Surgery Week: Day 3

 Wednesday morning, I woke feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. I was even able to take a shower. Ahh! When I arrived at the hospital, I found one tired grandma! Try as she might, P just wouldn't eat during the night. Only a few sips here and there. So the restarted an IV in his hand. They did ask Ellen if Pierscen has been sleeping through the night, which before the surgery, he was doing pretty good. If he wakes up, it is typically just once. Because of that, they told Ellen not to feel bad about him not eating. That's what he normally does! I just felt bad for her! I know how exhausting it is to be up all night with him. 

I offered to let her go back to the house and crash in my room, but she was too tired to even do that. (Technically I don't think that's allowed but I thought it was a better option than driving home dead exhausted.) She just decided to take a nap on the fold out chair. She must have been super exhausted because she didn't even budge when the housekeeper came in and cleaned the bathroom only a couple feet away from her. The lady was doing her best to be quite, but she made quite the ruckus! (Or at least that's how it seems when you are trying to be quiet.)

  
 Pierscen's pain management was much better by this point. He was off the Morphine and was just taking Oxycodone and Tylenol every few hours. I continued to stretch the time between doses so that he wouldn't become reliant on them and he did really well with it. The most heart breaking thing was when he would cry. His cheeks were SO swollen! He would barely even open his mouth to cry. This picture is so sad, but so sweet. He had a hard time squeezing out tears with his eyes swollen. You can even see the red from the Oxycodone dripping out the side of his mouth. Poor baby!

Wednesday afternoon also provided a bit of a luxury. A real bath! He loves his baths at home. Takes them very seriously. I don't know why. It always cracks me up. I wish he would have been able to see for it, but I am very grateful they were willing to let him have a true bath and not just a sponge one. :)

The tech did an awesome job holding his IV hand out of the water and him down with her other hand. I had to take a few pictures, naturally, and then jumped in to help. He seemed pretty relaxed and happy about it.

After the bath, Ellen helped feed him before heading back home. It was great to have her as company and I am very thankful for her willingness to help out. She was able to get enough of a nap that she made it back safely. Hopefully she slept well that night!

During the afternoon, P started stretching, kicking, waving, and dancing around. I am not 100% sure what spurred the action, but I bet it felt really good to move! I took a million pictures of it. It is really cute to watch in succession. I could have provided an entire blog post of just these pictures - kind of like a flip book - but I am already so far behind! :) Here are at least a few to show you...

Shortly after Ellen left, I learned we were getting a roommate. My heart sunk. Instantly I began to worry... will he/she be a screamer? Will they be super sick? With the parents be loud? Etc. 

You do your best not to be nosy and respect privacy, but it is really hard with just a curtain between you and the next person! From the first few minutes of them being in the room, I gathered that it was a "he" and that he was at least old enough to say a few words. From the mother's narrative, they have no idea what's wrong with him, and that they were there for some exploratory tests. Well doesn't that just sound peachy? Nothing like not knowing whether you are bunked up with someone who is sick with the black plague! I did my best not to worry about it and figured we would learn right along with them.

A little while later, my dear friend Jackie came up to visit. She is the mother of my amazing dance friend, Allie, who lives in California right now. She brought me some delicious food from Whole Foods including salad, soup, bread, and some desserts. She spent an hour or so with me. It was wonderful to see her and to spend time with her. She is amazing and has been such a great friend and support through the years!

I saved the food she brought me in the fridge out at the nurses station because I knew that Matt and Jen, Ryan's sister and brother-in-law, were bringing me dinner. They arrived around 7:30. I forgot the name of the place where they got dinner, but it was yummy! 

While I was eating, I saw our little neighbor on the other side of the curtain. He was small, but I guessed probably between a year to a year and a half. I smiled at him and said hello. He grinned back, walked across the room and climbed up on my lap. He was the cutest little thing ever! His mom apologized, but I reassured her there was nothing to apologize for. He was a total angel. He then caught sight of my cookie and really wanted it. I would have loved to have given it to him, but he was on a liquid diet only. Poor little bug! I can't imagine how frustrated he must have been. And hungry! And tired! His mom said that they were taking him for a test soon and this was normally his bedtime. I wish I could have done something for him. It's tough when they are old enough to express themselves and their wants and needs, but that no matter how much you explain, there just isn't a way to help them understand why you are intentionally doing things that upset them. :(

Matt and Jen brought a present for Pierscen. It was a cute stuffed animal bear and the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? I almost started crying when I pulled it out. Ellen reads that book to him pretty much every time she watches him. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gift. It will be so wonderful to continue to read him that book through the next few years as he holds his own brown bear. 

After a few hours, Matt and Jen drove me back to the Ronald McDonald house so I wouldn't have to call a cab. As I walked inside and got ready for bed, again I was struck by the love and support of family and friends. I am so grateful that we made the choice to have me stay and work so that the surgery could be done here with loving family by our sides. We truly are blessed.