Friday 21 March 2008

omg!

omg!

no really...omg!! i have no idea how she copes...i mean, my daughter.
last night, must have been about 7.30pm i got a text from the son in law.
"great start to easter weekend. at hospital. liam has broken his arm."
aaarrrgghhh... nanna panic!
liam is the grandson who has the, as yet, still undiagnosed, thought to be...perhaps, maybe, nobody actually has the foggiest... mitachondrial disorder.
not that i blame the nhs, our boy has had almost every test one could imagine, no expense has been spared. the care he has been given...exemplary. he just does not fit any of the known genetic disorders.his paediatrician is wont to name it the liam s syndrome.
liam has spent quite a bit of his young life in hospitals, being poked, pricked and prodded. around doctors he often refuses to talk, which leads them to think he might be a bit delayed. my daughter assures them his speech is normal for his age...they tend to look on her with some pity...imagining her to be a horribly delusional mom.
until...
they produce a needle...hah...then they learn...silence was golden...liam's control of the english language is impeccable... and loud!

where was i...
evidently, liam was climbing something, i think the bunk bed, when he had a seizure. he fell badly and broke his right fore arm in two places. it was a bit of a mess. at first the docs thought they would have to operate and put in a plate. fortunately, under anesthetic, they managed to maneuver the bone back into alignment. he will have to have more xrays in a weeks time to verify that all is healing as it should.

i received an sos from the son in law, could i drive up to look after the other four youngsters (at this stage we were expecting an operation). i packed my over night bag and was about to sally forth on my rescue mission when s-i-l phoned and said ...
"the weather is sheit mom, i will manage fine tonight, perhaps you could come at the crack of dawn tomorrow. then i can be at the hospital with daughter and liam before the op."

i woke up at 4.00am this morning...oh yes...indeed. if anyone ever doubted my fortitude... well...hah...phoooey! takes about an hour and a half from my place to theirs. i was there in good time.
before he left for the hospital, son in law made me a special bowl of fruit salad for my breakfast... and a hot cross bun! man, that boy has style.
the kids were great,well behaved, helpful. we sneaked out to the chippy and i bought slap chips for our lunch. not perhaps the healthy alternative which daughter would have fed them... but hey man, what is a a granny for, if not to break the rules!

liam came home this afternoon, in a plaster cast from fingers to shoulder. he looked a little wan until his siblings crowded around oohing and aahing at his cast, his bravery etc, etc.

she never slept last night...my daughter. even with morphine, the boy was in so much pain.
i have no idea how she copes. sometimes heroism comes in small, blond packages.
i salute you my darling daughter.

6 comments:

Mike S said...

Somehow it's often the weekest looking among us who have the most strength. Sounds like young Liam has quite a tale with which to regale his mates for years to come. Glad all's as well as can be expected in such a situation.

Mike S said...

Sorry for the errors, my 'Spellcheck Kitties' are all watching 'Animal planet' on TV.

Unknown said...

Please send my love to Nikki & Ian. And to all the kids, with an extra hug for Liam. Nix must be the strongest & greatest mom I know :-)Love Tamxx
So enjoying your blog by the way. Maybe I should start one about Belgium..mmm..life amongst the rural Flemish potato farmers...doesn't sound that interesting - ha! ha!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Mom! I guess I had a good mother to learn from (not to mention come to the rescue whenever she's needed!).Thanks Tam! Nice to hear from you - love to you and all your family xxx. Love Nix.

Margo Moon said...

Broad swoops of our cowgirl hats to your strong, brave, daughter.

Hi, Liam! And Starr Ann says Hi!

Me. Here. Right now. said...

I'm so hoping that Liam's doctors find some way to give him relief or even better, a cure.

Your daughter is a tough cookie, I'm sure. I remember the summer that one child was paralyzed from the chest down, one developed tonic clonic seizures, and one fell out of a tree and broke his arm. Some days, I was sure I wasn't going to make it, but I did, and so did they. All good luck to the entire family.