Hi Everyone - I had hoped to write sooner but the days since we arrived in Sydney have flown. We have been back ten days which is also hard to believe. I am still to unpack my suitcase but the rest of the family are organised. We have only spent two days at Westmead Children's - the first day back to meet some of the doctors and nurses and have an orientation of the Oncology wing and then last Monday for a full day of treatment. It was an interesting day spent sitting in the clinic with many other children and their parents. All the children seemed to have a different type of illness and so no ones treatment is the same. It was fairly confronting and by the end of that long day I felt extremely drained. Georgie did really well and took most of it in her stride. We came home with a large brown paper bag of medicines - chemo drug, antibiotics, mouth washes etc.... and then the oncology nurse has made three house calls to administer her one of her daily doses of chemo using her porta cath. It is fantastic that Westmead have this service which saves us three trips to the hospital in a week for this next phase of treatment. This second phase lasts for 28 days. Daphne and Dianne are the two nurses and they are just wonderful.
Tomorrow we are out there for 7.30am as G has to have a general for a lumbar puncture - chemo to the brain and her other chemo drug. Not sure how long we shall be there. Each time you go they take a blood test to check her levels so we shall see how they are as to when she will have to go out for some more transfusions. So far she is doing very well. She is looking great. Still has alot of hair. Just shows how much she started with as it is everywhere all the time.
We went to the two public schools that we were able to choose between given our current address and we have decided to send the girls to Pymble Public School. Cate starts tomorrow and is so excited. We have bought uniforms and school shoes to great excitment and Georgie is also really wanting to go as well so we shall see how the beginning of the week goes. We are still deciding which class she will go into. Cate will be in Year 3.
We have been car shopping and house hunting...... one much easier than the other. Shall keep you posted there.
It is wonderful to be back with Jill and Dave and to have seen the aunts and uncles and cousins last weekend. We had a lovely play with the Smiths last Saturday afternoon and looking forward to catching up with other friends over the next few weeks.
We have to get our clocks into Sydney time as the bedtimes are alittle out of whack. Late to bed but sleeping in so it does feel like we are on holidays (sort of...).
Michael is enjoying spending time with all of us - Bruiser is keeping us all on our toes. What an understatement!
I am doing fine. Still does not feel like we are back to live but I am sure that will change as some regular activities start up ... school, work...
We are missing our Dhaka "family" and all our buddies in Singapore who all took such wonderful care of us and helped and supported us in so many ways. We so appreciated everything that you all did and feel so fortunate to have such wonderful friends in our lives.
Not sure if this will work but shall try to post then perhaps I will need to get further instructions again... Lots of love Sally
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Good to hear you are settling in and that Cate will be starting her new school. Should be pretty exciting for her and also fun since she will have a sort-of normal life :) I know my kids would love to go to school in Australia. Right now the options for us are wide and varied - Liberia? Kyrgyzstan? Bangladesh? Sweden? US? Exhausting. But enough about me/us. I'm sorry we can't grab a coffee or lunch at the Nordic Club so I can give you a hug, but just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteGot an email from Jo today - she is running for the School Board, so I have to go tonight to vote for her (unless there is a force majeure of course). I hope she gets in given the amount of effort she puts into the school and stuff...
As you can see, nothing much changes here - we are in a permanent time warp. One thing though to report via Christina - apparently she has been hanging out with Alexandra, Georgie's friend, and Alexandra told Christina that Georgie is her best friend in the world and that she may be too little to follow her to Australia now, but that when she grows up enough, she will come after her. Christina said that Georgie must be a really nice girl to have such a good friend in Alexandra. Thought I would share that with you, so show how important Georgie is to many people, and that she makes an impression even on those who don't know her so well. Anyway - I am rambling - so I will sign off ... Look after yourself and each other - smiles and happy thoughts from Dhaka