Arriving at GOSH.

So, this is the world-famous Great Ormond Street Hospital.
I never thought I’d be here with one of my children, does this mean things are really bad?

 

We arrived late at night, the paramedics unloaded all of their equipment and rolled Noah off on the trolley. Because of Noah’s suspected condition, VGM, the medics were prepared for the worst. We rolled up to the front doors, and buzzed to be allowed in.
I was desperate for the toilet!
As soon as the door opened I ran in and did my business. Luckily the toilets weren’t that far away.
Everyone waiting for me in the lobby and we headed to the ward. Up the lift to level 5, along the corridor to Koala ward.

The Koala ward is a neuro specialist ward. From brain surgeries to kids having their skull corrected. We entered the ward after being buzzed in, and was greeted by a nurse. She led the way to an empty bed space and they had a handover. I was amazed by this hospital already. The cleanliness, the lighting, the decor, literally everything! I had a look around. There were 3 other kids in the room filling it up. We were in the high dependency part of the ward, a nurse to two patients. The nurse left to get us a coffee and said that a doctor would come to visit us soon.

The doctor came in running gear. I guess she was on call and came out especially for us. She did a few reflex tests and other things that they do. She said that she’ll be back in the morning and we’ll be having an MRI first thing.

One parent can stay overnight, leaving me wondering where I’m going to go! I didn’t have any money on me, petrified that the hotels were going to cost a fortune, and without a time frame of how long we’re going to be in London for, I was shitting myself!

 

A nurse saw me sitting outside the ward on a chair, she asked if I was the dad from the family that had just arrived. After a little chat, she went off and came back with a couple of blankets and a pillow. I put a few chairs together, sent Liv a text saying how much I love her and not to worry, then got my head down for a busy day ahead.

Before I know it the room I was sleeping in filled with other parents, visitors and staff. I hope I wasn’t snoring or chatting to myself for too long. I made a cup of coffee for Liv and a tea for myself and headed back to the ward. I gave Noah a long sloppy kiss and a kiss for Liv too. The ward was busy this morning, doctors doing the ward-round, parents coming in, receptionists, cleaners and all the other essential members of staff turning up to work. The doctors came to Noah and reassured us that the MRI will be this morning.

The Turtle Imaging Suite was ready for us. This is where MRI and CTs are done. It’s a beautiful ward, with water being projected onto the floor with fish and turtles swimming around. We had a chat with the radiography technician and emptied our pockets into a locker. Liv fed Noah to made him all comfy and wrapped him in a blanket and carried him through. Liv placed him down on the long bench which feeds under the huge machine. We were given headphones to put on and a little pair for Noah too. The scan took about 45 minutes. I couldn’t believe that Noah slept for the whole time! We headed back to the ward and waited for whatever happens next.

 

Later that day, the doctor and specialist nurse came to see us with the results. We went into a quiet family room just off the ward. I held Liv’s hand on the way and whispered “It’s not our fault, we can’t blame each other for whatever happens”.
It was good news! It wasn’t a VGM, similar but not as dangerous. Basically, the Vein of Galen is a vein that runs through the brain, making it extremely dangerous to operate on. Noah had a malformation, but on a vein outside the brain, inside the skull, making it easier. The MRI showed that Noah had already started to clot the connections himself, so we were asked to stay at GOSH for another few days for Noah to be monitored then to come back in 2 weeks time for another MRI to see if Noah is still working to fix the issue himself, or if he’ll need an operation to help him along.
What a relief! After being rushed to London in an ambulance to being allowed to go home in just a few days, without any treatment.

 

That day I went downstairs to the patient services to try and get some accomodation for the next few days. I couldn’t believe it, I was given a room at a house around the corner. This was provided by a charity called The Sick Children’s Trust. (www.sickchildrenstrust.co.uk)
The house was beautiful and manager, well, she’s amazing! Tina, on the chance that you read this, thank you so much for being a shoulder to cry on and such a joyful person to have a laugh with.
Going back to the house was one of the hardest parts of my day. I’m leaving my son and Liv to spend times with just my thoughts.

5 days later we left hospital in high spirits. Not knowing that bad news was just around the corner.