Transferred to Lewisham for surgery

Abigail was transferred yesterday from the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Woolwich to Lewisham hospital in preparation for surgery to correct her reflux and feeding problems. Although it’s highly likely that Abby will return to the QE in the future – even if it’s just for recuperation from the surgery – it was difficult to say goodbye to the nursing staff yesterday. They have been absolutely fantastic in their care for Abby and have often told us of how they all ‘fight’ to look after her at the beginning of shifts!

Nix spent most of yesterday afternoon at Lewisham settling Abby in. Initially she was on an open ward but a consultant later said that we’d spent enough time in hospitals in the last five months and so she was moved to a large private room. Nix had a confusing conversation with a registrar who seemed to imply that the surgery was not definite, citing other ‘medication options’. This was a bit discouraging given that many other options have been tried and none have worked.

Once Nix spoke to the consultant in charge of Abby he seemed more encouraging, saying that he thought surgery would be required. Unfortunately, Lewisham hospital have decided they want to repeat some of the tests to check for reflux that have already been performed at the QE. This means that Abby will not now undergo surgery until a week on Monday (23rd). This is quite frustrating as most of the necessary tests to check for severe reflux have already been performed and they all pointed decisively to the need for surgery. Also, it means another week spent at a different hospital that’s more difficult for us to get to.