Christmas 2010

The build up for Christmas 2010...

Jaime helping with the decorations.  I had to hide all the really nice ones this year round.  Not to bad has we had fun creating decorations out of paper, colours and glue!  Check out the green train at the bottom..

Merry Christmas!

Christmas eve...

The afternoon nap.  I left Jaime reading his book and came back half hour later to him passed out under it!

Christmas Eve with Dad - just before mass

Jaime left with Avo for Midnight mass early to squeeze in a practice.  He participated in the navity play as an angel along side Rafael.  However Mr Jaime decided wearing an angel dress and halo was just too much to ask.  Instead he much preferred playing around with Rafaels.  Ili and I were very proud parents watching Jaime in his jeans and t shirt singing (doing all the actions) to baby Jesus. No pics unfortunately ;-(

 Christmas Day - opening some of his gifts

Jaime opening Buzz

Opening his new airport.... check his face!

His two new racers...

Thank you pic with Avo Antonio

His two Avo's

Big hug for Avo Tony

Running around with his new best friend - Woody

Zoo with Avo

December holidays - time to spend time with your cuzzies!  Tiago, Rafael, Jaime Avo, Avo and myself visited Johannesburg Zoo.

The boys

Hanging around

My Boy!

Sitting on the rock watching the female elephant pull grass off its head.  Reason for it being on her head is to protect her food from the male elephant.

Max the Gorilla - most famous gorilla in SA!

Golf Day

Jaime got a set of golf clubs so that he could spend some quality time with Avo.  Well Avo is not quite ready to play Golf but Jaime sure was....

The Golf clubs go flying and pushing the bag rates far higher

Choosing a spot

Placing the ball

Taking the shot

Little coaching from Dad

The concentration

The frustration

The pure pleasure of a good shot

Post op

Dad in ICU

Back in Executive room sitting outside with us

The staples

Dad came home on the 4 December 2010.  Follow his progress on http://www.mylifewithpd.weebly.com/

The Day of the op

Tuesday the 22nd November

Waiting to go into theater

Anethetist and Dr Slabbert (the surgeon)

So they wheeled him into the first floor theater hall to prep around 7:30am. Dad was in good spirits and ready for the day. Fifteen minutes later they wheeled him out for CT scans located on the second floor with his Ironman headgear all attached.


CT scan was quick and before we knew it he was back in theater. As the doors closed in front of us we all realized that we would not see him for the next 12 hours and that all our faith and trust laid with the nurses and doctors that Dad had been joking with fifteen minutes earlier.

Throughout the day they called us to give updates. From installing the sensors on the left side of the brain then on the right all while staying awake to monitor Dad's movements. Then back out for more CT scans where we once again got to see Dad. He was still upbeat and joking around. We could see the incision but for some reason Dad's optimism dwarfed the shock of seeing it. Once again they rolled him into theater for one last session.

Hour and a half to install the battery in his chest and to attach the cable that ran behind the right ear and it was all done. This time they knock him out!

We were all in the waiting room when a nurse popped her head around the corner to say the op is over and that doctor wants to talk with us. We followed her to meet the doc who had just emerged out of theater. He removed his face mask and gloves and said the op is a success!!

He explained what to expect the next few days and then calmly walked back to wrap things up.

We then moved onto waiting outside ICU. Mom and Anthony went in first for a few minutes, came out and said Dad was wicked groggy. Rose and Ili were next and Dad was still joking around, this time explaining to them that the baby had been delivered... Share some of them good meds nurse! anyway...
I went in next on my own. We spoke for a few minutes. He wanted to show me how he had stopped shaking and could move his hand in a way that he had not been able to for a long time. Doc had explained to us earlier that this would not last and that before long the tremor would return. It's at this point that they start up the stimulators to obtain the same result as what I had just seen. Its a process that can take up to six months so get the optimal efficiency!
I can't wait to see him walking tomorrow!
Well done Dad, Doctors and Nurses!
(Written by Tio Peter)

Dad DBS - Day 2

Day 2 - Monday

Dad had some testing done today - MRI and few others

Dad

Kids playing on the neighbouring bed

Markings were made on the face and head so that the Dr's knew where to put the metal casing to hold the head steady.

Video was also taken so that the progress from before to after can be measured.

The day before the op was spent in the "Executive lounge".  A complete room with flat screen TV, couches, Fridge, kitchen, bathroom with jacuzzi bath and sauna shower!  The Dr likes the patients to feel relaxed prior to the op.



Dads PD op

We arried home Thursday to the news that Dad was going in on Sunday for his DBS (Deep Brain Surgery) on Tuesday!  This is fantastic news as we were expecting the op only to happen next year. 

Dad has been suffering with PD for almost 22 years now.  So to hear that this op will give him some relief from his symptoms is a complete blessing.

The night before going in Dad had to prep his head...ie get rid of all the hair. 

Ili had the honours

Mom supervising..

Thumbs up for the next week!

Goodbye USA

After 3 weeks of planes, trains and automobiles we were quite happy to catch our final LONG flight home.  Left the hotel early hoping to check in first have a big breakfast and chill!

We arrived 3.5 hours early for the flight.  The counters were not open yet - great!  Literally squatting by the couters was this huge group of South Africans.  They came to the US 8 mths prior to work at a travelling carnival.  They were all excited to hear our accents and overly excited to catch the plane home.  Ili and I were remined of what teh true South AFrican was like lol

Ili waiting in the line to check in

Jaime in the naughty corner! 

Shame the poor guy was so restricted, hungry and bored thet he got a little out of hand.  Lucky for us the check in commenced and we were able to go through security (mission) and have breakfast!

Onward to SA!

New York - last nite in USA

17 November - we leave NC for NY.  We decided to fly a day earlier to NY so that our 24 hour trip was split over two days and of course less stressful.  We fly for SA tomorrow. 


We arrive in NY late arvie - exhausted to a extremely windy and COLD NY.  We had lunch/dinner in the restaurant down stairs and spent teh evening in bed watching movies.

View from our hotel room

You may ask "why stay in teh hotel room when in NY city???"  well the area we stayed had more bars and alarm systems than SA does so we decided we would stay home and deal with "SA" tomorrow.

Our vampire....

Raleigh Downtown

The day we decide to visit Downtown Raleigh is the day that it pours with rain.  So walking around town was completely out of the question!  We did however manage to find an indoor Childrens museum - awesome!

Play area 1 - Everyday life

The cars and roads

Abulance and Fire trucks

The Abulance was open at the back with all the ambulance accessories!   Loads of fun!

There was an area for shopping, baking, planting veggies...

Jaime helping mom pic fresh vegies for dinner

The second play area was under water..

Pirate ship with all accessories and dress up.  Including brooms!

The submarine

 Play area 4 building stuff... Our first stop the car mechanic...

Ili and Jaime placing their newly built cars on the race track

Jaime waiting for his car

 Home depot...all drills, hammers, screws wood

Other areas included a fashion dress making and runway set up, drawing pads, paper planes etc

 Play area 5: how to save money.  This whole section was filled with fun things to do to make money.  Eg pizza making and selling.  Pushing balls through this huge suction (below) make it land in the bank and save save save. 

There was one that linked to a huge piggy bank on the roof.  Once there are too many balls the pig will lean resulting in a shower of plastic money balls. (lets not analyse the falling balls)

We ended the day watching an IMAX video.  Animal something or other.  Very funny creation displaying animals in the wild with an added sing along - Ili had a good nap lol

I leave Jaime with Dad for 10minutes while I shower and the boy gets CHOCOLATE!!  I ask what about teh fresh veggies we picked?????