1 Week To Go

In exactly 1 week, little Henry will be undergoing his cranial vault surgery at Doernbecher Children's  Hospital.  To say that we have nervous butterflies is an understatement.  We have not yet explained the upcoming hospital visit to Henry's older brothers and will be doing so this week.  Trying to think of the right way to explain the need for a hospital visit when Henry is not technically "sick" and there is no obvious boo-boo that needs fixing is proving challenging.  Advice is most welcome!

Henry had a lingering cough from his RSV infection last month and that has thankfully finally subsided.  As of today, he has no cold, no cough, and no signs of illness coming on.  The wonderful teachers in our daycare center are working very hard to keep him well.  I asked if Henry could somehow be isolated from the other babies and, wow, did they deliver!  Henry has sole access to the "pool" (a padded, bumpered circle) and his own little basket of toys.  When another child crawled into the pool while Henry got a fresh diaper, a teacher calmly removed the child to another toy area, sprayed disinfectant (diluted bleach) over the pool, wiped, and put down a fresh blanket inside.  She said it made her feel good to help keep him well.

Thank you, everyone, so much for the constant stream of love, prayers, and words of encouragement.  You keep us feeling strong through our worry.  --Tina and Chad

Pre-Op Day

What a day! For starters, it was picture day at "school". Each time the photographer got a big smile from Henry, he would spit up profusely as the camera snapped away. Hope she uses photo shop!

Then, Chad, Henry, and I went up the hill to Doernbecher Children't Hospital at OHSU. Henry's head was photographed (sans spit up) from all angles for his "before" shots. Next, we met with the nurse practitioner, Lisa, to discuss everything from what to do if Henry gets a cold before the surgery to what to expect when we see him post-op. That was tough to hear. She told us that he will look great immediately after surgery and will NOT be wrapped in bandages, as I had expected he would. But he will be so swollen for the 24-48 hours post-op that his eyes will likely be closed shut. Her experience is that the children become quite aggitated when this happens because they can hear many strange, scary sounds (beeps, alarms, strange voices), but they cannot see. She told us to expect Henry to become quite clingy for awhile.

After a 30-minute break, we had managed to make our way through the hospital maze to find food and return just in time for our next appointment: meeting Dr. Anna Kuang and Dr. Nathan Selden, the two-surgeon team who will perform Henry's cranial vault surgery. Even though the information was terrifying, we left the meeting feeling confident that Henry was going to be ok. These are two of the most intensely smart, yet warm and kind people you could hope to have care for your baby.

Next stop was to the lab for blood draw, which was Henry's least favorite part of the day. While we waited in the lobby, we invited a young girl named Ivory to visit with Henry. She had severe muscular-skeletal problems and was in a special wheelchair. She lit up when Henry began to coo at her and asked if he could talk to her. She seemed disappointed when we said he could only squeak. : ) Be well, Ivory.

Our final stop was a visit to the surgical floor. Whoa. That really brought it all home that THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN. We asked to see (1) which doors were they going to take Henry from us to take to surgery, (2) the pediatric ICU rooms, and (3) the "step-down" rooms. It was hard not to cry when I saw the doors Henry would disappear through in the arms of total strangers. It's good that we saw the PICU and step-down rooms....because that barely twin-sized bed they have for the parents clearly will only fit one of us! Although the rooms are for one patient only, they are a far cry from "private". Honestly, they are only a tad more friendly looking than the prison cells you see in movies! So, I will do what I can to cheer it up a bit. Chad and I agreed that I'd stay with Henry, but I promised to keep a notebook for when the doctors do their rounds.

7:30am April 5th....please keep Henry in your hearts and prayers. Much love -- Tina

Getting Ready

We have our Pre-Op meeting on Wed. March 16 at 11:15am. We will meet the folks who will take care of Henry before, during, and after his surgery. Looking forward to getting some questions answered and better understand what we need to do for Henry.

We'll also meet with Henry's craniofacial (plastic) surgeon, Dr. Anna Kuong, and nurse Lisa Crupi for a more detailed conversation about the procedure. We met the other 1/2 of the surgical team, Dr. Nathan Selden (neurosurgeon) a couple weeks ago. Quite the incredible team!

These meetings will happen up on the hill at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital. We are so fortunate to have this hospital located right here in Portland.