Well, similar to our last trip to Hopkins, this one was a much longer day than expected. I guess I should start to expect longer-than-expected time frames. Anyway, we arrived at the hospital at 8am, as instructed. Tabitha had had nothing to eat or drink since 7pm but was doing quite well with that. (Despite the fact that Heath forgot the rules and asked her when she woke up if she was ready for breakfast....oops) So the surgery was supposed to be at 10:20. There was another little girl there who was supposed to be at 9 and didn't go until after 12:00. An emergency had come up, so the surgeons needed to take care of that child before doing the scheduled surgeries. Obviously that's the right choice, but it doesn't make it easy on the poor starving, dehydrated two-year-olds. Heath and I took turns sneaking out to the cafeteria to eat without Tabitha knowing--no sense in all of us being hungry and grumpy. I was very proud of her, because I know how I feel when I don't eat and she did MUCH better than I would've done! But by about noon she had reached her limit. She kept asking for water and food, and started crying. This was not her usual I'm-not-getting-my-way-or-my-brother's-being-mean-to-me cry. This was the sad, desperate cry of a child whose basic physical needs are not being met. I can't even imagine being a mother in a famine/drought-plagued country where hunger and thirst are a daily reality. But that's another topic.
Anyway, so by noon she'd reached her limit. I think if we'd gone in on time she probably would've handled the anesthesia process a lot better, but she was so exhausted and hungry and dehydrated and miserable that she was a wreck. It was 1:45 before we actually got called back. As soon as they gave me the gown and hair net to put on, Tabitha started sobbing. I guess those clothes are the signal that something "bad" is about to happen. Only one of us could go in, and it was my turn. So I robed up and carried her back to the OR where she continued to sob hysterically. But after breathing the gas for less than a minute she fell asleep and looked quite peaceful.
So Heath and I decided to take some of the extra stuff we had out to the car and get a snack. If you've never been to Hopkins let me just tell you--it's huge! The place we parked is a good 10-minute walk at a brisk pace from the operating room. So we're all the way down by the parking garage and we get a phone call saying they need to talk to us back up at the OR. So of course I'm inwardly freaking out (although trying not to appear that way), thinking something's gone wrong. Well, actually, the doctors just needed a little assistance from us not-at-all-medically trained parents. They needed to put a catheter in that Tabitha will wear for the next couple days so we wouldn't have to worry about cathing while she's recovering. Well I guess they're not used to cathing girls with abnormal anatomy. Because of Tabitha's birth defects she doesn't have all the usual parts, so they wanted to make sure they were finding the right spot for the catheter. They didn't bring us into the OR, just verbally confirmed how to do it. I guess we HAVE learned a lot these past few months...who would've thought we'd be advising the medical professionals. :)
Anyway, after they got everything where it needed to be, they called the waiting room to let us know they were starting the surgery. It took about 2 hours, and Dr. Ahn came out to tell us that everything went very smoothly. Her spinal cord is now untethered! (I'm sure it's very happy to have been set free.) She has to stay on her belly all night, then tomorrow should be able to roll over and sit up. We need to keep the area dry for a week, but other than that she should be able to resume normal activity.
So we went back to the recovery room to see her. She took a long time to wake up, which is good so she can sleep off some of the effects of the anesthesia. But that meant we were in recovery for almost 3 hours. When she woke up she downed a good 20 oz of water. She wanted more, but the nurse made her stop to be sure she could keep it down. She also made her take a breathing break from guzzling through the straw because she was drinking so intently her oxygen level dropped to the flashing red point! She dozed back off to sleep then awoke desparate fore more water. I think she had 2 and 1/2 big cups of water in that first hour. Finally we were taken to her room. It's a 2-person room, but right now it's just her in there. Heath has a nice chair that folds out into a bed to sleep in. I'm sure he's going to be missing his Sleep Number tonight! But he did want to be the one to stay....I think he doesn't think I could handle it. (which could be entirely true if she wakes up and still needs to stay on her belly) But anyway, she was still peacefully sleeping, enjoying her pain meds when I left. And so far no nausea. They did use morphine again, but are also giving her something that counteracts the side effects, so hopefully she won't get sick this time.
The boys wanted to stay another night at Mommom & Granddad's, and since it was so late I let them do that, and I'll go get them in the morning. I'm a little lonely without my family home tonight, but it'll sure be nice to sleep in tomorrow! I don't remember the last time I had no kids to wake me up! Hopefully the dog doesn't take their place. (I must say I'm very proud of her...she's been locked in the house from 7am to 9:30pm, and had no mishaps.)
So, although it's been a much longer day than we planned for, we are definitely thankful that all the important things went well, and that's one more surgery we can check off Tabitha's list. I know a lot of people think it's so much to go through, but honestly....this is nothing. One family near us in the recovery room had a little boy who went through surgery, got chest x-rays, and was starting chemotherapy the next day. Another one had had brain surgery. A few more had tiny infants in there all strapped to various tubes and instruments bigger than they were. Tabitha, on the other hand, is having surgeries that have nearly-guaranteed outcomes, are not life-threatening, and have short recovery times. We have so much to be thankful for.
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