Thursday after school, I took the girls to Grammie and Pops' house. Then, Gavin and I met Brian at Los Bravos for a quick dinner. On the way home, they stopped at the library to get a few movies for our trip. I packed everything, gave Gavin a bath, and then we all tried get some sleep. We only got around 3 hours. Brian and I were up at 11:30 to shower and load up. We picked up my mom a little after midnight and headed to Indy. Thankfully, Gavin slept but no one else did. I was way to nervous/anxious about his surgery and we had a lot going on with my Aunt Nancy. We made great time to Riley. We got a great parking spot and found a wagon right away. That wagon turned out to be a lifesaver!
Gavin wore his Thomas pjs and Elmo slippers. We brought extra clothes for him after the surgery, but he wanted nothing to do with them. I didn't fight that battle and let him be comfy all day. He also had his stuffed frog and green blanket with him at all times. He was even able to take them back into surgery with him. (He hasn't put them down since) When we first got there, we were like the only people there. We signed Gavin in and the waiting began. It wasn't long before the place was full of families with their children ready for surgery. Gavin did pretty good in the waiting area. My mom and sister, Annie, were great distractions. I know Riley is made for children, but they are so good there. All of the nurses and doctors are so good with kids and speak not only to the parents, but also to the child. Gavin got to push buttons on the blood pressure machine and was given some toys to play with. The anesthesiologist resident literally fell in love with him. She was giddy and kept saying that he was the cutest kid she'd ever seen. Keep in mind, she works with kids every day! Gavin went willingly with the nurse back to surgery.
Once he was back, we ran to get some breakfast and checked into the recovery area. Within 30 minutes, Dr. Matt came to talk to us. We were shocked how fast it was. He was happy to report to us that there were no vascular lesions in his throat. There is a piece of cartilage under the voice box. Gavin's opening in this cartialge is 20% smaller than should be for a child his size. What that means is when he is put to sleep for any procedure, we need to let them know to use a size tube smaller than they think. It also means that every time Gavin starts to get a cold or sick, he is more likely to get the recurrent strider. For now, we have to continue taking him to the ER, but he should out grow it. Even though he will always have a smaller opening, it will get better.
As soon as we could go back to see him, I rushed back there. Even though we'd gotten a good report from the doctor, I needed to see it myself! Gavin was doing fine until he saw us and then he started crying. They said he had been such a good boy. He had two nurses by his side. We were able to hold him and comfort him. The time went pretty fast. They moved us to a recovery room where mom and Annie could come in, too. Gavin was quiet and clingy, but most importantly wanted anything that reminded him of the surgery gone! He wanted the iv out, his clothes changed, and his bracelets off. They let him keep a pillow they'd given him, the mask that put him to sleep, and the wrap that went around his iv. We had to convince him to take them home. When we were discharged, we headed to get Gavin some breakfast. He ate a banana and pancakes. We were told to give him Ibuprofen every six hours for up to 2 weeks. This will help keep the swelling down and keep him comfortable. Brian went to fill his prescription while we decided what to do next.
To be continued.....
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