If you or a relative are diagnosed with having a cavernous angioma (also known as cavernous hemangioma, cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) and cavernoma) you may wish to visit http://www.angiomaalliance.org.uk. This site allows members to get in touch with and learn from each other. Reading other people’s stories makes you realise that you are not alone, as does attending their yearly conference which includes speeches and workshops by experts.
Years after tearing my anterior cruciate ligament in a skiing accident, then completely rupturing it while trampoling, I finally decided to have it repaired. I was at a stage where it was unstable even when I was walking the kids to school, and was swelling up for no reason I could think of. I could do very little sport.
The surgeon told me that I would be walking without crutches the following day, but this did not happen, and it acutally caused an argument between me and the nurses when they said I needed crutches and I was adamant I didn’t.
From my experience you should expect to be bandaged up and on crutches for a few days so it makes sense to do any jobs such as going in to the loft before you go in. I didn’t have any real pain, but expect not to be able to drive a car for atleast two weeks, so get any appointments and shopping done beforehand. Really, you need to have someone about who can fetch and carry for you for about 3 days, as you will not be able to crouch, twist or put weight on your graft site. It’s normal to be limping for many weeks after the operation, and it can take up to week 12 before you can straighten it properly. Also, you are not going to be able to walk downstairs properly for many weeks, so be aware if you have a baby or small child to carry. Its usual to lose some sensation around the long incision (see photo) and the scars will slowly fade. The most difficult thing is to be patient and not overdo things.
The best advise I can give is to find a physio who really understands ACL reconstruction and follow what he or she says to the letter right from the beginning. Expect to have to do LOTS of physio exercises. In the first instance it will be mostly related to range of movement and muscle tensing, and you’ll wish you could do more. By about week 9 the amount of strength work you do will be increasing to the extent that it is worth joining a gym if possible, or atleast investing in some weights. Most people find that they lost muscle during the first few days of the operation, so building muscle back up is ultra important. I found the best ways of doing this were weighted squats and leg presses. If you can regain both range of movement and muscle, you may be up to jogging by week 12.
In this video that may be useful when teaching QCA hisory unit 9, Alice remembers the Second World War. Alice, who lived in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, talks about evacuees, rationing, blackouts, bombings, what people ate in the war, and land girls.
(continued from Cerebral haemorhage due to rupture of cavernous haemogina - early days)
The next day she had a CT scan which confirmed a brain haemorrhage, and with a doctor and nurse, were sent off to a specialist hospital that had a dedicated ward, lights flashing and siren sometimes wailing. Once there, for the first time a doctor explained to us as much as he knew in plain English. He said she had hydrocephalus and would be in hospital to be observed a few days, but was in no immediate danger. James was so pleased he shook the doctor’s hand, and I could have kissed him.
Slowly Annie improved. She did vomit a lot though, but slowly this lessened and she was less sleepy. Her coma level slowly returned to 15 although her eyes still sunsetted. And she breast-fed again.
At that stage she was well enough to go home, but unfortunately this was delayed because Annie’s symptoms (such as blood on her retina) apparently were the same as if she had been maltreated e.g. shaken or beaten. Because of the blood in her brain at that time, there was no way that the doctors could see she had a cavernous haemogina. So we had to endure a skull x-ray, a skeletal survey and two days of being under suspicion of harming her. I was told I could not be alone with my own child, and that if I left the hospital with her, the police would be called and I risked having my other child taken from me as well as Annie. It was the worst time in our lives.
Confirmation that the haemorrhage had been caused by the rupture of a cavernous hemangioma was many months in coming, but very welcome on two counts. First, it wasn’t an aneurysm (which is worse) and secondly it at last put James and I in the clear.
The haemorrhage left Annie with a weakness in her right hand side, a squint, and fine and gross motor issues. We were lucky it wasn’t worse. She has a 1 in 5 chance of having another by the time she is 20 and this could range in severity from a tiny headache she is hardly aware of, to death. This means we are always worried that she might have another. Every morning I am relieved to hear her wake up. Possibly, she will have surgery when she is older to remove it.
Annie had a cerebral haemorrhage due to the rupture of a cavernous hemangioma when she was 5 weeks old. She nearly died and was in hospital for 10 days. The doctors did not know for a long time what the problem was. At 9 o’ clock in the morning she gave her first smile to James (my husband) but then she refused her feed, and started to cry. I remember telling James how hot she was, then very suddenly she stopped crying and lost her colour. Her eyes were only half open. I thought it was odd but maybe she had exhausted herself crying and had fallen asleep. I therefore put her in her bouncer and watched her over the next hour but wasn’t unduly worried until her colour and breathing worsened, and then I told James one of us would have to take her to the doctors straight away.
He took her, and I still didn’t realise it was serious until he phoned me 15 minutes later, and with his voice breaking said I should drop what I was doing, and leave for the hospital immediately. In hindsight I shouldn’t have driven myself, because I went far too fast and over virtually every kerb in my path, all the time saying please god, just let her be okay.
Apparently she had started fitting in the car and her temperature had dropped to just 33, and started laboured breathing.
When I saw her she was laid on a table looking tiny with an oxygen mask and woollen hat and aluminium foil on. breathing roughly. The doctor and nurse looked stony-faced and asked us what we had done to her. We didn’t know it then, but her symptoms were the same as a maltreated child. I thought I had somehow allowed her to get too cold until a different doctor in the high-dependency unit she was moved to said she suspected meningitis, and they would have to do a lumbar puncture (stick a long needle into her thin back).
Over the next few hours results started to come back, all negative. Annie’s temperature returned to normal but she was still unresponsive and sleepy. I didn’t realise how sick she had been until I overheard a doctor tell a colleague that on arrival Annie’s vital signs were such that she wasn’t expected to survive. I also overheard (and I admit I actually listened at a closed door I was so desperate for information) several doctors discussing her case. James had left when they mentioned words such as serious squint in right eye, haemorrhage, and brain damage and I remember spending a long night watching her instead of sleeping, imagining she was going to be blind and severely permanently brain damaged.
One of the best value canal boat day’s out is Pennine Cruisers of Skipton. We hired one of their larger boats in February, and as it was their winter rate, it cost us just £85 for up to 10 people.
The children loved helping to open and close the many swing bridges along the route, and the men enjoyed being captain for the day. One of the nicest parts though was mooring ourselves up near a pub for lunch. Such a peaceful and relaxing day with wonderful scenery. We all arrived home tired out!
Annie has a clicky hip. My sister-in-law was the one to pick up on it, then the paediatrician confirmed it with a simple systematic test in which Annie lay on her back with all bottom clothes off and had her hips maneovered.
The doctor asked if there was a family history of clicky hips and referred her for an x-ray to check for congenital dislocation. Basically, Annie had again to have her bottom half-undressed while I held her legs in two different positions.
It’s always best to have clicks checked out as early as possible because if there is dislocation treatment is easier then, perhaps by a splint. If a child is walking, sometimes the hip has to be put in plaster. Generally look, the outlook is excellent.
This Mothers Day card craft and activity idea is suitable for FS1/ FS2, and younger children can colour in the tea pot, help stick it on to the card and make a scribble for their name.
Children can sing the action rhyme I’m a little teapot and talk about what their mums do for them all year round, and so what they can do for them on Mothering Sunday, such as help make breakfast.
Annie wasn’t born with a strawberry (hemangioma) birthmark, but about 4 days afterwards a small pink patch formed under her chin. I thought at first her babygrow was irritating her chin, but it just got bigger, redder and raised. The doctor thought it would disappear except for some silvery after-marks, by around her first birthday but as you can see it is still present now and she’s over 2. It is very slowly fading though, from the centre outwards, and she’s young enough not to be hurt that some people, especially children stare and comment on it.
Please tell me your experiences with strawberry birthmarks.
If you need ideas for a St Valentine’s Day lesson plan suitable for KS1 and KS2, why not consider telling the children the following history/ story of St Valentine then ask them to rewrite it as if they were there:
ask the children what they understand by valentines day or St Valentine
explain they need to listen carefully because they are going to recount the story/ history of the day:
1700 years ago Rome was ruled by Emperor Claudius II who enjoyed waging wars and expected men to volunteer to fight. But because many men didn’t want to leave their wives and children, Claudius decided not to let people get married, which of course wasn’t popular.
One priest who felt strongly about it was called Valentine. He secretly kept performing marriages, even though he knew it was against the law and punishable by death. Unfortunately he was caught and thrown in jail.
One of his few comforts there was the friendship of the daughter of a prison guard. She visited him often and helped him to stay positive. Valentine was so grateful to her that on the day he was to die he left her a farewell note and signed it, “From your Valentine.”
This day was February 14th, and gradually over the years this date became marked by the sending of notes, letters, cards and gifts to loved ones.
consider asking the children to rewrite the story as if they were one of the characters. They could choose to be either Valentine, someone who was getting married when Valentine was arrested, or the jailer’s daughter.
alternatively ask the children to think of someone they love and why then share with their response partner. To stop them from being silly you may ask them to think of a family member or someone outside of school. Have 3 sensible children share with the rest of the class then introduce the activity of making a card for that person.
Please let me know other ideas you have for St Valentine Day lesson plans for KS1 and KS2 children.
