What a week, first of all thank you for all of your kind messages and support for little Johnnie. I am sorry for not getting back to you directly. I read every message, and comment made on his photos, you are all so kind.
The operations were a success, and little Johnnie bounced back straight away and is recovering well. It does not fail to amaze me with him, that even when his favoured right hand is bandaged and beyond use, he immediately found a way to adapt. No complaining, just 15-20 seconds of experimenting and it was done.
How many adults do we all know, who would milk the situation and adopt a victim mentality?
Well the first night we all went to stay at the Great Ormond Street patient Hotel, and the environment did of course bring about the usual excitement for Johnnie, bed bouncing, shrieking and a general fun time was had. He was throwing around his comfort toy and could even make out Grover from Sesame Street looking at me and mouthing “Help me” as his fate was sealed.
The next day, bright and breezy, Johnnie had to be on Dinosaur ward, as his operation was first up. Naturally, this brief stint was met with the usual carnage, controlling a bag of eel’s is easier than getting Johnnie to sit down. Every opportunity was taken to head for the exit or to attempt to bounce of the wards beds.
There were parents on the ward, who were obviously a mix of old hands, and new parents, with children down for their first or many operations. They all had one thing in common, and that was there silence shattered by a shrieking Johnnie running around in circles in maniacal a state, reminiscent of a blond Gnome on PCP.
The next stage was the check up by the surgeon, followed by the technical world renowned NHS procedure, of marking the site of the operation with a biro arrow.
We walked Johnnie to the operation theatre, like the big boy he is now, he was ever so brave (or unaware), he sat on Julies lap whilst he was administered the gas, after a short struggle he went to sleep. This is the part that always upsets me, as my position at the back of the theatre is one of helplessness. You fight against your protective instincts and allow the doctors to do their jobs.
So what now?
The above is the title of today’s blog as there is always the dilemma of what do you do next. Every usual action, cliché, obviousness of pacing back and forth on the ward, clock watching, is actually futile.
What next? Breakfast! It is important for Johnnie that his carers do not fail in their duties, and being emotional without nutrition believe it or not, does not aid in some ones recovery.
There was little Hotel Brassiere nearby, which served an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast (£6.95) they had some premium products and was of a high standard. For those who do know me, would be amused that during the breakfast my time was spent mentally calculating the margins, and concluded that they must be desperate for business as they were low. Also much to my horror this was compounded by the high volume of wastage at the end of service, which would only add to further reduced profits.
This cheered me up, as for those who know me, know better than to mess with my margins. I actually, and quite worryingly, get a bit of wood every Thursday at work, when my weekly margin results come through. That moment of reading that your wastage, is under the threshold, and you have made overall gains, is the most satisfying a non-sexual experience a man can have within the workplace.
Afterwards, we went to a local bookshop and browsed, then made our way up to Johnnie’s room, which would be on Peter Pan ward. We read for a bit and we were called to the recovery room just as he was coming around. The whole thing lasted only 3-hours.
The operations as mentioned went well, and we kissed, hugged and looked after our little boy through-out the night. We took him home later the next day, with suggestions of placing carrier bags, with elastic bands when eating and bathing so that the bandages stay dry.
We are back for the dressing to be removed under general anaesthetic in two weeks time.
In every situation you have to take a positive, and through-out the experience my mind was racing. There were some good ideas for my book, and the ending that had eluded me for so long was crystal clear in my mind.
The best lesson was of course for me to come to a conclusion about life, and to best explain will give you my own metaphor.
“Life is like an unfinished cartoon, with us the artist. What is happening in life is what is on the page now, the colours, the people and our behaviour. There is no point worrying about what is on the next page, as it has not been painted yet”
I am a big fan or Dr Wayne Dyer, and would recommend his first book “The Erroneous Zone”, this does highlight the futility of worry.
To finish the blog with a quote there is no one better than the great benefactor of Great Ormond Street, who bequeathed the rights to Peter Pan for an eternity – JM Barrie.
‘Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves’
That quote is for you Johnnie, I love you.
Next week I will be back on track, but would like a challenge. So would like some topic suggestions, this does help me practice researching.
So see you all soon, love to all xxxxx
Scott
The operations were a success, and little Johnnie bounced back straight away and is recovering well. It does not fail to amaze me with him, that even when his favoured right hand is bandaged and beyond use, he immediately found a way to adapt. No complaining, just 15-20 seconds of experimenting and it was done.
How many adults do we all know, who would milk the situation and adopt a victim mentality?
Well the first night we all went to stay at the Great Ormond Street patient Hotel, and the environment did of course bring about the usual excitement for Johnnie, bed bouncing, shrieking and a general fun time was had. He was throwing around his comfort toy and could even make out Grover from Sesame Street looking at me and mouthing “Help me” as his fate was sealed.
The next day, bright and breezy, Johnnie had to be on Dinosaur ward, as his operation was first up. Naturally, this brief stint was met with the usual carnage, controlling a bag of eel’s is easier than getting Johnnie to sit down. Every opportunity was taken to head for the exit or to attempt to bounce of the wards beds.
There were parents on the ward, who were obviously a mix of old hands, and new parents, with children down for their first or many operations. They all had one thing in common, and that was there silence shattered by a shrieking Johnnie running around in circles in maniacal a state, reminiscent of a blond Gnome on PCP.
The next stage was the check up by the surgeon, followed by the technical world renowned NHS procedure, of marking the site of the operation with a biro arrow.
We walked Johnnie to the operation theatre, like the big boy he is now, he was ever so brave (or unaware), he sat on Julies lap whilst he was administered the gas, after a short struggle he went to sleep. This is the part that always upsets me, as my position at the back of the theatre is one of helplessness. You fight against your protective instincts and allow the doctors to do their jobs.
So what now?
The above is the title of today’s blog as there is always the dilemma of what do you do next. Every usual action, cliché, obviousness of pacing back and forth on the ward, clock watching, is actually futile.
What next? Breakfast! It is important for Johnnie that his carers do not fail in their duties, and being emotional without nutrition believe it or not, does not aid in some ones recovery.
There was little Hotel Brassiere nearby, which served an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast (£6.95) they had some premium products and was of a high standard. For those who do know me, would be amused that during the breakfast my time was spent mentally calculating the margins, and concluded that they must be desperate for business as they were low. Also much to my horror this was compounded by the high volume of wastage at the end of service, which would only add to further reduced profits.
This cheered me up, as for those who know me, know better than to mess with my margins. I actually, and quite worryingly, get a bit of wood every Thursday at work, when my weekly margin results come through. That moment of reading that your wastage, is under the threshold, and you have made overall gains, is the most satisfying a non-sexual experience a man can have within the workplace.
Afterwards, we went to a local bookshop and browsed, then made our way up to Johnnie’s room, which would be on Peter Pan ward. We read for a bit and we were called to the recovery room just as he was coming around. The whole thing lasted only 3-hours.
The operations as mentioned went well, and we kissed, hugged and looked after our little boy through-out the night. We took him home later the next day, with suggestions of placing carrier bags, with elastic bands when eating and bathing so that the bandages stay dry.
We are back for the dressing to be removed under general anaesthetic in two weeks time.
In every situation you have to take a positive, and through-out the experience my mind was racing. There were some good ideas for my book, and the ending that had eluded me for so long was crystal clear in my mind.
The best lesson was of course for me to come to a conclusion about life, and to best explain will give you my own metaphor.
“Life is like an unfinished cartoon, with us the artist. What is happening in life is what is on the page now, the colours, the people and our behaviour. There is no point worrying about what is on the next page, as it has not been painted yet”
I am a big fan or Dr Wayne Dyer, and would recommend his first book “The Erroneous Zone”, this does highlight the futility of worry.
To finish the blog with a quote there is no one better than the great benefactor of Great Ormond Street, who bequeathed the rights to Peter Pan for an eternity – JM Barrie.
‘Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves’
That quote is for you Johnnie, I love you.
Next week I will be back on track, but would like a challenge. So would like some topic suggestions, this does help me practice researching.
So see you all soon, love to all xxxxx
Scott
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