Freedom!

I'd barely sat down in the chair outside the x-ray room and Harrison was out again. It wasn't the case in the echo department though. Bernard timed his entrance perfectly this morning. We were leaving Harrison's room to go to the echo department as he turned up with a coffee for me. We both followed Harrison and the porter over to the other part of the hospital to wait his turn. As it was so warm on Paul Wood ward and in x-ray, it didn't cross my mind that it might not be the same in other areas. Fortunately, Bernard hadn't had time to take his jumper off so he put it on Harrison. He'd been waiting in the chilly corridor for over 20 minutes and nobody had been called from the packed waiting room. Bernard to the rescue and 10 minutes later Harrison was settling himself on the bed next to the echo scanner. The doctor conducted a very thorough review of Harrison's heart taking lots of images, measurements and pressure readings. 

The new valve in the centre of the screen

On our way back to the ward we saw another paediatric consultant who joined the Brompton team as a Registrar at the time of Harrison's last open heart surgery in 2009. She stopped to chat with us to find out why we were there. She had observed part of Harrison's procedure yesterday, not realising that it was him on the table! She commented on how proud Dr Rigby was in completing the procedure so quickly. 

As you might expect, it was fish for lunch today and then we had a visit from the doctors for dessert. 

The x-ray and the echo both looked as good as they could so Harrison could go home! The only concern the staff had was his continued low blood pressure. After a couple of repeat readings and specific questions to Harrison (not that he was going to own up to anything other than feeling fine at this stage!) they collectively decided that this was his normal and agreed to discharge him.

It didn't take me long to pack! 

He'll be on aspirin in addition to his other medications for the next 6 months and we need to be aware of signs of infection in the valve. He'll be back at the Brompton for a repeat echo and outpatient appointment in 6 weeks and then 3 months. 

I've noticed that since yesterday, Harrison has been asking lots more intelligent questions and contributing meaningfully to conversations on current news events. It makes me realise just how tired he must have been feeling for so long, yet he did his best to carry on as normal. 

Harrison couldn't wait to get out 

and then slept the vast majority of the two hour journey home missing this lovely view as we crossed the bridge to Battersea. 

We arrived home just after 6:30pm and are all looking forward to a quiet, uneventful weekend.