The Coffee Date
And so I’m back!
It’s been a long few months!
Actually it’s been exactly 7.5 months since I wrote anything new on this blog.
The most anticipated day since Charlie was born is now actually in the past. We are POST Transplant!!!
It feels good to write that… POST TRANSPLANT…
But, as the dramatic crescendo of my life came and passed and the adrenaline started wearing off I found my self, somewhat unexpectedly, down and unmotivated, hence my hiatus.
So today feels like a good day to come back and start doing the things I love.
If you haven’t had a chance to catch up with me for a coffee and catch up on all the things happening in my life post transplant I thought I take you out on this virtual coffee date on my blog.
If you're hanging to have a real coffee, then keep reading to the end for instructions on how to win a Hudsons Coffee date for you and a friend.
Other then the transplant here is a snap shot of what’s been going on behind the scenes.
I always imagined the exhilaration of life after Charlies’ transplant but in reality I felt exhausted, empty, scared, worried and sad.
To be VERY CLEAR I’m happy we are on this side of the transplant. Charlie is happy, healthy and thriving. But, I wish there was a self help book of some kind to tell you all the stages of “emotional state” that follow unimaginable life changing events.
I have all the baby books every new parent buys, the “What to expect when you are expecting”, “What to expect the first year” and “The Wonder Years”….. but I can not relate to any of them. I wished for a “What to expect: your child's transplant pre and post”…
As soon as we came home from hospital Charlie was a new kid. I went to that hospital with a sick baby and came home with a rambunctious little boy. I didn’t even get a chance to catch my breath and we were already thrown into new routines. For the first time I was standing in front of the fridge thinking what do I give this kid to eat, it didn’t help he was on steroids which made his appetite insatiable. He went from 3-4 naps a day to one or none. By the third week out of hospital he was moving around on his own.
Most parents are eased into the transitions their child makes from baby to toddler. But we were faced with a rapid catch up with no time to let it all sink in and digest.
Just for comparison 4 months post transplant, at 21 months of age, we were told the very happy news - “Charlie is back on the measurement charts, he is officially sitting on the 3rd percentile for his age”. By the following month we were just above the 15th Percentile line.
And then we ended up back in hospital because Charlie's Liver Function Tests (LFTs) spiked. After two weeks in hospital and two biopsies it was determined that he had an unidentified virus which seemed to go away with a 5 day IV course of antibiotics.
For Andrew and I, it has been a fine line to learn and juggle our fears. The constant thread of though “is this normal or is it a sign of rejection”.
I think we are slowly coming to a happy medium between it’s nothing and disaster mode.
We finally went away on our first Family holiday in November. It was disaster free!!
I went back to work on December 1.
The new normal is slowly thrusting it self into our life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you too have had an extraordinary 2015 or you just need a relaxing few hours to catch up with your best friend then you are in luck!!
To kick off 2016 on a good note, I’m offering one lucky reader the chance to win a $20 Hudsons Coffee voucher.
All you need to do is:
Comment below, I would love to haer afrom you about your 2015 year.
Can't wait to hear from you!!