Will Update

Will's surgery was a success! 

We were dreading the morning of because he wasn't able to eat after midnight, but I woke him to feed at 11:30 p.m. and he went right back to sleep. He slept all the way through the night and the morning went surprisingly smooth. We took Ella with us to the hospital and even she cooperated! We arrived at the Children's Hospital (Tuesday, July 23) at 6:15 a.m. We were able to play with all the new toys and before we knew it, it was 7:45 a.m. and they were coming to take him in. 

I chose to not go back to put him under. I felt it would be too hard on both of us; him wanting me to hold him and me not being able to see him cry. As the anesthesiologist walked down the hall, his big blue eyes looked back to see Ella & I peeking around the corner. It was heartbreaking. I hate those double doors! As they opened up, I was fighting back tears so that Ella didn't see me cry. 

We used this experience as an opportunity to prep her for her next surgery too. While I'm not happy that Will had to go through surgery, it does help for her to see that she's not the only one to endure it. 

We were told the surgery would take 2 + hours and that there were a few different scenarios that could play out. As I mentioned in my previous post - we were prepped for 3 different outcomes. Around 9:25 a.m. the anesthesiologist came to let us know that the surgery was over, ensured us that he did great and the surgeon would be in to debrief us. 

The surgeon then came out and informed us that much to his surprise, the testicle was there. It was very high and half the size of the other, but it was still there. They were able to remove it and place it in it's rightful place. He indicated that it could move up & out again and if that happened we'd remove it entirely. He also stated that there was a hernia associated with the issue as well, and they removed it. We now wait to see if it grows and functions as he grows older and goes through puberty. 

We were told that someone from recovery would come and get us once he woke up. We waited for about a half hour and no one came for us. Finally a nurse came to say he was still sleeping, but she could take us back. When we got back there his nurse indicated she was worried about his airway because he was pretty full of mucus. We tried over and over again to get him to wake up and cough it out and he just wouldn't do it. 

As time went on you could see the concern grow in the nurses faces. We had been in recovery for over an hour and could not get him to wake up, no matter how much we tickled his feet, pinched his cheeks or rubbed his head. The anesthesiologist was coming back and forth and decided it was time to give him some anesthesia reversal meds to try to get him out of it. After three separate doses, nothing was working. I was getting very worried because it was almost two hours and we could not get him to respond to us and he couldn't go without the oxygen mask without his levels dropping.

We had two options left - 1)stick a tube down his nose into his throat to get him to cough up the congestion or 2) get a cold wet washcloth and rub it all over him. Obviously, we opted for the latter and after two long hours we were finally able to get him to open his eyes. After he was able to breath without oxygen for 15 minutes, we were released to our room.

Will remained pretty sleepy and not very hungry for the majority of the time, but was able to eat right before it was time for us to pack up and go home. They estimated his recovery time to take one full week and that he could move around based on his comfort level.

We assumed he would be immobile for a few days and when we got home he was a bit whiney and definitely slow moving, but shortly there after returned to his old, crazy self. He began to eat like normal (a lot), nap like normal (2+hours) and move like normal (all over the place).

Even though his bandages are bloody & he's bruised and swollen, he acts like it doesn't bother him. He even slept through the night!

I continue to be amazed by the strength of my children. They are by far the toughest, most amazing little humans I know. They're also sweet. Don't believe me, check out the picture Ella made for Will the day of his surgery!

Out of Practice

Almost 4.5 years ago, I reluctantly put my first baby in the hands of a surgeon that I had only met a few times. At the time Ella was only 4 months old and too tiny to know what was going on. As first time parents, things happened so quickly in her first year of life (two major surgeries & a ton of doctor appointments) that we barely had the time to think of the danger she was undergoing.

Tomorrow I will have to watch my second baby be rolled down the long hallway. Will was born with an undescended testicle and tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. will go under the knife to see exactly what that means. Back in May we had an ultrasound that indicated that the testicle was there, but it had not dropped on it's own. Since then we met the surgeon who will perform the procedure, who indicated that ultrasounds can't be trusted. That means that we are facing three scenarios; 1) the testicle is not there at all, 2) the testicle is there, but not "good" or 3) the testicle is there and good, which means that it most likely didn't descend due to a lack of blood flow. While I'd like Will to have two testicles, especially through his teen years, option #3 involves re-routing of veins/arteries, so I'm not quite on board with that scenario yet.

I am the person who is frequently heard saying, "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fantastic! There's no sense of worrying, it doesn't change the outcome." Typically I can handle these types of situations. This time feels different though. 

I don't know if it's simply the fact that I'm out of practice (4.5 years is a long time) or if it's because I'm older & wiser, but I have been feeling very anxious with the thoughts of these upcoming surgeries. 

I know that everything will work out fine and he is in fantastic hands, but that doesn't remove the risk of anesthetics. It also doesn't address his recovery time and trying to keep him immobile, all while he's on the move 24/7, learning to walk. It doesn't factor in how hard it is to see your baby hurting and crying out in pain. 

On the bright side, Will's surgery can get me back in the game and prepped for Ella's next surgery in August. It also helps Ella see that she's not the only one who has to endures these unfortunate circumstances.