HighfieldSeasider
Well-known member
No, you plonkers, not the football team, the hospital.....
On Boxing Day our lives suddenly changed, at the age of 34, Emma, my partner of 10 years and mother of our 2 young children suffered a brain hemorrhage and stroke at home in South Shore.
One minute she was absolutely fine, we had been putting the kids toys away and were preparing for some family and friends to come round to watch the match. Out of nowhere she said she didn't feel right, she was hot, had a headache and felt sick. I managed to help her from the bathroom to the bed, she felt like she was going to collapse and her left side felt weak, thats when I noticed her lip drooping on the left side. In the agonising 45 minute wait for an ambulance she deteriorated to the point she couldn't move or speak and at one point I honestly thought we had lost her.
We were taken to Blackpool Vic where they placed her into an induced coma and a CT scan confirmed a large bleed on the brain and blood clot. She was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital for emergency surgery on her brain, she was in theatre for over 5 hours to remove the clot and drain the bleed and taken to Critical Care. After a very scary 2 days the pressure in her skull was too much so she was rushed to theatre again for an emergency craniectomy, part of her skull was removed to give her brain room to swell.
2 attempts were made to wake her from the coma but she had setbacks that meant they had to increase the sedation but on day 9 all sedation was turned off and she gradually awoke from the coma. There were more setbacks, she had a Tracheotomy as she couldn't breathe on her own, cough or swallow and had several apneic episodes. But she has slowly improved, communicating first by tapping her fingers etc, then mouthing words, followed by writing on a whiteboard, she can briefly speak when the tracheostomy tubes are capped during physio.
We've got a very long road ahead of us, Emma has limited movement on her left side, but the consultants and physios are confident this will improve over time and she will need another surgery to replace part of her skull, but we're definitely on the right track. The next step is getting the tracheostomy tubes removed so she can start speaking properly, drinking and eating then onto her rehabilitation.
Today, day 27, she has finally been moved off Critical Care onto a Neurology ward which feels like a huge milestone. I've been waiting for this day to admit that the best thing in Preston isn't infact the M55 back to Blackpool like I have always thought, but Royal Preston Hospital and the incredible Surgeons, Consultants, Nurses and other staff that have saved Emma's life and have kept her alive for the last 27 days
On Boxing Day our lives suddenly changed, at the age of 34, Emma, my partner of 10 years and mother of our 2 young children suffered a brain hemorrhage and stroke at home in South Shore.
One minute she was absolutely fine, we had been putting the kids toys away and were preparing for some family and friends to come round to watch the match. Out of nowhere she said she didn't feel right, she was hot, had a headache and felt sick. I managed to help her from the bathroom to the bed, she felt like she was going to collapse and her left side felt weak, thats when I noticed her lip drooping on the left side. In the agonising 45 minute wait for an ambulance she deteriorated to the point she couldn't move or speak and at one point I honestly thought we had lost her.
We were taken to Blackpool Vic where they placed her into an induced coma and a CT scan confirmed a large bleed on the brain and blood clot. She was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital for emergency surgery on her brain, she was in theatre for over 5 hours to remove the clot and drain the bleed and taken to Critical Care. After a very scary 2 days the pressure in her skull was too much so she was rushed to theatre again for an emergency craniectomy, part of her skull was removed to give her brain room to swell.
2 attempts were made to wake her from the coma but she had setbacks that meant they had to increase the sedation but on day 9 all sedation was turned off and she gradually awoke from the coma. There were more setbacks, she had a Tracheotomy as she couldn't breathe on her own, cough or swallow and had several apneic episodes. But she has slowly improved, communicating first by tapping her fingers etc, then mouthing words, followed by writing on a whiteboard, she can briefly speak when the tracheostomy tubes are capped during physio.
We've got a very long road ahead of us, Emma has limited movement on her left side, but the consultants and physios are confident this will improve over time and she will need another surgery to replace part of her skull, but we're definitely on the right track. The next step is getting the tracheostomy tubes removed so she can start speaking properly, drinking and eating then onto her rehabilitation.
Today, day 27, she has finally been moved off Critical Care onto a Neurology ward which feels like a huge milestone. I've been waiting for this day to admit that the best thing in Preston isn't infact the M55 back to Blackpool like I have always thought, but Royal Preston Hospital and the incredible Surgeons, Consultants, Nurses and other staff that have saved Emma's life and have kept her alive for the last 27 days
Saw your mum in The Corner Flag last Saturday, hope she passed on mine and AG’s well wishes 
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