Yo Yo

The good news: we're home. All of us. Two cats who have learnt to (mostly) get along with each other, two girls who are really pleased to see each other, and one rather tired Tia.

The bad news: as we were packing up on Friday, tLP's incision burst open and started gushing blood and pus and fluids of various different kinds. The Dr's steristripped it up, bandaged the steristrips, and sent us on our way. It's been mostly ok, weeping quite a bit but apparently that is good (large fluid filled pocket under the skin needs to drain somehow), but then on Monday it decided to gape even wider than before. Sigourney Weaver sprang to mind, but thankfully nothing alive has emerged as yet.

So, back to hospital, were we got to sit in A and E thankfully only for an hour until the surgeons came and re-dressed it. No cellulitis, lots of healthy granulation (looks like a joint of beef sitting under the skin with yellow marbelled fat streaks. I may go back to being a veggie), but oh dear, can't be stitched now.

Back to hospital again today to have it repacked and the official verdict: it's going to have to heal itself from the inside out, rather like a giant pressure sore. How long this will take I do not know; it looked bigger today than last night. And how soon she'll be able to go back to school with a second mouth in her stomach I don't know either. She likes the idea of it being a bit like a hungry mouth; means packing it full of seaweed can be explained as giving it something to eat and feeding her tummy mouth is such a funny thought she almost doesn't get scared and sore when they do it. And she always stops screaming and sobbing to say "Oh thank you gentle doctor" as soon as they have finished, which makes the softer ones shed a little tear themselves.

Hospital trips aside, it's good to be home. I think it's easier than having her staying in; not that we've been offered that as an option, and not that she actually needs to be there. The ongoing leakage from her cecostomy (which is just above this hungry dribbly tummy mouth) is a bit of a concern. They swabbed the wound at A and E last night, so should hopefully have some results when we go back in tomorrow.

I'm really hoping this means the pocket of fluid has finally drained. Sedated ultrasound tomorrow, so I guess we'll find out then. In the meantime, any advice for fitting seatbelts on a child with an incision right across the seatbelt portion of her anatomy? What do people do post caesarian?

No photos as you really don't want to see this thing (and if you do, and you're local, then come and help me change the dressing one day). And no cute cat and child photos as you really don't want to see our house right now either (hmm rethinking the dressing change suggestion). I have now done 11 loads of washing since Friday; it is neverending.

Oh, and did you know, if you spend a fortnight in hospital and then when you come out, spend your day's respite doing things like filling up with petrol, doing a large grocery shop, buying loose fitting tops for your daughter to wear over the top of all her tubes and holes, and find something very gorgeous online, then your bank will put a stop on your card as they will assume it has been stolen?

This too shall pass.
Tia