Emerald's Health Update!!

Emerald will have her first operation mid-January(& hopefully her last) The surgeon is fast tracking her operation because of the severity of her aponea. He is fairly confident that he will be successful and she will not need to sleep on a machine. Please pray for that one!!

We are hoping that we can get some resemblance of normal back into her life before Uni begins in February. Em had a really bad day yesterday at work, having to rush of to be sick she then came home & slept for the next 6hrs. It's a hard balancing act trying to keep things relatively "normal" & making sure her health stays strong. Today has been a great day for her, Soldier boy came to visit and the three of them mucked around - just like old times. She is still bright as a bubble tonight and it's nearly 10pm. You just can't pick it. She did say she might sleep upstairs in her old room tonight though, so she may just be needing a little Mumma sooking saying that.

So I better be off this computer & go and clean her old bed off. That's where I have all the Christmas presents stacked atm.

I would just like to thank the lovely caring people who have left me such kind well wishes for Emerald over the last couple of posts & specially to you Simcha as I know you haven't seen Em in ages & we just can't wait for you to move back to Australia. xxoxo

Caroline.......

Results are in

We have just got Emerald's results back from her Sleep Study.

It seems she has Severe Sleep Apnoea, so severe in fact that at times during the testing she stopped breathing in her sleep, at some stages up to 6 times in a 5min period as well as having 3 Hypoapnoea's (very shallow breaths)

More than 1 episode every minute. No wonder she is becoming such a tired/sick girl.

They are saying it is quite rare in a child this age , hence I suppose their reluctance to even give her a sleep study in the first place. I am so glad I kept pushing for this even though her other blood/urine tests were clear.

They say she is a most unusual case as-

She is only 17

She has always been medically healthy

Is very fit & athletic

Has a perfect weight/height ratio-BMI

So now we are off to see a round of specialists the first being tomorrow. Thank goodness they have fast tracked everything (owing to the severity of her apnoea) otherwise with Christmas only next week we wouldn't be able to see anyone till at least mid to late January. We are hoping for the best case scenario that an operation will fix it. We are all praying that she will not need to have a machine to sleep on at night, that would be such a terrible thing for a young girl to have to do specially at an age when they have so many sleep overs with friends and maybe in the not to distant future, a relationship. I was a little frustrated while seeing her GP as I would have liked to have seen the full results of her study. I was craning my neck to read his computer screen, but we were at just the wrong angle.LOL! I hope I can learn more about things tomorrow.

A note to all mothers out there, please believe in your own motherly intuition/instinct regarding your children even if you have to push your way there & never hesitate about getting a second opinion. If I hadn't have kept pushing we still wouldn't have any answers.

Wish us luck

Caroline xoxo

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Lane-Austin

with love from us all.

MUM.....

xxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooo

A Sleep Study

Please think of

my darling daughter Emerald

Whose health has been deteriorating for a while now, more rapidly as the year has progressed. It has been increasingly difficult with her having to complete her Senior studies & a Trainee ship she has had through her part-time job.

We have finally found a doctor that was willing to refer her for a sleep study, this is something that I have wanted for a while but most doctors are reluctant to send young people for them.

It is just NOT normal, some days if I was to leave her she would sleep 16-18hrs. She is finding it harder & harder to concentrate & retain memory of the things she is doing. Not good, for a normally high achieving student.

The photos are of Em getting "wired up" ready for her sleep study. These are only about 1/3 of the wires that she ended up having to wear. She also had them on her body & legs.

Her sleep study was done just before we went on holidays

so we are anxiously awaiting her results.

Be back soon to let you know how it all goes, otherwise, back to the drawing board!!

Caroline xoxo

Maybe, a little prayer -if that is what you do. Thank you.

Hi!

Long time no blogging.....

We have been on holiday here-

We are back from our Lovely, Gorgeous holiday,

it really is so nice holidaying with good friends.

November was such a crazy month with everything happening

all at once, but we are back ready to get into the next crazy phrase

of Christmas(hopefully a quiet one)

.

We still have a birthday in the family to get to before we get to Christmas though.

Thanks Cathy for sending me the email with that info. I will catch up with

you soon.

I hope your weekend is a peaceful one in the midst of this busy busy

season. Don't forget to nurture yourself & breathe....

Caroline xoxoxo

Harper Valley P.T.A. -Yippee School's Out

With Emerald having had her Valedictory ceremony last night I thought we would go out with a bang this morning with this song.

WHY?? because Emerald says the song reminds her of me, well what can I say!

That's a worry isn't it, Mmm! Em can we just settle for the "Same but Different"

I may have been just a little outspoken at SOME P&C meetings and have had to have the "Office Vultures" under control over MANY things & a lot of my friends & family know that when you have a child with a disability(my youngest) you have to stick up & fight for their rights every step of their school years (now that's a hard one that shouldn't have to be) but I've never had to complain over the things Jeannie C. Riley had to in this song. LOL!! Thank Goodness.

Of course, along with a lot of people think that Jeannie C. Riley is the only person that has ever been able to sing this song well. An oldie but a goodie!

Have a great weekend

Caroline xoxo

Oh Dear a bit of 50's Goodness!

Aren't these just the cutest little 50's paper napkins one ever did see??

Gotta luv them!!

with "wicked wicked" sayings & all.

NOW it's over to you ladies to "TALK" in my comments section.

Caroline xoxoo

SOLDIER BOY IS HOME.....

And we are all VERY happy to have him home safe.

(Jumping over the moon in fact)

So now I hope I've finally got around to you all & everybody can stop texting, ringing

& emailing -asking when??

Don't get me wrong ...we love your care & concern.

We also love the fact he's always been every body's son

& always had so many "Mummy's looking out for him.

(Poor guy!! LOL)

I know alot of you are concerned for him at the moment,don't be he's a man now & can well, make his own choices-if you have any other views on that pleeesse take them up with him not me.....cause I get in trouble for it LOL!!

I've done my job, and I am so proud of him

WELCOME HOME SON!!

On the other hand though, spent a delightful (read NOT!!) night in the Hospital Emergency Dept. after youngest son went to an Army Cadet camp and was injured. He's on the mend now but geez...hope he doesn't make a habit of visiting this place like his big bro did during his teenage years.

Love to you all & have a good weekend

Carolinexoxo

PS- I am so behind with blogging. So many things to share before I go on hol's be back to show you Emerald's Formal photo's soon.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

My other Remembrance post is HERE

THE LAST DAY....

It's all over....

Emerald has her very last full day at school today EVER!!

She still has to go for a few hours on a couple of days to complete block exams, but apart from that her Senior schooling is all finished. Done & dusted!!

That's two kids finished -one to go. Bit sad on one hand & incredibly exciting on the other. I'm sure there will be a few tears shed among all the girls today. Emerald has been School Sports Captain this year so she will be handing her role over to another.

Next Thursday will be her Valedictory Ceremony. I was a bit disappointed as on the invitation it stated only 2 guests per graduating student. I know her brother wanted to attend. Anyway, you were able to apply for extra tickets which I did. (wish us luck!!) I can understand why they would have to do that though with some families bringing 8-10 family members.

Then it will be off to a well earned beach holiday, Christmas & then another wait for the results of her university applications.

The Journey Continues.....

Carolinexoxoxo