same day surgery

In my previous post, I mentioned how Simon was going in to have his birthmark removed. A minor procedure in the eyes of the doctors and nurses we spoke with, but a major decision for us. I admit, I was carrying worry and anxiety about it, so much so that, after it was over and Simon did so AMAZING, I took a three hour nap. I literally felt jet lagged, like I'd been on an airplane all day.

We showed up around 7:30 am and checked in to Children's Hospital. They had Simon put on special "pajamas" and pick out his flavored mask (they customize the scent of the anesthesia gas to make it less scary for kids.) He picked cherry. We met with various nurses, interns, the anesthesiologist, and ultimately, the surgeon, Dr. Woo. Simon followed all their directions without a hitch, and the only thing he whined about was that the pjs were too big and the bracelet they put on him was scratchy.

Down the hall from our room was a big play room with lots of toys, puzzles, games and trikes. Simon LOVED the tricycle and rode it up and down the hall and back and forth to our room since he kept getting called back in to consult with staff. We did puzzles, picked out a movie and tried to play the game "Boggle". (He lost interest in that one.)

On the trike in our room

The nurse practitioner was an older lady and was a little less soft and cuddly than the other nurses. She was more to the point. She said it would be likely that Simon would need a sedative to calm his nerves before they wheeled him to the OR because, even if he seemed fine, he would most likely throw a fit when it was time to separate from Mom and Dad. She said that even if he was upset, they would need to move forward with the surgery and it would be better to have him calm. But after the anesthesia intern met with Simon, she said she didn't think he'd need any extra medicine and didn't want to give him extra if at all possible because it can aggravate any mood side effects when regaining consciousness. I was relieved.

When the team of doctors and surgical staff came to wheel him away in his hospital bed, I felt tense. Seriously, these people looked scary to me. They were all in their scrubs, with green puffy caps covering their hair and they surrounded Simon and they weren't saying much. I was so amazed that Simon didn't get nervous...they made ME nervous! But he just sat in the bed and seemed to enjoy the ride down the halls escorted by an entourage of highly paid people. Turns out he didn't need a sedative like the nurse predicted.

The procedure was only supposed to take 30-45 minutes, so Bryan and I went to the cafeteria to grab some breakfast. (We couldn't eat or drink in front of Simon since he had to fast overnight.) The food was gross but we ran into a nurse that goes to our church so we ate with her and the conversation was nice to get our minds on something else.

When we went back up to our room, Simon still wasn't back. Minutes passed and I got antsy. I kept looking at the phone and checking down the hall but no news. Just when I started to get really nervous, they wheeled him back to us.

He looked groggy and kind of pale and sad. As soon as he saw us, he started to cry and wanted to be held. We had been warned that coming out of anesthesia can cause some high emotion in children, so I tried not to fall apart. Simon was complaining about the IV in his hand so I asked the nurse to remove it. She told me that even if she took it out I shouldn't be surprised if he found something else to cry about. But Simon is quite the kid. As soon as we took care of the IV, got him out of the baggy pjs and into his own clothes, put on 101 Dalmations (one of his faves) and gave him some soda with a straw, he was good as new!

In fact, he was bubbly and ready to go home. He pretended like he was going to leave without us and started closing the glass sliding doors with us still in his room. We laughed and played along but the nurse got worried that he shouldn't be up playing and that we needed to hold his hand in case he was unsteady on his feet. He just kept blowing my mind with his resiliency, strength and security. He was totally back to his normal self! He bounded down the halls and wanted to push the elevator buttons. He never got nauseated and ate two pieces of toast and a bunch of cheddar bunnies when we got home. I find him so incredible.

The best part of the whole day was taking a nap together. He didn't want to lie down but wanted to bounce and play and be silly. But I insisted. We snuggled up in my bed and slept and slept and slept. Ella got home and slept too! That girl hasn't had a nap in almost two years. It was a sweet time.

To avoid leaving Simon with a really long scar, the doctor suggested we do two procedures. So he'll have to go through this again around December. I feel so much less worried about it now that I've seen what he's made of!