Surgery Day

I wanted to get a quick update written tonight after the surgery day.  Things went smoothly from a medical standpoint, but Anna and I were able to exercise (once again) the patience and flexibility needed when having hospital procedures.

We left the house a little before 7 for Anna's 7:30 a.m. report time.  Since Anna was due for a couple of blood draws to check her thyroid levels as well as her cortisol levels, we communicated with everyone prior to today about having these labs done right away in the morning.  The cortisol test requires 12 hours of fasting and since Anna was NPO due to impending anesthesia, we wanted to get this one out of the way.

But, life doesn't always go as smoothly as we hope.  The nurse put numbing cream on Anna's hands when we arrived and the anesthesiologist came around 8:30 to start Anna's IV and draw blood for the labs.  These IVs are usually placed when Anna is already asleep, but this tough girl and I were prepared for an awake IV placement.  Unfortunately, Anna's veins weren't.  After three attempts and a few tears at the end, the anesthesiologist said she would have to wait until Anna was in the OR.  Bummer.  Especially since the 9:00 a.m. OR time was pushed back until 10:30 because of the first procedure of the day in the OR.

This all means that we're probably looking at another fasting cortisol check sometime in the next couple of weeks.  The endocrinologist's read of the results will be the determining factor.

Anna's operation went smoothly and she woke up from anesthesia calmly, but s-l-o-w-l-y.  Her only tears and frustrations came from the congestion and coughing she experienced because of the location of the surgery (trauma to anywhere near sinus spaces = extra fluid up there = really stuffy nose).

The chalazion is gone, although that incision required a few stitches to close up.  Every doctor who saw this chalazion commented on how it's the biggest they've ever seen.  Yikes.

Anna also had bilateral eye muscle surgery, but we have yet to see the full results of this procedure.  So far Anna says that the two pictures are much closer together, but that she still sees two of them at distances.  We are hopeful that as the swelling goes down, this will continue to improve.  Anna has a follow-up with her ophthalmologist next week.

We left the hospital around 2:30 and stopped by the pharmacy on our way home, only to learn that the combination steroid/antibiotic eye drops prescribed for Anna are not usually kept in stock.  Our local pharmacist called around and found a few pharmacies in the county with the drops, ranging from 20 minutes to 60 minutes away.  We chose the 20 minute drive, but I got Anna home and did a handful of prep things for the rest of the family before running across town to get the prescription.

By about 4 o'clock, Anna was ready and willing to go downstairs to play with Ethan and Kate, although we reminded her that she is not allowed to rough-house with anyone for a couple of weeks.  She was quite tired and grumpy just before bedtime, but we're hoping she's over the worst of it.

Thank you to all who have kept us in your prayers regarding today's surgery.  Anna had a great attitude about so many things; we both stayed calm and relatively cheerful in the moments that could have easily become frustrating; and we were all home for dinner together tonight.  We can't hope for much more for these kinds of days :)