Big set-back with 5 days in Intensive Care Unit

I was progressing along according to plan when frighteningly on Sunday 22nd March I lose two days in an induced coma and wake to find myself in the Intensive Care Unit.

It seems that with the severe mucositis, and the drugs prescribed to deal with that in order to swallow large pills over a very sore throat, caused a knock-on effect of my body not coughing enough to clear a chest infection. The nurse found me when she came to check on meds. I don't remember a thing but was apparently found collapsed back across the bed struggling to breathe and trying to cough. The day before I had developed a 38.2 temperature. There was a mucous plug in my chest. The team took 2 hours to stabilise me, clearing and oxygenating airways before taking me to ICU and placed many tubes in my body.

When I wake up I find I have a ghastly breathing tube and naso-gastric tube in place and can't speak. The next day they finally took out the breathing tube, replaced it with a hefty breathing mask, then another breathing mask, then oxygen to the nostrils then to breathing normally. The three days I was conscious there were very anxiety-producing for me.

Grant and Karole were phoned and brought Neri to see me while in the coma. I am told that Karole sat and held my hand and Grant looked sad and frightened while trying to make it all seem kind of normal for Neri's sake. It is scary for me to think that I came so close to the end.

They're all saying here what a fighting spirit I have and how brave I am etc etc as not many have the inner strength to make it through this. As I say, I don't remember any of it.

Since then it has taken quite a while to rebuild strength to do any but the most necessary of tasks. Still coughing lots and have a sore throat and the staff are wary of giving me anything to help with pain except panadol. Now I feel like a metamorphosised butterfly trying to inflate its wings in order to move onto the next step. They say home in about a week, but that depends on when this chest infection clears and blood counts results etc.