Monday, January 4, 2010

Whoa.

Okay. I'm going to try to make this as brief as possible (seriously this time). I'm at my house with my mama, while Jeramie and Ethan are holding down room 5320. Hopefully everyone can get some much needed rest tonight, which would involve actually going to bed at a decent hour.

We've been up since 3:45, got to Duke at 6:00, went into a holding room around 6:30, Jeramie took Ethan into the OR around 8:15, surgery started at 8:40, met with the surgeon after surgery at 11:00, Ethan recovered in the PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) until 12:30, and we were taken to our room on the floor around 1:00.

Whoa.

The surgery went as well as it possibly could have gone. It appears that Ethan's arm is developed as much as a typical arm, it's just missing the radial bone. All of the tendons and arteries were right where they should have been, and that enabled the surgeon to achieve the most ideal amount of correction. That, in and of itself, is a HUGE praise! Not to mention the fact that Ethan handled the anesthesia like a champ and had NO problems being extubated. His heart rate got unusually high in the recovery room, but that seems to be leveling out now. Overall, he did great!

Since we've been out on the floor, though, he's been extremely cranky. He has a full arm cast and there's actually a pin in place, holding a specific tendon in its new location. I know, right. I'd cry too. He's getting 2 types of pain medication at various times, but he is still not a happy camper.

If you've been following along on Twitter (or on the bottom, right-hand side of the blog) you noticed that we've had a bit of a stressful evening. Ethan's IV was occluded and we thought he would lose it (read: have to be stuck again, which is not an easy process). Thankfully, an angel from the IV Team came by and was able to save it! The 30, or so, minutes it took to do that were excruciating, though. Ethan screamed the entire time, which caused his heart rate to jump up and made him get all hot and sweaty. He was so mad that he scratched up his right eye and the side of his face with his plastic ID band. It was an absolute mess. I took a break from his bedside, hopped on Twitter, and asked y'all to pray. And pray you did. Literally, within 10 minutes, the IV was saved and re-wrapped, and Ethan was calm in my arms. So, thanks for that.

That's basically where things are as of right now. When Mama and I left the hospital, Ethan was snuggled up with Jeramie, and our good friends John & Dana were there visiting. I got a picture message on the ride home that showed Dana had taken over the holding duties, and Ethan was sleeping sweetly and soundly in her arms. I felt much better about leaving once I knew that was he was settled (hopefully for the night).

Thank you, thank you, thank you for praying so hard for us today. I'm not even lying when I say that I could feel the effects of that almost instantaneously. Please keep them coming. Pray that Ethan would sleep well through the night, allowing his body to get all the rest it needs for a quick recovery. (It would also give Daddy some much needed sleep!) The goal is to be discharged tomorrow, so pray that nothing stands in the way of that!

I'll be back at Duke bright and early in the morning, and will be sure to give updates throughout the day.

Until then... this exhausted, drained, filled-with-gratitude mama is off to dream some sweet dreams about her sweet boys.

G'night, y'all.




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will continue to pray for the expected discharge from Duke today and a very speedy recovering for Ethan. He deserves that!

I am glad they were able to save the IV and I hope it is able to come out ASAP.

Love Grandma A.

Dana E. said...

He fell asleep a few minutes after you left and slept hard. It was a long day for him! We'll keep praying for him to get out of there today and for the pain to be minimal for the little man.

Love you guys!! Thanks for letting us come by to see you all last night!

Stefenie said...

Praying that today is a much better day for all of you. It is always so hard after a procedure and they are agitated and full of meds. Then when something extra pops up like IV issues, etc. it only adds to their own anxiety making them extra fussy! Hang in there!!

Stef, Ryan, Wyatt and Logan
www.whenlifehandsyouabrokenheart.blogspot.com

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