Just been over to Wellington on the ferry to collect our car and after arriving back in Picton I’ve driven for 2 hours into the night. This thought kept running through my head. I was desperate to get home so I could write it down… Christmas, 1976 and it’s the Scouts and Guides Christmas party. […]

The trachie came out midday Tuesday. At11:15a.m. Wednesday morning as I was walking back to the hospital from Central Wellington I got a call to say Amanda was being flown back to Nelson in 45 minutes, at midday! I was 10 mins from Jess’ flat so rushed back, got my stuff and we both got […]

The brain drain came out on Thursday and Amanda has now been 4 days on the main neuro ward. I met with her medical team this morning ( well, they are lots of people’s ‘team’). This week’s plan is to remove the tracheotomy tube and start physio. By 11.30a.m. they had let down the balloon […]

Back from a literal 24 hr flying visit home organise a house sitter, see both our work colleagues and do some domestic admin stuff. As I walked into my work on Thursday morning the ICU nurse phoned to say Amanda would have the brain drain removed shortly and also be taken up to the general medical ward. […]

Amanda had a very brief session today with the physio who has been to see and assess her pretty much every day so far. He assessed her grip strength and the ability to move her left leg at the ankle and knee. He also noted her pupils look to the left. This is because her brain has ‘forgotten’ […]

A week after her massive brain bleed Amanda continues to make small steps each day. This is day 8 of having the breathing tube which the intensive care paramedic inserted on our kitchen floor. As a normal consequence she is at serious risk of acquiring  VAP – Ventilator Aquired Pneaumonia. As a precaution she is […]

Amanda is now able to open her eyes on command for very short periods, and she is ‘tracking’ which means her pupils can follow movement, but only to the ‘midline’, so from her far left to the point right in front of her nose. With a left-side brain bleed it’s likely she has no awareness […]

 Amanda remains in the ICU in Wellington Hospital after a massive brain bleed last Wednesday. The drain will remain in her head for a number of weeks until the fluid changes from blood red to a lighter cerebral fluid straw colour. On the scale used for levels of consciousness which is 3 to 15 (15 being […]

I phoned the kids (20 & 25) who both live in Wellington, told them what had happened and asked them to meet their mum at the hospital. They got there before her. I went home and tried to book the 7a.m flight the  next morning.  Thanks to a Guns ‘n’ Roses concert in the capital […]

Monday, 30th January 2017 was a Public Holiday in New Zealand. We had finished painting the inside of the window frames at the front of the house. The paint had dried and we were re-hanging the curtains. As Amanda reached up to fix a hook onto the track she winced. “Ow, I’ve just pulled a […]