd as he had a huge sanitary-pad to keep his hand flat which is taped down and wrapped in a bandage.
I popped out to get some more stuff from home that we would possibly need while Jax stayed with PJ. While I was out a specialist dermatologist came to look over PJ, and seemed to come to the conclusion that while his spots looked like Chicken Pox this is not what they were. But this would need to be confirmed, hopefully from the blood tests??
PJ was given some more antibiotics via his canula and we also managed to get him to eat some food. Jax popped home to get some more stuff that would be needed to stay overnight and I watched over PJ, managed to get him to even eat more dinner. All the time he was perking up, more colour in his cheeks and becoming more active. He even went into the playroom and had a play with the red car and some other toys...
Jax came back home and tried to have a little sleep, though next door had decided to do some drilling which kept her awake. PJ had fallen asleep by then, so I waited around till about 10pm for his next lot of antibiotics, which was almost all done while he was sleep. Just the last bit waking him up. After that I went back home for some sleep and Jax slept in the pull down bed next to him (only one parent is really allowed to stay over night).
PJ had some further antibiotics about 6 am, but on the whole slept well. We still had no answers as to what was wrong...

A Trip to A&E

Well what a weekend that was... s'pose I'd better start from the beginning.
PJ's been ill for the last 5 weeks, mixture of cold, runny nose, cough and chicken pox. Now chicken pox doesn't last 5 weeks I know, but we kept taking him back to the doctors and they insisted that chicken pox was what it was. Giving us various drugs to help him get over the cold and pox. Over last weekend, things started to get worse, with PJ going more off his food and being sick when he did eat. Even worse he wasn't drinking.
On Sunday he started writhing around the floor with what appeared to be stomach pain, so we gave him some of his prescribed paracetamol and when he'd calmed down a bit put him to bed for a nap, he slept normally. When I got him up he was OK for a bit but started to roll around again in pain. We gave him some more paracetamol and this time phoned NHS direct who advised us to take him to A&E with 'abdominal pains', something we'd been thinking about.
We got there about 4-5pm, and were taken straight through to the children's emergency area. After numerous tests, and much speculating as to what could be wrong, including them scaring us to death with the possible diagnosis of Nephrotic Syndrome, it was decided to take him to the paediatric unit in St. Mary's hospital for some checks as he was very 'dry' and his urine sample show some abnormalities. High proteins and ketones.

So off to St. Mary's we went, this was about 8-9pm by then. A&E had neglected to tell them that PJ had chicken pox, after which we where taken to our own private room. PJ had perked up a little more but that was after us managing to get drink inside him so he had a bit more energy, much better than he was earlier that day when he was just laying on a pillow.

After an initial examination: temperature in his ear, pulse oximeter on his toe, spatula down his throat (all this he just loved having done) they decide to admit him. About 4am when we EVENTUALLY see the doc, he had to have a cannula placed in his hand for a drip, which meant me holding him tight and Jax distracting him with his arm tucked behind me, while the nurse and doc did their job... Not a pleasant experience, but he was good and did cry a bit. The nurses got the job done quick and well. By this time it was about 5am. We took the very tearful little baby back to his cot in the cubicle, then tried to get some sleep ourselves on the tiny little fold down bed we pulled down from the wall cupboard.

My New DVD Game

Well, Christmas is here and it's that time of year, yes as you may have guessed I, like everyone else has brought out an exciting new DVD game. Cus they're sooooo coool. lots of exciting interactive features like -

- the interactive quiz about me, my love of badgers, marmite, coracles and all things that oscillate.
- 'Pick the fluff out of my belly button and ass crack (bit like Operation on your TV), and guess what item of clothing it came from' (why IS the fluff always blue?).
- 'Floss the teeth', you too can guess what food I've been eatin. Just look at those interactive photo's.
-'Ear canal boat'. Ride into my aural passage and avoid the earwax raisin outcroppings.
-'Pluck the hair off the monkey-boy' pick the long eyebrow or nasal hairs.. Pluck them.. Then watch and listen as I rant and bitch like a girl.
- Best of all, the interactive 'ride my bike to work and avoid the twat in front carving me up'. Use your psychic powers to guess what the driver in front/behind/side of you is about to do on your virtual ride to work.

Yes, that's right, this could be the gift for someone you couldn't be arsed to think too hard about, plus don't see too often so will never have to play this crappy game.

The Fear of Christmas

Well its done and they are up, the christmas lights... Why is it the fear of Christmas you might ask? Well simply because I hate going up ladders, I'm not too bad with heights after I forced myself up Sydney harbor bridge, then abseiling, and finally skydiving. All those things I'm just fine with. But give me a ladder and make me ascend a few feet above the ground, I'll freeze, hyperventilate, and start generally feeling a tad unsafe.

I did manage it, even by the end of my christmas lights adventure, managing running up the ladder at speed! Well almost, quicker then the slow one foot at a time rise that I started off with. House looks nice, mainly thanks to Jax as she sorted everything else. I just did some white icicle lights, very, very, very, slowly whilst tightly clenching my arse. Nice image for you huh, sleep well with that one running through your brain. My tight firm, hairy clenched arse, shaking with fear... Truffle shuffle anyone?