Our Story by Paula
When we arrived at Yorkhill we went straight to Intensive Care which was, luckily, right next to A&E where we had come in. We pressed the buzzer and were told to go into the small waiting room because they were just settling Cameron in. We waited for what felt like hours but was probably about half an hour. Enough time to realise that at a time like that nothing in any glossy magazine is interesting!
I went out to ask someone if they knew what was going on and was told we could see him. They explained that he was connected to monitors and infusions and all sorts of things but just to ignore them and look at Cameron, not easy! Space was very limited and we felt as though we were in the way every time the nurse wanted to do something. She told us not to be daft that if we were in the way she would tell us. By this time both Scott and I felt a little less anxious. Having been told a few hours earlier that he might not make it as far as Glasgow we were beginning to have a little more hope that he might just pull through.
That evening is a complete blur. I know that we stayed the night in a room in the cardiac ward, 5A. I know that my friends Karen & Anne came up as well as Alistair, Scott’s brother. Neither of us had a good sleep. Every time I drifted off I woke with a start and began to cry. We were up early next morning and straight down to Intensive Care to see Cameron. The nurse told us that the Consultant would be in to see us soon.
Dr Houston, the Cardiac Consultant at Yorkhill took us into the waiting room with one of the intensive care nurses. He explained as basically as he could what Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome is and what could be done for him surgically. He also gave us statistics on children’s survival with this condition. At this stage he was giving us a 50:50 chance of Cameron surviving the operation, but there was still the chance of other problems occurring. He then explained that we now had to make a decision on whether we were willing to put Cameron forward for surgery. Being told that we had a choice to make came as a shock. We were told that we could take Cameron home and allow him to pass away. This was not an option that Scott or I would consider, Cameron was fighting for his life and we had to give that chance.
When we next spoke to Dr Houston we told him we wanted to give Cameron every chance we could. We knew the risks involved and were willing to live with the outcome of his operation no matter what that was. As parents we were not willing to just give up without a fight. Dr Houston then contacted the surgeons in Birmingham who said they would be willing to take Cameron as long as a bed was available in intensive care.
Later that day the Cardiac Liaison Sister, Sheila, came to see us. She helped us to think about the practicalities of our situation. She arranged a sick line for Scott with his doctor, arranged our flights to Birmingham for the next day and made sure we had thought about what we were doing. This helped make things a bit clearer in our heads as we had found thinking about the mundane basics of day to day life during the previous few days impossible.
