Saturday, October 29, 2016

Surgery Number Seven (for Rees)

 The number seven is considered the number of Completion ... I wish that was the case for Rees' 7th surgery, which he had a couple days ago (alas, it is not his last surgery).  Just a day after his First Adoptiversary and his Baba's birthday (yes, they shall forevermore celebrate together!!), Rees had his 7th surgery.  We were pretty quiet about it this time as we pondered what might go wrong this time.  However, we started the day optimistic and trusting, armed with what is necessary to get through any day!  


We allowed Molly to take off from school so that she could go with us for the day.  In the last year, she has really taken an interest in healthcare and is steering towards anesthesiology.  As she is now in high school and already starting to think about her future, we thought it might be a nice opportunity to observe and be a part of the day.  What we didn't think about was having to get permission from anyone at the hospital to have her be with us.  Apparently, it is against the rules to have a minor in the pre-op room as well as the recovery and post-op rooms.  

** The thought never even crossed my mind **  
(I'm fairly certain that in this past year I have experienced a bit of brain cell degradation)

HOWEVER, God must have ordained the day ... because, though the rules were expressed and seemingly prepared to be enforced, exceptions were made in every instance ... very graciously, I might add.  It was amazing!  She was able to be a part of all the parts.


Something else that was so amazing ... Anesthesiology (the doctor, resident, additional staff) always comes in before the procedure to evaluate and ask questions.  They also like to assess whether or not they will need to make any special accommodations for the little patient.  We were asked who Molly was and we explained that she is our daughter, that she is the one that started us out with Dr. Denny and Children's Hospital, and that she is interested in becoming an anesthesiologist.

Well, the anesthesiologist, who happens to be the director for the department, talked to us in length, not only about Rees' procedure, but also how Molly can shadow with her team when she is a Junior in high school.  She gave us her card and explicit instructions regarding the process to shadow and to get a proper experience to help in deciding her future in healthcare.  We were so impressed!!

Then another thing happened that hasn't happened before.  This anesthesiologist told us she had a medical student with her for the day and she wondered if we would be willing to talk with her about the boys' adoptions, as well as the girls', and the social, emotional, and medical aspects of all that we've experienced.  It was amazing and we were able to share a lot with her.  She was really intrigued and took a lot of notes.  We were able to show her many photos (gotta love technology!) and talk about many aspects of adopting two severely medically-challenged boys.  We were told later by the Director that the student was glowing after interviewing us and that she was really excited that we were so open to share so much with her.  The Director stated that this was exactly the type of thing that helps to motivate and steer a student in the direction that they're looking for.  And Molly was able to be a part of that!

Before the surgery, this Mama was a bit anxious ... but that's nothing new for me, right?  Rees was pretty calm; just look at that beautiful grin!  He's so tough ... yet, so gentle and sensitive.  

For some reason, he was unable to take the versed ('goofy juice') this time.  He became a little grumpy when the nurse came in with the syringe of fluid and he was very hesitant to take it.  I tried to help the nurse out by giving Rees a small amount of the liquid (I'm used to being the 'bad guy'), but as soon as I gave it to him he gagged and threw it up.  But then, he couldn't stop wretching and, unfortunately, he didn't stop until he expelled the small amount of water he was allowed to have when he first woke up that morning.


So, Rees had to brave it out and go into the operating room without any liquid assistance to help him relax.  But he did pretty good with only a few tears at first, which were quickly diverted by a resident who handed Rees his cell phone all set to play Temple Run.  It worked at least until it was time to use the face mask.  Next time, the plan is that Rees will be given a valium when we arrive in pre-Op and that will work the same as the versed but we won't have to worry about him vomiting it up.

The surgical procedures scheduled to be done were to correct Rees' (very small) cleft lip, to reduce the size of his nostrils and to give him a nasal tip.  Well, this didn't all go as planned and they didn't want to push it during the surgery, however, what WAS done made a HUGE difference in Rees' appearance.  

We are absolutely amazed!!
Rees did okay and there were no wild and crazy mishaps or complications ... none so far after two full days since the surgery.  
We are so relieved and thankful!

The biggest surprise came when the doctor told us that Rees didn't have to stay overnight!!!  Say what??  We were shocked, even a little confused as this was definitely not what we expected.  We spent just a couple hours post-op and then we were able to bring our little guy home.  


Can you believe the difference??
Just take a look at the first photo in this post again ...
... it is truly amazing what can be done.  
Either way, we are crazy about our Boy-Rees!  He is so brave, so strong, so ardent and fiery (just like his name says) and we are so blessed to have him in our family (and SO THANKFUL for the toned down surgical experience this time around - Thanks, God ... )





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