So glad I found you guys!

[Lorraine 1966]

Elisa, it is such a wonderful place, and we from the looks of the posts sent to you are very kinda glad you found us too.

Pooka, thankyou honey. Yep the surgeons are just absolutely blooming well fantastic.


Regards
Lorraine.

[Elisa]

Picked up Elias’ results for MRSA which came back negative and his blood count test that I can’t interpret but it had a bunch of ‘N’s’ beside it which I think might mean normal but I really don’t know. Did fax them off to Shriners though so if anything looks off I’m sure they’ll let me know.

Had a bit of a storm here today with a good drop of snow then wind and rain so I let the kids stay home. Actually, I brought Chanel to work with me so she can re-familiarize herself with all the little details b/c she will be working a lot this spring break while I’m gone. I’m confident she will do well and the main thing is: she WANTS to work so she can save up some money as this is her graduating year from high school.

Elias got to sleep in and when I got back from work he was up, showered and about and he told me he was having a fair amount of back pain today. Gordon also told me he complained to him about it too. He does have some over-the-counter medication that he can take and he took it. Had a look at his back last night and it looks so twisted. I’m curious to know if he’s gone past the 110* point. It will be exactly two months on March 21st. since his last x-rays so we’ll get a new set done then and see what’s going on.

[Elisa]

It occurred to me today that perhaps it wasn't a mistake and that my son will indeed be having two posterior surgeries instead of anterior/posterior. The reason is that in order to do an anterior release you have to deflate a lung and given that he's so twisted to his right side, maybe his left lung is compromised already so they don't want to mess around with it. I don't know what the results were for his lung function test but I will find out soon.

Been a rough few days here with crazy storm-like weather, colds/flues etc. and Internet troubles. Elias stayed home yesterday b/c when he sneezed the other day he put his neck out and was in a lot of pain. His neck is fine today.

I am grumpy. It's starting to dawn on me that I'll be away from everything I am so familiar with: family, home, pets, work (no pay while I'm gone) and my daily routine etc. What on earth am I going to do with myself for five weeks stuck in a hospital when I'm not even sick. I know I'm there for Elias but I can't help but wonder how I'm going to spend my days and evenings.

Don't want to come across as a whiner or ungrateful b/c I am very much grateful that finally someone will be giving him the medical attention/treatment he deserves but am also very angry that BC Medical has made this all so much more difficult for us than it had to be.

Just venting. Thanks for listening.

[jrnyc]

hi Elisa
i have not heard that ALL anterior surgeries require lung deflation...
are you sure about that...
that is definitely news to me!!
as a matter of fact, back about 6 years ago, when Dr Boachie was deflating a lung during his operations, it was an unusual and definitely not ordinary way of doing surgery for scoli at that time! i heard that he was not doing surgery that way anymore...

also...are you talking about only high thoracic curves...? that is quite different than those needing surgery that starts lower on the spine!!

jess

[Elisa]

Hey Jess, I actually have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm just guessing at why the admissions would write that he's having two posterior surgeries and have read quite a few things elsewhere about having a lung deflated with anterior surgery. Yes, I do believe his curve is mostly if not all thoracic.

[jrnyc]

yes, well, makes sense lung deflation might be required at times for high curves...
i am wondering if admissions got it right...?
your surgeon will clarify it for you...

hope all plans go smoothly leading up to successfull operation for your son!
sounds as if you will be reading (when you can concentrate), watching TV, movies, sight seeing, etc...to make the time pass once you know Elia is out of the woods and on his way to recovery...

jess

[Elisa]

Yes, I want his back dealt with but I just wish I didn't have to be in another city/country and for SO long but wishing won't make it so. My sister says to take up knitting but I absolutely hate knitting and am really bad at it, crocheting too. She said I could go shopping b/c they have some nice malls but I have no money to shop and I don't want to just spend money that I don't have out of boredom. I love to read so I guess I'll be doing a lot of that. She's got two books for me that someone gave to her about the history of England and France (she has no interest in reading them) so I'll have a look at those. No family, no friends, no kitty cats or chin puffs, no car and probably no hockey games, WAH! I'm starting to feel like an inmate already. =(

[livingtwisted]

I am grumpy. It's starting to dawn on me that I'll be away from everything I am so familiar with: family, home, pets, work (no pay while I'm gone) and my daily routine etc. What on earth am I going to do with myself for five weeks stuck in a hospital when I'm not even sick. I know I'm there for Elias but I can't help but wonder how I'm going to spend my days and evenings.

Try to think of the positive. You are your son's dedicated advocate during all of this. Imagine trying to give your son the support and attention he'll need while also dealing with daily life and work. That must be really overwhelming for a lot of parents. You'll make a lot of new friends hanging around the hospital and always have the forum to keep you company.

[jrnyc]

hi Elisa
don't know if you are aware of this, but some gyms allow a temporary membership...when i used to stay out in CA for a few weeks at at time, i went to a local gym and asked if i could join by the week...they let me...it was not expensive...(this was before my spine got so bad that i can no longer walk a few blocks, let alone go to a gym!)
if you had a gym to go to, read, watch movies, sight see, try the local zoo, etc, you could make the experience...well, at least not as boring... when you are not at your son's side...
are you planning on renting a car...?

besides...i think you are forgetting how vital this is...if NO ONE was helping your son...you would have a whole lot more to complain about!!

just trying to put a positive spin on it...

jess

[hdugger]

I totally get that. I get uncomfortable, even in beautiful settings, when I'm away from home. For some reason, I just can't feel settled anywhere else.

Portland is beautiful, though, and everything is just starting to bud out. If it's nice, you can walk into downtown from the hospital (ask when you're there - there are a series of hidden paths and steps that go down the hill), or you can take the tram down to the trolley on not so nice days.

The part of downtown nearest the hospital is really the nicest bit - around the PSU campus, and then down the Park blocks (a street named Park that's bordered by a thin park on one side and the art museum/etc on the other) is really nice. There are ZIP cars, but I'm not sure how they work out financially if you're only here for a month.

That's still not going to feel like home, and it's not going to make up for being so far away from family and friends. But it might at least distract you for awhile.

[Elisa]

Try to think of the positive. You are your son's dedicated advocate during all of this. Imagine trying to give your son the support and attention he'll need while also dealing with daily life and work. That must be really overwhelming for a lot of parents. You'll make a lot of new friends hanging around the hospital and always have the forum to keep you company.

Yes, that's so true Mehera that I am fortunate not to have to struggle with daily life and work but those are the things that keep me occupied and from going insane. I love my daily routine and work and although I complain about chores it's rewarding when they're done and I can sit down, kick back and relax. I'm just not used to doing nothing and I'm worried about being terribly lonely and homesick; I'm such a homebody. I will be posting on this forum and am thankful that I have you guys to keep me company but I hope I don't bore you all to death with stuff.

Jess, no, I'm not planning on renting a car for the duration and will rely on the transit system but who knows, one day I might feel so confined that I'll rent a car and drive back north across the border, lol.

Oh, I hate working out. Hate swimming. Hate gyms. Maybe I will actually learn how to knit. =(

[Elisa]

I totally get that. I get uncomfortable, even in beautiful settings, when I'm away from home. For some reason, I just can't feel settled anywhere else.

Portland is beautiful, though, and everything is just starting to bud out. If it's nice, you can walk into downtown from the hospital (ask when you're there - there are a series of hidden paths and steps that go down the hill), or you can take the tram down to the trolley on not so nice days.

The part of downtown nearest the hospital is really the nicest bit - around the PSU campus, and then down the Park blocks (a street named Park that's bordered by a thin park on one side and the art museum/etc on the other) is really nice. There are ZIP cars, but I'm not sure how they work out financially if you're only here for a month.

That's still not going to feel like home, and it's not going to make up for being so far away from family and friends. But it might at least distract you for awhile.

Come rescue me. ;-)

[hdugger]

Come rescue me. ;-)

Oh, absolutely.

[Pooka1]

Maybe you can volunteer to cuddle the rescue chinchillas at the animal shelter for a few hours every day. (smiley face)

[Elisa]

I'm just having separation anxiety from... my life as I know it. It's just another form of anxiety where you feel trapped and out of control and it makes things seem overwhelming or unattainable. I've been down to Portland for five days before and it went really well so five weeks will go well too. See, rational thinking.

Hdugger, after rational thinking I still think I need rescuing. Why on earth did they build all those hospitals at a top of a hill anyway?

Pooka, if you could arrange for me to cuddle a chinchilla in a shelter while I'm there, it would be great and I could help with their care but I'm not bringing any more home. It's a good thing they require cross-border health certificates for animals.

Does anyone know if Portland gets the NHL Playoffs Hockey?