Family Natters

Note missing jewel bottom right arm

1 Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000 (a thousand billion) 13 digits

1 Million = 1,000,000 (a thousand thousand) 7 digits
1 Billion = 1,000,000,000 (a thousand million) 10 digits (although some people say 100 million)
Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000 (a thousand billion) 13 digits
Quintillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (a million trillion) 19 digits
Sextillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (a thousand quintillion) 22 digits
Nonillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Ahhhhhh!

1 Billion = 1,000,000,000 (a thousand million) 10 digits (although some people say 100 million)

1 Million = 1,000,000 (a thousand thousand) 7 digits
1 Billion = 1,000,000,000 (a thousand million) 10 digits
Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000 (a thousand billion) 13 digits
Quintillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (a million trillion) 19 digits
Sextillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (a thousand quintillion) 22 digits
Nonillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Ahhhhhh!
Centillion: 1 followed by 303 zeros

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.

One Response to “Support and Information for Cavernoma Sufferers”

1. 1

   Ian Stuart Ph.D. Says:
   Dear Family Natters,

   Many, many thanks “family natters.” If it’s okay, I will send you further information today by snail. I am so glad about the conference receiving publicity. As well as speeches by neurosurgeons in the morning, we have Connie Lee, President, coming over to the UK.

   Angioma Alliance was founded in 2002 by Connie Lee, a clinical psychologist and the mother of a daughter with multiple cavernous angiomas. Connie’s personal story with cavernous angioma began in January, 2000. At that time, Connie’s 4-month-old daughter Julia received brain surgery for a major hemorrhage and hydrocephalus caused by a cavernous angioma. It was not known that she had the condition, and by the time Julia was taken to the operating room she was near death. Her neurosurgeon performed a craniectomy, stopped the bleeding and removed the angioma. Since then, Julia has had more cavernous angioma hemorrhages, three of which required surgery. Today, Julia is a bright, outgoing, active six-year-old who loves to swim and ride horses. Although she had the hereditary form, Julia is the first in her family to have the illness. Of those with cavernous angioma, 25% are diagnosed as children.

Baby/ toddler seats mounted on the back of adult bikes mean mum or dad can get some much needed exercise and fresh air with the little one in toe. I find mine useful for going to and from mother and toddlers, school and the local park. Most importantly, a short trip out stops me from feeling guilty about raiding the biscuit tin on my return.

The only problem I have is Annie keeps putting her feet into the spokes of my back wheel. You should see the mess she makes of her shoes by doing this. If I was getting a new one, I’d make sure I got one where you could tie wriggly feet down, like this Fox’s one.

One Response to “Toddler seats on Adult bikes”

1. 1

   TopVeg Says:
   I found the bike seat a great intro to team work. When I was struggling to get up a hill, & about to give up, a little voice used to chirp up “Come on, mummy, you can make it!”

The following list gives suggestions of what you might like to pack for a hospital labour. Obviously some things may not apply to you.

maternity Records

comfy long shirt or T-shirt for labour

massage oil

sponge water-spray to cool down

TENS machine

music

camera

favourite snack/ drink

Slippers + dressing gown

2 x Front fastening adjustable strapped nursing bras. (Buy cotton when 38wks pregnant)

Super absorbent/ maternity sanitary towels

disposable pants

Contacts/ glasses,

toothbrush, paste,

hair bobbles, hairbrush, shampoo,

make-up, moisturiser

Dark bath towels x 2

Hand towel

Flannel

Box of tissues

Breast pads

Money

Books/ music

Comfy clothes

Front-opening nighties x 2

nappies and sleepsuits for baby

Baby car seat fitted to rear seat
Can you think of anything I’ve left off?

(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.

2 Responses to “Cerebral haemorrhage due to rupture of cavernous hemangioma – part 2”
1
Ian Stuart Ph.D. Says:

Hi,

If there is anyway that you can contact others’ through your site and tell them about Angioma Alliance (UK) – info@angiomaalliance.org.uk ; the work we do etc. that would be tremendous.

Ian Stuart.

March 7th, 2008 at 9:02 am
2
brain aneurysm Says:

[…] flew to?Seattle to be?with Allyson.? Allyson never regained conconcordbaptist.wordpress.comCerebral haemorrhage due to rupture of cavernous hemangioma – part 2 continued from Cerebral haemorhage due to rupture of cavernous haemogina – early days The next day […]

March 13th, 2008 at 1:44 am
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Activities that develop fine motor skills and control in children aged 4 to 8 are listed below:

playdough photo

cutting out shapes
drawing a person with head, trunk and legs
jigsaws with more than 12 pieces
using a computer keyboard and mouse
stickle bricks
playdough
junk modelling
tracing letters
sewing
writing
tying laces

Tom and I were reading a book about how meat was cooked years ago using a spit. There was a picture of a woman turning the handle to cook the meat evenly.
“I’ve done that,” I told him.
“Really?” he said, his eyes as big as saucers. “Someone tied you to that stick, and turned you over?”

In August 1960 dogs Belka and Strelka were sent into space in Sputnik 5 to orbit the Earth.
I was telling Tom about this and how other dogs had been put into rockets and spent into space.
“But why?” he asked. “They can’t hold the steering wheel.”