HEALTH
My sister always seemed healthy and happy when she was very young, and was able to eat solid foods with her hands. However, as she grew up, she lost some control over her hands, and was not able to pick things up as easily as she used to. Eventually, she had to be spoon-fed, though she was still capable of digesting solid foods.

Nowadays, my sister has to be fed through a tube in her stomach, as she suffers from silent aspiration. Before she had the operation for the tube, she had to be fed through a tube that went in her nose, down her throat, and then into her stomach. It was a very uncomfortable experience for her, and she was in constant discomfort, especially as the tube had to be taken out and replaced frequently.

This time last year, she was very ill with pneumonia and a clouded lung. She stayed in hospital for just under a month, and was in there for both her birthday and my dad’s birthday. She has had a couple more hospital stays since then, but thankfully none of them have been worse than the longest one. My sister’s hospital stays were always quite difficult, especially for my parents. My dad has a full-time job, and my mum has a very busy daily schedule. My parents would usually alternate the overnight stays, so that the other could rest properly at home.

For me and my other younger sister, we were often looked after by someone else each evening after school, until my dad would come and pick us up to go visit the hospital. I struggled slightly with finishing my homework, as I would normally spend most of the evening at the hospital. I became a lot more tired as my sleeping hours decreased, and I found it hard to concentrate at school out of worry and fatigue. However, during this time I did become less reliant and more independent, as my parents were attending to my youngest sister and did not have much time for me.

My youngest sister is much more healthy than she was a year ago, and it means that our entire family is able to relax more, though we have to be very cautious about our health and hygiene as to not make her ill again.

Until next time…

Leah