The big girls had an exciting first week of school, but Jason, Piper and I had a more anxiety-filled week. A few weeks ago I spotted a lump on Piper's stomach, and soon found out that she had an epigastric hernia. Those won't heal on their own so she needed to have it repaired with surgery. We met with the surgeon last week and Thursday was her big day. I have been a wreck thinking about them taking my baby from me, putting her to sleep, cutting her open and then stitching her up - and I couldn't be there to comfort her and she wouldn't understand what was going on! Thursday morning came and we were off to Primary Children's Hospital for the procedure. Piper was one of the youngest so her surgery was early in the morning, which was good since she couldn't eat or drink anything that morning.
She got changed into her hospital pajamas -
Then we waited in the waiting room (with a tv and coloring books to keep her busy) for the nurse to come and give her a dose of meds that would "relax" her and make separating from me and dad not so hard. I really wish they could have given me some, too. Since the meds made her loopy and dizzy she had to get into a wagon and be pulled around. Jason circled the floor and it wasn't long before you could tell the drugs were kicking in.
Once they came and took her to the operating room it was time to WAIT (which I am NOT good at doing). It was supposed to take 20-30 minutes, but we waited for 45 minutes before the doctor came to talk to us. He explained that the hole in her abdomen was larger than expected so it took a little longer to repair, but she had done great and was still asleep. I was supposed to WAIT again until they came to get me (only one parent could go back until she went to recovery) when she started to wake up - another long waiting period for us! But soon a nurse was taking me back to see my baby. But it wasn't what I was prepared for - Piper was one of a few that didn't come out of the anesthesia well. She wasn't really opening her eyes, and she got very restless and mad. I tried holding her but she was thrashing around, kicking, and screaming. I got so upset that they went and got Jason to come and help me. He held her tight so she couldn't hurt herself. After this went on for a long time (and the nurses tried a few reversal drugs that didn't work) they got the anesthesiologist. Piper was sweating and exhausted but couldn't be calmed down. He explained that sometimes this can happen - she was stuck in an in-between state (a state of delirium) and they would need to put her back to sleep. I was so scared. No one had told me about this...but within a few minutes she was back to sleep. There is nothing worse for me as a mom than to be completely helpless in easing my child's pain. Again, I sat a WAITED. But this time I could watch my baby sleep and hold her hand. Within 30 minutes she woke up again and, thankfully, was back to our sweet little girl. They wheeled her to recovery and she hung out in her bed watching tv, drinking water and playing while the nurses kept checking on her. She was fine, so we were released a little while later. Finally, I could take her home and get out of that hospital.
We cannot believe how quickly she seems to be healing. Within a few hours of being home she wanted to go outside and play - she even jumped on the trampoline. Her incision and stitches don't seem to bother her at all. She has slept great and seems to be in very little pain. What a relief!
Some people from Jason's office sent her some balloons and a doll and that was a great distraction on Friday. She played with those outside for a long time. She has discovered the bandage over her stitches, but hasn't been able to get it off.
I am so grateful for healthy children - and hope to not have to go through anything like this again for a long time! But very grateful for good doctors and nurses that helped us through the whole experience. And most grateful for a husband that handles stressful situations much better than I do. I couldn't do anything but cry. He was able to hold Piper and remain calm. She is so lucky to have a dad like that - and two parents that love her so very much!
