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| Captain Happy! |
When people ask me how I can be so calm before a surgery, I tell them one thing. I simply try really, really hard not to think about it until I actually have to pack my bag to leave (which is usually a day or two before). Gone are the days when I used careful preparation in my packing. Now, I keep the important things packed in the same place such as pain medication and seasonal clothing. This time, I was forced to think about our adventure a little earlier when Zac developed an infection in two of the 7 holes in his head (that would be his ears...). So, I will admit, I was very stressed out trying to keep him well. After all, the only thing worse than traveling to Chicago for your 2 y/o son's major surgery is making all the plans to go....scheduling the surgery, the plane tickets, rental car and accommodations only to have to cancel everything. Lucky for us...Zac's ear infection healed up very nicely and on September 12th...we were on our way to Chicago for surgery number 7 and the beginning of round four of tissue expansion. Yep...just me and Zac. The plan this time, THREE expanders and an excision of a satellite on the back of his thigh about 1.5" in diameter.
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| Having some breakfast at the airport |
Our luck began as we got out of the car at the airport only to notice that my little car seat wheelie thing was missing a strap!! Lucky for me...I had found a car seat bag with wheels on major clearance at Target a few weeks prior, so after a small rearrangement, we were ready to go. With plenty of time to spare, Zac and I had a super nutritious breakfast at the airport Starbucks. Zac was loving running around at the airport on his leash...uh, er...monkey backpack. We arrived in Chicago, got our bags and our rental car. This time though, Zac an I were in for a new adventure. We were staying at the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie's Children's Hospital in downtown Chicago! I got out my Google Map and off we went.
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| Waiting for our luggage |
To be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House was very lucky indeed. In order to stay at a RMH, you have to meet certain criteria, you also have to call no more than 24 hours in advance to see if they have room availability for you. Thus the reason we've never stayed there before. It is stressful enough to do all the planning without leaving your accommodations so up in the air. There is also the fact that RMH is in downtown Chicago....Highland Park Hospital and Dr. Bauer's office is a good drive into the suburbs from any RMH. But if you know me....I love change and trying new things and this, my friends, was a welcome change. The toughest part about RMH was having to find the house, drop off your luggage, park your car 4 blocks away in the hospital parking garage and walk back to the house. But, the weather was beautiful and I wasn't afraid of a nice little walk.
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| Top floor view of RMH |
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| Occupied by the iPad before surgery |
Zac's surgery was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13th which meant we needed to be there by 8 a.m. I was ecstatic not to have to deal with an afternoon surgery and was hoping it would be easier on Zac than the last surgery I attempted by myself. Then it began...you know those days when EVERYTHING goes wrong?? This was NOT one of those days! Is it possible for the day of surgery to be...lucky? We left the RMH at 6 a.m. to arrive in Highland Park by 8 a.m. Yes, you read that right. Remember...I had to get to the hospital parking garage (which they also have a shuttle to) and get my car, then there is that little problem of rush hour traffic...yes, even though we were headed away from Chicago. I hooked the iPad up to the back of the car seat for Zac and I was relieved that my Google instructions took me right to the freeway without a problem. Lots of stop and go traffic later (mostly stop and not go) and 3 episodes of Bubble Guppies and we arrived at the hospital with 15 minutes to spare.
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| Loving the playroom at RMH |
At the hospital, we followed the same drill as always...check in at the desk...take elevator 6 to the 2nd floor and head to the surgery waiting room for a vital sign check. The anesthesiologist comes in to check on Zac, introduce himself and ask a bunch of questions, a short check in with Dr. Bauer and then we wait... After several trips around the hallway in the wagon and a few games on the iPad, it was time to take a walk down the next hallway and wait to be taken in to surgery. There we see a sea of familiar faces, including Oni, our favorite recovery nurse. Zac is taken back to surgery in the arms of one of the fantastic nurses, wrapped in a warm blanket with his favorite car, a Tow Mater that talks. And I can't help but cry...yep. Even with six other surgeries under my belt, this part gets me every time.
Oni came out to talk to me and gave me a coupon for the cafeteria and told me to get something to eat. I was dreading the average hospital food when I walked into the cafeteria but wouldn't you know it...today they have a specialty chef on-site making crepes!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Crepes! YUM!!! I looked up and just said a hallelujah and thank you to God for giving me such a lucky day! Though, I know it wasn't really luck as much as it was the Lord. This was a day when the small blessings were magnified greatly.
I was expecting about 1 1/2 hours for surgery. Dr. B came out and gave the the lowdown on the expanders...a 250cc expander in the shoulder with 60cc so far and two 750cc expanders - one in the front with 90cc and one in the back with 80cc. A mostly full excision of the satellite on the back of the right thigh. Dr. B recommends staying overnight in the hospital for 'pain management'...ugh. So, I headed back to recovery to hold my little guy. Once we got to our room, Zac presented a pretty decent little appetite feasting on goldfish crackers. He even ate a fair dinner. We got through the night quite well despite the normal interruptions. When Zac woke up at 5 a.m. and asked for 'some turkey' I knew we were going to be ok.
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| Couldn't resist this shirt w. attached cape |
After falling back to sleep, we woke up to a visiting Dr. B. As Dr. B looked under Zac's bandages, Zac looked up at him and said, "I brought my cars...and my trains...in my backpack." I know this completely melted Dr. B's heart because when we visited Mim at the office later that afternoon, she had already heard the story. The recovery was not fun, I am not going to lie. The older the kids get, the rougher it is on them. Despite doing all I could to manage Zac's pain, he didn't want anything to do with getting out of bed or out of the stroller for days. Changing diapers was especially difficult due to a port placed in his hip to the front expander. Everytime I had to bend Zac's leg in the slightest he would scream and cry...one of those cries that had him partly holding his breath. We spent a lot of time in the stroller post-op. It was great to be downtown as there were plenty of places to walk to and check out while Zac chilled in his stroller.
Though God created the Heavens and the Earth in 7 days...it is going to take a few more surgeries to finish what we have started here. But as for the 7th surgery...it will go down in my book as lucky #7!
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