LIVRO Dancing With Annie: Caring for a Survivor (English Edition) PDF Chris O’Malley

The 23rd of January 2014 will always be a profound date to both Annie and me. At the time I was working as a Social Work Team Manager in Child Protection, and awaiting a knee replacement. That day I had taken the morning off to see my consultant about surgery and Annie came with me. Little did we know that this was going to be such a traumatic day. My appointment was at 08:30, however the consultant failed to turn up so Annie and I left the hospital. I asked Annie if she would like a breakfast before I returned to work, this we did and then continued on our way home. On the way home something went through my mind, I don’t know what but I said to Annie that I was going to take the rest of the day off and do some work from home. At home we went through the usual daily routines. Annie had taken her car and had set out to visit our grandchildren, whilst I had settled down with the laptop to do some work. A few hours later Annie returned and I was making myself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Annie went to sit outside and asked for a coffee, as I was making her coffee she called from outside saying, I don’t feel very well. I went to see her. Immediately I could see that my Annie who was sitting in a chair was having a seizure. This was one of two that she had before the ambulance arrived. The wait for the ambulance was like an eternity as I sat on the patio cradling Annie in my arms and begging her to hang on. The rest of the story is like revisiting an old movie for the tenth time, where you can fast forward the majority of the film without spoiling the plot. At the hospital Annie had a scan and it was confirmed that she had a Subarachnoid Haemorrhage and the extent of the bleed was extensive. Annie was transferred to the University Hospital at 01.00 am and had emergency surgery to stem the bleeding. It was discovered that Annie had developed Hydrocephalus and an external shunt was fitted to drain away the excess fluid surrounding the brain, during this time, Annie remained in a coma and we sat holding hands by her side amongst the tangled confusion of wires and tubes and the sound of bleeps and buzzers that only seasoned visitors of an Intensive care Department could understand.