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
