How easy life would be, if everybody was just like me. – Sounds like the first line of a poem, or, maybe, a song, right? I said that once to a colleague after a long and stressful conversation at work. Second line: If everybody was just like me there would be – no nasty discussions, or surprises, no cold aggression, in disguise. Life would be easy. For me. Then I said: on second thought, better leave things as they are and get on with people. They add colour to life and to the world with all their different moods, characters, and whatever else. It’s a little bit harder, and sometimes you have to bite your tongue, but: that’s life.
I’ve been thinking about this conversation (and the first lines of this song) because never in my life before have I been so dependent on so many different people in such a short space of time. Literally putting my son’s life into their hands. I question what friends are doing, how colleagues react, and wonder whether I can depend on what they are telling me – usually about some really inconsequential nonsense. And here we are trusting complete strangers with our child’s life.
Tomorrow will be another one of these days of utter and complete trust as Pádraig will have yet another operation on his chest and lung. The third within the space of a little more than one week. Again, all routine stuff. They are going to remove encapsulated fluids and other ‘stuff’ from his lung that doesn’t belong there, and then, as a precaution and preventative measure, they are going to perform a pleurodesis, carrying out a thoractomy (opening the chest), followed by a pleurectomy (taking out outer pleural lining), so that the lung will adhere to the chest wall during healing.
All a bit complicated. If it works out as planned, it’ll help Pádraig to concentrate again on early rehab activities. We all hope, pray, and think that it will.
Die Ärzte, Männer sind Schweine (1998). This is not the UKE Männergesangsverein, but what the Germans call a ‘Punk’ Band…
What’s hot
Visit to Pádraig – a nurse today said that she had not experienced anything like it in her whole long career.
What’s cold
Care-less-ness
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Blind vertrauen
#caringforPadraig
web: http://www.caringforPadraig.org
Hospi-Tales 
We have to trust. They are professionals they by sure know the right thing to do. And it will be alright you will see!! abrazos y besos
Hello, Reinhard. Yet another mountain to climb. Pádraig will be very much in my thoughts and prayers tomorrow (but sure what’s new?). I wish you all the strength you will need. That sentence can actually be read two ways, as you will note, and I mean it both ways. All the very best, Louise.
Wow this sounds like it’ll be a very rough ride for him indeed.!!
Is his body, so beaten up of late by all this “routine” botching and patching and draining etc etc, really up to the OPENING of his chest ???
I’m flabbergasted. Are these people UP to this work?? Granted, they’re only human, but so is Padraig…
I fear for their compotence to manage him through this, given their record to date..
This Trust, this is such a BIG ask of ye, of us. Do these medics appreciate this???
Put them before their responsibilities as best you can: ask them about your trust and the inevitable doubts that lurk in their bold proposal. I hope they’re not engaging in a panic manoeuvre to make one ‘final solution’ attack on Padraig’s lung problems or be damned ..
It is just so mega a strategy!
I’m appalled, afraid, distrustful, incredulous, but yours is the say (if indeed it is!), not mine.
Now for me’s the time for praying..
Sorry ’bout this. I’m a doubting Thomas now, even for German doctors, good and dedicated and all as they are. He really is in their hands now. I hope they are blesst with all the giftedness God can give.
Amen
All my love to him and ye.
Seos
keeping fingers crossed!!!
Dear Reinhard and Pat,
I have followed with great concern and disquiet the nightmare that is your lives since your beloved son Padraig was knocked from his bike over six months ago.
I cannot express how much I feel for you Your situation is any parent’s worst nightmare. The roller coaster feelings of hope,and perhaps of occasional private despair, is unspeakable.
I just want to send you my very best wishes and admiration. Padraig is fighting an epic battle and you are fighting a similar one on his behalf with enormous dignity and tenacity. Fight on. You will find the strength, despite moments of understandable utter exhaustion.
Rosemary (Graham)
Thank you for your message, Rosemary. Just waiting to see Pádraig after his operation which, we were told, went well. Never thought that we would be happy sitting in the waiting area of an ICU just two hours from midnight after a very long day. – Reinhard
Dear Reinhard,
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Please forgive me for having intruded in such a private and personal time of your lives but I very much wanted you to know that my thoughts are with you now, have been from the beginning, and will continue to be.
Best wishes,
Rosemary