Post-Operative Report

Joaquin and I are home!! The highlights:

Monday, Jan. 5th - JCG's surgery began around 1:15 p.m. and was finished 2 hrs later. I got to meet with the surgeon, Dr. Singhal, before and after. By all accounts, everything went great. The recovery room nurses went on and on about what a pleasure he was (?!); minimal fussing after he woke up. He was in and out of semi-consciousness until the next morning. He had purple bruises around the outside of his mouth and was really swollen. It looked like he got into a bad fist fight and clearly lost. He did do well with fluids right after surgery, both apple juice and chicken broth. The nurses were really pleased with how he did that evening. Neither of us got much sleep that night as nurses were in and out constantly, I mean consistently. I slept on a pull out bed next to him and held his hand. Thank you to Maryann who took us to the hospital and stayed all day, to Ayanna for visiting and bringing treats, to Amy for visiting and bringing the stuffed puppy. JCG used the puppy as a pillow in the night, it was clearly comforting. Thank you to Kris and Cole for bringing dinner for me and for hanging out in the evening. I could not have done it without you all and it was so good to have the company!

Tuesday, Jan. 6th - JCG began to be more conscious, initiated wanting to sit up by mid-morning. He wasn't drinking many fluids which worried me because discharge that day was contingent on his fluid intake. Everyone kept mentioning how helpful popsicles would be when we went home, but didn't offer any. Finally I asked for them and Joaquin ate 5 popsicles, one after the other. Paydirt! we were discharged around noon. Thank you to Paul who brought coffee in the a.m., worked on getting my computer active in the hospital, played with JCG to relieve me, helped at the pharmacy, and escorted us home safely! Thank you to Betsy who showed up in the afternoon to keep us company at home. We were both pretty comatose at that point, JCG accepted 2 more popsicles and we both crashed by 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan 7th - JCG was clearly in more pain in the a.m. I was trying to ween him off the tylenol with codeine but he obviously wasn't ready. Started alterating the heavy meds with the lighter ones. He wasn't taking fluids well. I think it was sinking in with JCG that he had to wear the arm braces and couldn't have real food, and he wasn't pleased. Thank you to Allan who arrived in the a.m. and stayed all day, this helped us more than you know! We took JCG for a ride in the car for a diversion, watched "Dora the Explorer" episodes back to back, and I napped with him. By late afternoon, he had a major turnaround. I gave him more of the meds with codeine, He drank about 3 little glasses of broth, then I pureed chicken soup with noodles & veg, and he drank 3 more! After this, the little guy really came to life, actually started roaming around the house, took out his toys, etc. Whew! Mom relaxed considerably. Thank you Allan for hanging out with us all day. It is thanks to Allan that I'm sending out this blog today, he figured out the internet problems! Thanks also to Allison and Stella for stopping by in the evening, and keeping him occupied while I had a real meal in the kitchen. JCG seemed to perk up even more when Stella was there, it definitely helped! Thanks for the food too!

Thursday, Jan. 8th - so far so good. We are both feeling much more rested, he's napping alone for the first time as I write this. Ann, Own, & Eli came by this a.m. and the three little boys actually jumped on the bed like monkeys. JCG seems much closer to his old self today, the bruises have really gone down now, just minimal swelling around the lips. He wears the arm braces consistently when he sleeps but less so when he's awake. So far so good with keeping his hands out of his mouth, we've had a couple of brief slip-ups but I don't believe any damage at all. He is clearly in far less pain today. He seems to understand now that he can only have liquids; doing well with soup (thank you Kris!) and I pureed some sweet potatoes, mixed with chicken broth for lunch. He actually asked for more juice. Excellent sign.

How am I doing? The first couple of days were the hardest, a lot of emotion coupled with little to no sleep. I was so grateful surgery went well, amazed once again with his resilience and adaptability. The hospital staff was excellent and I am so confident with his surgeon. In the middle of the night the first night, I was struck with such gratitude for Joaquin: what did I do to deserve this great little guy? JCG seemed to settle in and go with the flow, even when he was in a lot of pain. I feel like he holds my heart in his hand, I would just do anything for him. One of the best things about being united with JCG has been how my heart has continued to open and open throughout this process. There is no love comparable to the love I feel for Joaquin. I am more aware of the challenges other parents go through now as well. I could hear another little girl fussing and angry and frustrated through the night. Apparently she had been frequently hospitalized and was fed up with it. JCG and I spent a grand total of one evening in the hospital and we were both wiped out. I really feel for parents with kids who are chronically ill and hospitalized after this minor glimpse of it.

I am also so blessed with the family and friends I have, both in Kansas City and elsewhere. We have felt so supported this week, it has been a steady stream of visits, phone calls, e-mails. Thank you to everyone, every little kindness matters and has helped keep us going. I really feel like we are now over the hardest part, as of yesterday afternoon he's just steadily progressing.