We got to BCH at Noon and got checked in. By 12:30 we were in our PreOp room. Braden did so good with me until it came time to change into the gown and socks. Pretty sure I was going to have a black eye today, but thankfully I don't. Let's just say I am forever grateful to a ChildLife worker "Miss Jessica" for distracting the smack down I got by offering to bring in a Wii if he changed. So we waited and waited. And of course the one thing they tell you to bring is a 'friend' from home, but do I remember? No. Daddy to the rescue. He stopped and got B a new Webkinz. Which I have to give him props for- B has accumulated over 20 of those dang things and Rusty picked one he doesn't already have. I was QUITE impressed!
Well by 1:30 we decided to give Braden something to calm his nerves. But we had to wait for the Anesthesiologist to come and give the order. By 2 we were told they were behind and it would be 3:30 before they started his case. Finally about 4 his OR nurse came in and did the final prep.
He was such a trooper. He was getting really hungry and the wait was annoying. We played Go Fish, War, did puzzles, I SPy, played Connect 4. Plus the Wii, and his DS and the I Phone came in handy. They told us once they gave him the Versed that he would probably fall asleep, so when the Doc came back into to check on him he laughed that we were sitting up playing cards. His exact words were "He's no cheap date, huh?" Pretty funny.
When it was time to go back he cried for his Daddy which made it easier on me. The Anesthesiologist ended up carrying him down the hall. Less than an hour later the surgeon came to talk to us. It had gone well. The stitches are internal and will dissolve in a few months. They also removed a mole on his leg that looked suspicious to them.
We were in the PACU (post anesthesia care unit) for over an hour while he woke up and tried to get some fluids down. Last night was rough, he was in a lot of pain. This morning too. He is finally able to walk on his own-they gave him an epidural so he couldn't feel his feet for 8 hours post op! Now the fun begins- I have to think of ways to keep this kid from running, riding bikes or scooters ect for THREE WEEKS! EEK! I have invested in some new Lego's, board games and I pray he cooperates! Thanks for all the love and support!
So we went to this little preop teaching class they have at Banner Desert. They show the kids a movie, let them walk to the OR, see the post op area, ride in a wheel chair and then they show them all the stuff that will be used on them. So Braden left that class with a scrub hat, a surgery coloring book, a surgical mask and then they have them pick a mask. It's the ones that they will breathe in while they fall asleep in surgery. It's pretty cute, they put scented goo in there so it smells good (Braden chose bubblegum, not my fav.) All in all he did really well. When they demonstrated some things that would happen she asked Braden to recall what they had called it. First they 'gave the arm a big hug'--Braden's answer, "You're taking my blood pressure" Second they 'checked out the heart' Braden's answer "You are getting my O2 sats" and Third they 'checked how hot you are' and Braden says, "Oh you are just taking my temperature, I do this all the time." It was so funny. So why is it, through the whole thing I am playing a slide show in my head. When I see him put the mask to his face I flashed back to the PCH PICU, the first time Braden was in heart failure, and required oxygen and got his feeding tube.
And while I am glad we won't be sitting in this waiting room again for hours and hours and hours. I am even more glad that afterward we get to take him right home, instead of having to worry about all this for 3 weeks after...
