Last we left off, Braden was headed to surgery on Tuesday. . .
(This entry is more for our family to document this experience, but read on if you wish) :)
Monday night I let Braden stay up later than usual, and allowed some late night snacking (he was not to eat or drink after midnight prior to surgery. Tuesday morning he slept in, and once he was up we took Elise to daycare and then Braden and I tried to keep busy (and his mind off food! He's not a big breakfast eater, so it wasn't tooooo hard). We stopped at Walmart and I tried to distract him and just kill time (we had a couple of hours). B picked out a new toy (a little hot wheels semi/trailer) for filling up his incentive chart at home, and we browsed the holiday decor, looked at gloves and mittens, and just wandered around until he eventually became very restless and started to tell me he was hungry. :( Soooo we got in the car and drove a (very!) scenic route to pick up Billy and then headed to the hospital.
I could tell B was becoming increasingly nervous and anxious. Thankfully we were able to check in quickly and didn't have to wait very long before they took us to peds pre-op. However, at that point Braden started to melt down. He did NOT want to take off his clothes and put on the purple gown he was given, and the tears started to flow. He did perk up when his nurse said he could visit the toy chest to pick out a toy (he chose a car - shocking!). :) Unfortunately we had to wait for quite a while in the pre-op area, and B just became more anxious and upset. He did NOT want to wear the bracelet, did NOT want to wear the hospital socks, etc. etc.
Eventually Dr. Morcuende came in and reviewed the procedure with us. He also explained that IF when they cleaned out the cysts they found anything other than the expected liquid, and IF anything biopsied came back suspect, he may have to scrape off more bone around the cyst. If that were to happen, he was concerned that he may need to either put in a plate and screw to stabilize the bone, or he could cast it. Of course, if he put in the plate/screw, B would eventually need another surgery to remove them.
The nurse anesthetist came back to explain how things would work. She said that it was best for us to say our good-byes in the pre-op room, and she would take Braden to the OR. He'd probably get upset, but it would be best that way so that they could give him a rapid dose of whatever they give him to put him to sleep (it is often too traumatic for parents to see that happen). She then asked if that was OK. I said that we had been told that I could go back with B and be with him until he fell asleep, and that we had told him we would not leave him. She got a bit snippy with me and said that her plan was just the best and could we just do that so that I would not get upset as B was put under. I told her I was not worried about myself, but that BRADEN would be very anxious if I did not go with him - but that I would do whatever they thought best. She left the room, and I began to pray that Braden would not freak out - which I was certain he would. Then the nurse anesthetist bustled back in at about 12:15 and gave me a gown and told me to get ready and that I could come! I was so relieved.
Braden was a trooper - he didn't get upset at all, but walked with me holding my hand into the OR area. I am sure my eyes were huge as we walked down the hall to his room. When we got into the OR there were already several other people in the room, and B hopped up on the bed without complaint. They asked him to lay down and then told him he was going to smell a sweet skunk smell in a mask (it did smell kind of like a skunk). He almost immediately became drowsy, then suddenly started to thrash a bit (which they warned me he would do), then went limp. It wasn't traumatic to watch, because I knew he was really "out" and that he had not been upset or anxious at all in the OR. They then whisked me out of the room.
Billy and I (and my parents who had come up to sit with us) then went to the waiting area. Billy and Dad went to get us all some lunch, and Mom and I settled in to wait. We had our "devices" so we could check email and send updates to our families -- it was comforting to get many emails and texts from friends and family praying for Braden and us. About an hour into surgery I got a phone call at the desk. It was a nurse reporting that all was going well - the biopsy came back fine, and that they were ready to begin inserting the bone fragments. Originally we thought it was going to be about an hour long surgery, but it ended up being more like 2.5 hours. We were able to check an electronic update board to see how things were progressing - surgery was wrapping up, surgery complete, patient moved to recovery, etc. When the doctor finally came out, he said that all went very well. . . . but he was covered with what appeared to be white paint. I was trying to figure out what that could be (bone fragment?) when it hit me - they casted him! Dr. Morcuende said that all went just as planned, but because they knew B is so active, they decided to cast him to protect the bone as it heals.
BUT . . . not just any cast - from chest to thigh! Surprise!
Immediately my mind started to race . . . how would we even get him home? He could not sit down/ride in a car seat . . . what about preschool and day care? How much work would we have to miss? Suddenly the surgery and "minor" recovery had become a much bigger deal. Plus - I knew B would freak out to wake up in a cast, since we had not explained anything about a cast to him (because we didn't know).
Finally we were called to recovery. His recovery nurse wanted us to be there when he first opened his eyes. He was really groggy and had kind of a hard time waking up (it didn't help that the nurse was calling him Brandon - when I corrected her and she called him Braden he did open his eyes). :) Mom and Dad needed to leave, so the nurse allowed them a quick peek in the recovery area. By this time we were pretty sure that Braden would be spending the night, so I called school and said to let my sub know that I needed her Wednesday as well. Eventually B woke up and was able to tell us where he was. We explained that he had a Ninja Turtle shell to help his leg heal, but at first he didn't care about anything - he was just sooooo sleepy.
After about an hour, B was moved to a peds floor. It was deja vu when we walked into the peds unit and headed right to the exact same room we spent a few nights in when B was just a few days old! When he was born he and I both had an infection that required a little longer stay/antibiotics, but the Mother-Baby unit was full so on day 3 or so we were moved to the peds floor. It was kind of cool to be in that SAME room. The nurses were AWESOME and were very helpful. By this time B was more alert, and was asking for food, so I called down and ordered supper and a CNA brought him some applesauce right away. B kind of had to explore his new surroundings, and was not very happy to have an iv line in his hand and a monitor on his finger . . . and kept asking to take his "shell" off. :( He was on morphine, and handled the pain very well.
The ipad was a great distraction - we watched a lot of netflix in the hospital.
B liked being able to push the button for more medicine. :) We also brought his little quilt from home and he liked to cover up with it because he didn't want to look at his cast.
The first evening they put some waterproof tape around the edges (especially at the bottom). The cast stops above the knee on the left side, but is much shorter on the right - it ends a little above where his undies would end, and most of the "front" (middle) is open, as is most of the back (his left cheek is covered). So for the first while, he used a urinal to do his business, but it was more manageable than I had imagined.
A hospital social worker also explained that they would provide us with a special car seat and wheel chair, and that they would be sure Braden was managing pain well before they'd send us home - but she thought we'd be able to go home Wednesday afternoon.
After a lonnnnng night (Billy and I both stayed at the hospital and tried to sleep on the recliner/pull out chair . . . but B really perked up at about 9pm and had a hard time settling down/getting comfy for the night - finally he crashed around midnight) Billy went to work in the morning, and the a doctor checked in. It was very early, so he didn't wake B, but said things seemed to be going well and he'd be back later in the day. We ordered some breakfast, and I was able to take a quick shower. Poor Braden began to realize that he was in a not so fun predicament, and became really agitated and whiney - nothing was right. He couldn't get comfortable, couldn't find a show to watch, couldn't find a toy to play with, didn't want to eat breakfast, etc. At one point I had to step out because I was so frustrated with him. I completely understood how he was feeling, but after several nights with little sleep, was ready to be whiney myself.
Wednesday morning they also made his cast RED by adding a fiberglass layer over the plaster. Of course B chose red so that it would be a Spider-Man cast! :)
B seemed to be handling his pain really well, so they took him off the IV meds and started him on orals. I wanted to be SURE he'd do ok on orals before we headed home. Once he was off the IV, he could move around a little more. We tried to make him comfy in the chair . . .
A CNA helped us get him buckled into the car, and we were off. As we drove, I realized Braden was crying. I asked him if his leg hurt, and he said, "No, Mom. Remember what we talked about?" I was clueless and asked him what we had talked about. He replied, "If I am not in my car seat you can get into trouble from the policeman." (I have told him that in the past when he's been silly and not wanting to ride in his seat.) I explained that his new harness was ok instead of a car seat and that the policeman would not stop us, and he fell asleep.
When we got home, he immediately wanted to walk around and did remarkably well. We've tried to do our best and keeping him seated/resting, but WOW is that a challenge. We picked up Elise (was SO good to see her after more than 24 hours!) and she was glad to be home - and has been pretty clingy ever since. Some dear friends of mine brought over supper for us that night, which was wonderful. Braden settled into bed easily, and we all got the best night's sleep we'd had in a long time.
Thursday morning Braden woke up in a much better mood - being at home with his own "stuff" has helped a lot. We borrowed a beanbag chair and a papasan chair, which he enjoys, be actually he seems to prefer the couch. He and E had fun watching the Macy's parade together.
It's hard to tell here in this blurry cell phone pic, but he was running/hobbling back to the couch. I can not believe how FAST he is and how quickly he's figured out how to get around.
In fact, he did so well, that I decided he could go to Thanksgiving dinner. He asked me that morning what we were doing, and I had said it would be a stay home day for him and Daddy and E and I would go to Dennis and Sally's for Thanksgiving. He replied that HE wanted to go too. So we tried it. He doesn't like riding laying down, but tolerates it much better with the dvd player and a movie.
He did pretty well at dinner - was still kind of moody/irritable though, so Billy took B and E home soon after dinner so that I could participate in the Miller family annual Thanksgiving craft. ;)
It's crazy to see how independent Braden already is -- he can get up on our barstools (he kneels since he can't bend to sit), he can use the bathroom with just a little help pulling up his pants (they're kind of tight on the cast, and it is rough which makes them hard to pull up), and definitely gets around very easily (even steps). I about croaked on Thursday morning when I went downstairs to change the laundry, looked up, and saw him beside me. I asked him how he got down the stairs, and he looked at me funny and said, "I just walked downstairs, Mom." (as if DUH!)
Sooooo - though we thought he'd need to miss several days of PK and perhaps would not be able to go to day care, it looks like he's going to try it. We had a no school (comp) day today, so we did a trial run at day care. I didn't get a call asking me to come get him, so I am assuming he's doing just fine. I am going to call his teacher tonight because he realllly wants to try preschool tomorrow. My only real concern is if he is able to ride the bus home. I am fortunate that the bus picks him up during my lunch, so I am going to go see how it goes. If he can't do the steps to get on, I can run him home/to daycare. But if he can ride the bus, we will be able to resume our regular schedule!
We are still very much looking forward to December 16 - the day the cast will come off. To help B understand, we made a paper chain to count down the days. He looks forward to cutting one chain off each day and knows when there are no more chains he gets the cast off. (In fact, I found an extra link torn off the other day - I had to explain to him that he can only take off ONE each day.) :)
We're trying to focus on the fun of the season and make time go quickly . . . we started our advent stockings . . .
and Braden was so excited that Rugby, our elf has reappeared!
I am a little worried - between the fun advent activities/presents and the little gifts he gets to open each day from his PK classmates (who sent him a get well care package full of lots of little gifts that we decided he could open one a day), he's getting a little spoiled. But I am sure that Braden will be happy to forgo the gifts in exchange for getting that cast off, though.
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