Happy Boxing Day

Our Boxing Day started unexpectedly appropriately, with the delivery of a couple of large boxes. Dad brought round all our presents which we had left with my parents last night. Very kind. My brother spent the better part of four hours here this afternoon trying to sort out my wireless internet connection. Unsuccessfully.

Tomorrow we have a Counting, Stella Gibbons style. Then I must pack for our trip to Devon. Last year we spent New Year's Eve in hospital. Amazingly, the people who we went on holiday with were still willing to come on holiday with us again in the summer. Where, oddly enough, we ended up spending the better part of a night waiting in hospital due to a packing error on my part (forgot to pack one of the medications). The last couple of times I've been away overnight have also been hospital related. I'd really like it if this holiday, this start to 2008, could be hospital free please.

Mind you last years' was entertaining. A cottage on a farm in rural Devon. Several families, all friends, all staying in the row of cottages, all joining together in the largest cottage to see in the New Year. Goldy, high on the atmosphere and her pizza. Mog, also high on excitement. And my darling little foster baby (emergency placement). Since Mog's medications send her to sleep within about 20 minutes of taking them, I delayed giving them for as long as possible. Meanwhile, darling little baby (DLB) was being admired all round. Until the admiration turned into concern, "Tia, does he have seizures? Because I think he's fitting". One by one we gathered around him and watched. In case this sounds needlessly laid back, we were all mothers of children with disabilities, and all very used to watching children fit. However, DLB had not previously had seizures, although he did have a variety of conditions all likely to cause them.

So, time for an ambulance. Abandoning Mog and Goldy to the party, I took DLB back to our slightly quieter cottage, whilst other adults strung themselves out along the farm and back to the main road to direct the ambulance. Great was our confusion when, instead of the expected ambulance, we observed a 40foot fire engine arriving, sirens blazing. Great was our concern and amusement - about 50:50 - as we watched it bottom out on the farm track. From this behemoth out jumped half a dozen burly firemen, all of whom converged on my little tiny baby. We tried to explain that he was fitting, not on fire, and they in turn explained that they were the First Responders; first aid trained and designed to reassure whilst the ambulance wended its way from the nearest town.

DLB had by this time stopped fitting, so they gave him some oxygen and ran a set of obs on him. It was at this time that Mog started fitting, over in the main cottage. She arrived, twitching still, at our cottage, at the same time as the ambulance and paramedic. It took a little convincing that their patient was the little baby grinning at them, and not the obviously disabled little girl twitching in the corner. However Mog's seizure did not stop, I gave her her emergency medications, trying to beat the paramedics off with a stick, and it was finally decided to take both of them into hospital for further observation. Some dear friends agreed to stay with Goldy, who was still enjoying the party and having the time of her life.

It took an hour to get to hospital, so I had the pleasure of hearing the New Year in as we drove through a town with all the church bells ringing. Very peaceful, very beautiful, just two slightly twitchy children to spoil it.

Once at the hospital it was decided to run a few checks on DLB. He did have a few more seizures whilst being watched, and was started on an anticonvulsant. Mog took the opportunity to sleep her earlier seizure off, and I tried to drowse off a little on a hard plastic chair.

We were released in the morning and a friend came to rescue us, our holiday then ended early as we had an emergency appointment with DLB's neurosurgeon, and I had in any case decided I would prefer to be at home, where I am just ten minutes from a hospital, rather than out in the wilds. Driving home after minimal sleep was an interesting experience...

Now I'm in touch with DLB's new family and I know he's spent several weeks in hospital recently, so he may well be spending the New Year back on the ward. Mog however has clear instructions she is not to pull anything like that this time. I keep telling her, she keeps laughing at me, but she'd better believe I am serious. There's plenty of potential for Little Fish to have sudden problems too, but if I worried too much about that we'd never go anywhere. At least we'll be in a nice warm cottage, not in a tent. I like camping, but not in December, not with children at any rate.

Stay well yourselves,
Tia