home from hospital

Isaac and me before surgery - he kept looking at me and signing "hat" - his cute pyjamas said "Hospital Property" all over them

Isaac just before bed tonight

Today started at 5.45 with changing two dirty nappies. By 7am I was simultaneously trying to make two packed lunch boxes, get four boys dressed, give Isaac his last food and drink before surgery, fill in his surgery information forms, pack an overnight case for A and U, pack a bag for day care for A, pack clothes for Isaac at the hospital and text Beth as she flies to Sydney - got a bit stressed.

I finally managed to get five of us organised to take Noah to school (Lily pushing Isaac in the single pushchair and me pushing A and U in the Double) only to find that Noah still had not managed to put on his socks and shoes!

We made it back from school by 8.50 to find that both the boys taxis that were supposed to come at 9.00 were already waiting. Lots of moving boys around and A and U had gone to be returned tomorrow at 9.00.

I decided I would walk to the hospital to get my daily exercise and have a chance to go shopping for half an hour - so easy with just one boy compared to three.

I sat for a cup of coffee then noticed the pushchair - mountain buggy was quite hard to push. The front wheel was entirely flat and needed a new inner tube before there was any hope of using it.

So we ended up going to hospital by taxi with a lovely driver who listened to my story about Isaac going for surgery then charged me a round ten dollars rather than the $10.40 his meter showed.

As is usual in hospital youngest patient goes first so Isaac was first on the list as he was the youngest patient by about 70 years! We were warned the surgery would be at least one and a half hours and it took about two and a half from leaving him after the anaesthetic until I was called to recovery. Paul was hoping to be with me but ended up being the only haematologist in the hospital and having two new patients with leukaemia.

This may have been Isaac's sixth surgery but the waiting time doesn't get any easier. I walked down to Terrace End to the lovely magazine shop there, spent some time in Paul's office while he reported bone marrows and some time in the hospital canteen. The ophthalmologist said there had been lots of scarring from the previous surgery and he wasn't sure how straight Isaac's eyes would be. He said they'd be very red for a few days.

Isaac also had grommets put in so when I got to the recovery room he was oozing blood from both eyes and one ear. We got back to the day ward at about 4.30 and two hours later he was ready for discharge.

I was so pleased A and U are with other caregivers tonight as we didn't get home until 7.30 after buying groceries and pizza.

We have just put in Isaac's eye drops and ointment, taped socks over his hands to prevent him scratching his eyes and now he is off to bed with me soon to follow I think!