Where has the time gone? It has been just shy of 6 months since Dom's stroke and they have been a crazy-busy few months for us. Dom has had a number of appointments to
attend which have been educational and a lesson in calendar management!
On September 11 Dom had to attend RMH for a
Pre-Surgery Assessment to ensure he was ok to have the operation to replace his
bone flap that was removed on June 27. This
surgery took place on September 18 and was a success! All went well with no complications – such a
relief!
This surgery was a strange moment for me and an exciting one for Dom. When he had the bone flap removed on June 27 it was such a rush to get him
through to theatre and my consent on the paperwork that I didn’t get to say
goodbye to Dom before they took him in for the procedure…I’m thinking I would prefer this option, not the crazy, it's-the-only-life-saving-option, but having the operation sprung on me in circumstances where I didn't have time to think and dwell on the not so positive possibilities, and I think, for me, this more preferable than having time to process the procedure and all of the associated risks standard to any procedure. I had a whole week to dwell on Dom having
this operation – it seemed like the longest week ever! I had a lot of time to think about the
what-ifs…not even going to revisit them to write them out for you! Needless to say, I lost my positivity at
times and was scared about what could happen.
It was wonderful to be able to talk this through with Dom though and
share how we were feeling about the procedure this time. Dom was excited at getting his bone flap back, he couldn't wait to look and feel 'normal' again.
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| An excited Dom before the operation - September 18. |
When they took Dom to go through for the
operation there were lots of tears…from me…and kisses from Dom to stop the
tears! Turns out there was no need for
the tears, he was fine! He gave Mo (neurosurgeon) a
thumbs up in recovery and asked for me to be called as soon as he was
transferred to the HDU in 4 South. Apart
from feeling sleepy he was great! He had
a chat with me and my brother, then with his parents, brother and sister-in-law
when they arrived, then my mum when she arrived. He was all settled and asleep when I left for
the night…nothing like deja vu walking out of the room that night! But it was nicer to leave knowing he was communicating normally and that it would only be a short stay.
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| Dom in HDU after the operation. (Not impressed with me taking a photo!) |
On September 19 Dom was moved to the ward in
4 South and on September 20 I was able to bring Dom home.
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| Smiling once again - September 20. |
He was feeling pretty good, good enough that we were able to go to his cousin's 18th on September 21! Something Dom and I both didn't want to miss. Dom had already missed three of his cousin's 21st birthdays because of the stroke and he was determined to not miss another milestone birthday! He was more fatigued than normal for about 5
days after the procedure, but now he’s as good as new! In fact, today (Nov 18) was Dom's follow up consultation with Neurosurgeon John Laidlaw at RMH. John was impressed with Dom's overall recovery and from a neurosurg perspective Dom is healing well and so John has discharged Dom to the Neurology team...so one specialist is now off the list!
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| Bronte's 18th - September 21. |
We have had a lot of appointments in the past three months! September 12 was the first follow-up
appointment with the Neurologists at RMH.
We saw Dr Bruce Campbell. Dom
remembered seeing him during his initial few days in HDU after his first
surgery, so he was excited to be able to have a chat about what happened to him
and where to go from here. We will have
another follow up appointment with the Neurologists in January 2015 Dom has an MRI/MRV in December to see what, if any, brain damage has
occurred and what the clot size is…if it’s still there. In the mean time Dom is still on Warfarin to
keep his blood thinner so it takes longer to clot.
Dom has also seen a Haematologist to look into the possibility of a genetic predisposition to clotting. After a blood test it turns out Dom is one of the 3 - 4% of the world's population that is more susceptible to clotting that the rest of us. This is something that was passed down from one of his parents and many people with this condition live a perfectly happy, healthy life without knowing about this condition. However, in Dom's case, this was a contributing factor to him having a stroke. Almost like all the planets aligning...for Dom several factors were in place at the one time resulting in a clot and stroke. All of these factors are being individually explored to put preventative measures in place. And so, due to this genetic tendency to clot, the haematologist has recommended, very strongly, that Dom continue to take Warfarin in order to prevent his blood from clotting again. Won't argue with that suggestion! So fortnightly blood tests to determine Dom's INR are now the norm for us.
We have also been seeing an Endocrinologist to investigate Dom's mild osteoporotic diagnosis, discovered after an x-ray confirmed a compression fracture of his L1 vertebrae which lead to a bone density test revealing the osteoporosis. Dom will receive medication on December 19 through an IV which will try to halt the osteoporosis and possibly reverse the low bone density Dom has. This IV treatment will happen once every 12 months for 2 - 3 years and, hopefully, by then his bone density will have improved.
The compression fracture in his L1 has been causing Dom quite a bit of pain so we have been going to Elyas at Optimum Function in Truganina. Elyas is very knowledgable in the impact stroke can have on the body and of course what the L1 fracture was impacting on including Dom's range of movement and also his posture. Dom is now a regular client of Elyas and after only two weeks of consultations we are already seeing immense improvements!
Dom returned to work - full-time from home in November. This was successful and he has been able to complete full days without experiencing ridiculous amounts of fatigue. His stamina for daily activities has improved. On Thursday December 4, Dom returned to work in the Melbourne office. He caught the train to and from work and worked a full day! I was nervous and anxious! I went with Dom to Melbourne for the day. I needed to, for me. The last time I said goodbye to Dom before he went to work in Melbourne, he didn't come home for three weeks! It was an emotional day for me. I am so proud of Dom for how far he has come in his recovery. I am inspired by his determination to get past the stroke and get on with life. Despite working the whole day, and travelling on the train as well, you couldn't wipe the smile off Dom's face that evening. He was excited that he had done it, that he could do it, and was looking forward to the next time he could get back to the office to work. Meanwhile I was exhausted....lots of window shopping between Melbourne Central to Collins Street...Emporium is amazing!
The appointments are still coming in and we
are still juggling the calendar but we are grateful that we have the
opportunity to do that and often think of the other scenarios we could be facing instead of this one…it could be so much worse and for many stroke survivors it
is so much more challenging than what it is for Dom & I. If that’s you then please hang in
there…visualise the light at the end of the tunnel and enjoy the small
pleasures in life, especially when Melbourne gets a rare visit from the sun to
brighten your day; like on a weekend a few weeks ago where we spent Sunday at the State Rose Garden Show!
We look forward to celebrating Christmas with our friends and family. We are grateful for the second chance at life we have now got and won't take it for granted. However, bring on a happier & healthier 2015 please!
