Surgery #2

Taking Jake down for his surgery today was such a different experience from his first surgery two months ago. That entire night was a blur and everything happened so fast due to the severity of his brain injury and the need to get the pressure released as quickly as possible. In many ways I think the shock and disbelief we were feeling helped us get through it...we were just numb.

Today, we were part of the entire process. We were there yesterday afternoon when the neurosurgeon came to the room to make sure we didn't have any last minute questions and then held Jake's hand when they put in his IV for the pre-surgery blood draws. We went with him down to pre-op at 6:30 this morning and talked to several medical personnel about consents and explanations of what was coming. We put on sterile suits (he thought it was pretty funny they gave both of us the same size suit) and went with him into the OR and held his hands while they put him under. Then we had to walk away and leave him on the operating table in a room full of strangers. Not easy, goes against every instinct you have as a parent.

We sat in the same waiting area as last time, only difference is, it is A LOT busier on a Friday morning than it was on that Friday night. There were over 25 other kids listed by number on a board all having surgery this morning. I think there was only one other family in the waiting area with us last time. Watching the clock and waiting for hourly updates from the OR Nurse was just as stressful. You hold your breath when the phone rings wanting to hear that everything is going ok.

We were very happy to see his neurosurgeon two and a half hours after we left Jake in the OR  and hear the surgery went well. He said there were no complications and he was pleased with how things went. He did have to drain some excess fluid from his brain before replacing the bone. It's something they need to keep an eye on the next few weeks to make sure his brain fluid levels are where they need to be and draining properly. 

When we got back to post-op, Jake was very pale and his heart rate was a bit high. He was alert though and when the nurse asked him for a number, he said "36." The nurse looked at him all alarmed and asks "Your head pain is a 36?" He replied, "No, you asked me for a number and 36 is my favorite number." It was kind of funny. We finally got back to our room around 1:00 pm. Jake's favorite expression the rest of the afternoon was "I think I'm going to take a nap, is that alright?"

I had forgotten a lot of what we dealt with in the ICU....beeping monitors, constantly watching numbers on a screen that are measuring his oxygen level and heart rate, getting blood pressure, and neuro checks every four hours....I'm glad all of this will only go on for a few days. We've become pretty independent on the rehab floor and it's strange to have nurses and doctors in and out so regularly again.

This was another big milestone in his journey. We are so thankful things went well today and we are one step closer to taking him home.