It is done...it went amazingly well...she is tired, sore, confused and resting with some very strong pain killers--but her pallet is now closed, tubes are in her ears and now she is on her way to recovery in the ICU tonight, and probably at least another night on the regular ward. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS--God's amazing fingerprints have been all over this adoption journey and this chapter has been no exception.
Since we have been going on about 3.5 hours of sleep since 3:45 am...I will be brief. Showtime was 0500 at Portsmouth Naval Hospital... after paperwork, changing into her cute hospital gown and some waiting, we moved over the Recovery Ward where we met the surgical team at 0715--what a wonderful group of folks--she had a plastic surgeon for the Pallet work, an ENT surgeon for the ear tubes, two Anesthetists, a surgical nurse, and a resident. They started work around 0745 by doing the ear tubes first (20-30 mins) followed by the Pallet surgery (3 hours) and then an audiology test (1 hour). We were blessed by having the Nurse call us about every 90 mins or after each phase for an update. We were able to join her in the Pediatric ICU at about 1:30 pm. She was basically asleep until 4:00 pm although you could tell she was somewhat uncomfortable. Even when she was awake she appeared quite groggy and confused but definitely recognized her mother and appeared much more comfortable in her arms. From the pictures you might be able to tell that she has enough cables coming out of her to be a computer. She has a full-time dedicate nurse in the ICU, so they were able to convince Susie to come home for a few hours sleep...she will return at 0730. By tomorrow they hope for Olivia to start drinking fluids and have some soft foods.
ENT said that her ears were quite clogged up with a very thick fluid and based on her hearing test her hearing we be quite improved and will help her in her speech. So this wonderful journey continues and thank you for your love and support.
God Bless you all.
So glad to know it's over and all went well. Praying for totally healing and a smooth recovery.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Lisa
Susie,
ReplyDeleteI got so emotional just looking at your pictures. I remember all of this part as vividly as if it was yesterday! So glad the surgery went well. I will keep you all in my prayers over the coming days and weeks. When it gets hard, and you might have some hard days ahead, remember the goal - to get her speaking clearly! Michelle has made huge strides just recently, and it is worth every painful day we both went through to hear her playing with her friends and speaking to us in the car where we can understand her, and just knowing everything is starting to come together.
My biggest concern before Michelle's surgery was how to keep solid food away from her. But I realized soon after, for her at least, that wasn't really an issue. Her mouth was so tender she didn't want to eat. Our biggest concern quickly became to keep her hydrated. Thin liquids obviously hurt her little mouth. We discovered those Pediasure drinks, and because they were thick she loved them. I remember several days following her around the house with the medicine dropper, giving her one careful squirt toward the back of her mouth at a time. Just a couple of ideas in case you need them. Let me know if there is anything we can do to help.