Henry's Surgery

On Thursday June 14, 2012 Henry went in to have his surgery. I'm not going to go into details about it because it was a surgery of a very personal nature. However, I just wanted to post my feelings and thoughts during this time. In first scheduling this surgery about a month ago, I thought 'Okay, its official' And I got rather nervous. We have known that he would have to have a surgery done about since the time he was a new born. The doctors wanted to wait until he was a year old because he had to be put under anesthesia. He will be a year next month but we were close enough. Here is how our day went:

We had to be at the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital by 6:30am, he was scheduled for his surgery at 8:00am. Steven and I got up around 4:30am to start getting ready to go. Henry couldn't have anything to eat or drink. I thought that would be my main battle with him and I felt awful that I couldn't let him eat anything. We got in the car and took off. Henry was wide awake for it being about 5:30am, and he was being his happy chatty self. We got checked in and then we were escorted up to the 5th floor to get Henry dressed. 

All dressed and ready to go

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The clothes were so big on him

After he was dressed we just had to sit and wait. We met with the anesthesiologist and Henry's nurses and then finally the doctor. While we were waiting Henry got to go into the playroom and play with some toys.

Playing with toys

The tonka wheel

After getting to play with toys for a little bit they came in to get him. I was worried about what he would do when they took him away and we couldn't go with him. I was able to rock him to sleep and the nurses said that was really good because then it would be easier to put him under and he wouldn't freak out as much.

It was harder than I thought it would be seeing them take him. He went down one hallway and we went the other. We had to go to the waiting room on the 6th floor. I was trying really hard not to cry, I wanted to keep it together. I will admit that I got teary eyed but I just tried my best to push through it. Once in the waiting room Steven went down to the cafeteria to get us something to eat. It was a little after 8am. They have a hoard in the waiting room that tells you where patients are and whats going on. So we found Henry's number and it just said OR. Waiting was probably the hardest part. The doctor said it was about a two hour procedure. A little after 10 the board hadn't changed and we hadn't heard anything. Then the nurse came and told us that they were closing up and we could meet with the doctor in another room. We went to another room and had to wait forever there too. Eventually the doctor came and met with us. He said that Henry did well and that we could go and see him once he started waking up. About a half hour later the nurse came and got us and told us to go back down to the 5th floor. We went back down and Henry wasn't there. The nurse on that floor said they were bringing him. I was so excited and relieved to be seeing him. They had warned us before that kids take the anesthesia different ways. Some wake up screaming and others kind of zone out. Henry was the second. They brought him in and I have never seen my kid so still. It was a little un-nerving. I wanted him to get up and smile, let me know that he was okay. Of course I knew that wasn't going to happen. These next few pictures are what he looked like when he first came in. They brought him in around 11:20am. He also sleeps with his eyes open sometimes...

He looked like this for a long time.

He had so many wires hooked up to him.

Daddy and Henry

So zoned out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We waiting a long time for him to show any signs of waking up. Occasionally he would randomly flip his arms up but then just go back to sleep. He didn't really cry but just would twitch from time to time.

At one point he got a little sick after I tried to get him to drink something and hold it down. After that we had to change the sheets and everything. He was a little more awake after that, but not by much. Every time I tried to hold him he would put his head on my shoulder. He must have been really dizzy he didn't have much balance.

Kind of awake

 He had so many pokes and little cuts everywhere. They couldn't get the IV in right away so they had to try a few different times... The blood pressure cuff left cuts on his arm.

At around 2:30 a different nurse came in and said that we had been there a while (Which we had) and that maybe we should see if we could leave. We really started trying to wake him up and he sure did not appreciate that. He got pretty fussy but it was so raspy because of the tubes that they had down his throat. We got him so crackers and apple juice. He loved that. I'm sure it tasted very good after no food. We got him ready to go and left. He cried most of the way out, I felt bad. I truly felt like the worst mom in the world. What had I put my kid through!? I know that it was for the best and it will be better for him in the future, but wow did I feel horrible. We left and started making our way back home. He fell asleep pretty quickly in the car. Once home he woke up. I will say I thought he would be a zombie for at least the next day or so. Well, not Mr. Henry. He is up and going like nothing happened. Even the night after the surgery he was so energetic. It was a long day for all of us. I think we were at the hospital for around a total of 9 hours. All I can say is that I hope I never have to do anything like this again. Seeing Henry so helpless and in pain killed me. I am in awe of parents that have children that are sick and need to be in the hospital. It takes a lot out of you. Emotionally, physically, and everything. Henry was able to get a blessing the night before and I believe that really helped things. I believe that is why his recovery is going and smoothly as it is. I am so thankful for Henry and how amazing and smoothly this process is going. I hope that I don't ever have to experience something like this again.