Bronwyn Parry

Another bulletin from your on-the-spot reporter, Gordon.

Is it really a whole week (almost to the hour) since Bronwyn was wheeled from the operating theatre recovery room into the Intensive Care Unit. And, whoosh, tomorrow they’ll be throwing her out into the street.

Bronwyn’s recovery has now extended to her getting the laptop out this afternoon, going for visits to the hospital cafés, and chatting up the male medical staff. I think she may now also have done a small amount of knitting.

Bronwyn still tires quickly though, so we’ll not be getting up to much over the coming days just hanging around that part of Sydney near the hospital. Bronwyn has to return to the hospital on December 28th (tentative date) for her stitches to be removed (though I guess I could offer to do that with my Swiss Army knife if they get busy). Then we’re out of here.

There’s not much more to add. I’ve taken to wandering into the Sydney CBD during the hospital quiet periods – and it’s a mad place to be at this time of year. We expect some rain tomorrow so, hopefully, the temperature will be lower than today’s 31 degC (88 degF).

I expect Bronwyn will be in a position to be emailing and blogging tomorrow, so you’ll hear from Herself soon.

All the latest news on the Bronwyn front. As reported by Gordon.

Bronwyn’s big step today was to be discharged from the Intensive Care Unit, and to be moved upstairs to the Neuro ward.

But before that, I tried my hand at being hair stylist. Bronwyn had had various parts of her scalp shaved such that sensors could be attached during the surgery last Thursday. The theatre staff, not worrying too much about such things, had left those clumps of shaved hair in situ to mat and felt into a messy tangle. I had said that she now looked like Londo Mollari from the Babylon 5 TV series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:B5_londo.jpg
She agreed.

I had a go at untangling said mass. Unfortunately this caused some pain as I pulled and tweaked, so I was only allowed to do one side of the scalp.

Then the time came to move upstairs some five levels in the hospital. Bronwyn was wheelchaired away (a lesser form of being whisked away) and then established in her new abode.

Later in the afternoon, her sister Andrea finished untangling the other side of her scalp so it now looks less Londo-like.

Bronwyn’s now beginning to get back online so you might see her appear in emails, or tweets, or blog comments, or even blogging.

We have no idea, as yet, as to how long Bronwyn might be kept in the hospital. I guess the correct answer is that she’ll be there until “they” decide she can go home. It also remains to be seen where she’ll go. Bronwyn now has an air pocket sealed into her skull. Altitude changes will cause issues due to pressure changes. She’s currently barred from flying, and we need to determine whether Armidale, being over 1000m (3300 feet) above sea level, is initially too high an altitude – I
wouldn’t expect so, but we need to check.

That’s it – bye for now.

Hi all, Gordon here again. Thanks for the very many comments and emails – I’ve passed the good wishes on to Bronwyn.

My overall impression is that Bronwyn’s now on the upwards slope to recovery. While her eyes were closed a lot today, she wasn’t sleeping as much. The neuro-surgeon had advised that surgery such as that which Bronwyn underwent, will cause tiredness – and that it’s to be expected.

Bronwyn’s still in the Intensive Care Unit, and as such is still receiving a high level of nursing attention – this means very regular observations and measurements being made, and slightly less frequent blood test being undertaken.

Another sign that recovery is happening is that Bronwyn’s interested in eating again. I know it’s a tough choice though. To eat hospital food? Or to not eat at all? Bronwyn asked her sister Andrea to bring some chocolate in, so we know that Bron’s mind is focussing on those important things in life.

Additionally, I made a couple of cups of Chai Tea for Bron. She drank both cups and commented on how wonderful they were. I think she said that because they were so much better than hospital tea, and not just because I made them for her.

Bronwyn also asked for her knitting to be brought in. I can’t see her getting to that just yet though, as she still has a few too many cables and tubes attached to her arms and hands to make knitting a workable pass-time.

It’s still on the cards that she might be transferred to the “normal” neuro ward tomorrow.

That’s it for now – thanks again for the many emails and messages. Please accept this as my, and Bronwyn’s, thanks.

As told by Gordon, your on-the-spot reporter…

As so it came to pass, the Big Day came and went.

Bronwyn has undergone her surgery to bypass her cerebral aneurism. It took 12 hours between entering the theatre suite at 7.30am, and arriving in Intensive Care at 7.30pm Thursday. A very big day.

I spent an hour with Bronwyn from between 8.30 and 9.30 pm yesterday, but she hadn’t recovered from the anaesthetic at that point, and was therefore pretty much out of it.

I phoned the hospital at 7am this morning, Friday, and spoke to the nurse who had looked after Bronwyn overnight. The nurse reported that all was well and that Bronwyn was “stable”.

The highlights of today were that this morning’s CT scan confirmed that all had gone well with the surgery and that there was no internal bleeding, and the blessed relief that Bronwyn got this afternoon when the staff removed the ventilator tube that was causing much discomfort passing through her mouth and throat.

Bronwyn’s still in some pain from the various incisions: one in her right leg where a vein was removed to be used for the bypass, and the incision from the base of her neck, above the right collarbone, up onto the top of her skull where the vein was inserted and where the skull was opened up to gain access to graft the vein to the artery to bypass the aneurism.

It all sounds a bit gory, but you have to admire the handiwork of the surgeons. Bronwyn jokingly asked the surgeon this evening what type of stitching he’d used but the surgeon, being a serious chap, gave her a professional answer (though I don’t recall exactly what he said).

So, in short, it’s looking good. I’ll post more news in a day or so.