Surgery Went Well: An Update

Today was a long day! We woke up at 4:00 am and left home at 5:15. It was rainy and dark and there were a ton of tractor trailers on the highway, which spit mist up on our windshield. Haley was nervous and kept praying that we would be safe. It took us three hours to get to the hospital, but we made it safely.

Haley was gotten ready for surgery and taken to radiology for PICC line placement. We saw several nurses and other staff members who remembered us. It's weird that we have been here so often that they remember us! Her surgery was supposed to be at 11:00 but it was soon obvious that it would be delayed. Being a preop nurse, I understand that that's just the nature of surgery. You never really know how long an operation will take. So it's good to be patient. (Maybe that's why we call them "patients"??  ha ha)  Anyway, I digress.  Finally Dr. H came in to see her. He looked at her back and poked around a little, saying where he would put the incision. He said a prayer with Haley, and she tagged her own addendum onto his prayer, thanking God for Dr. H and asking Him to guide Dr. H's hand. I think he is truly touched by Haley's prayers. Then the anesthesiologist came in and looked through her chart, asking her questions. At last, Dan, the nurse anesthetist came in. He has always taken care of Haley, and he does a wonderful job. She never throws up after surgery when Dan is on the case. Haley looked at him and said, "Give me the usual, Dan."  He cracked up.  Haley then said, "I hear Carol out there" and sure enough, the OR nurse, Carol, came in. Needless to say, we felt comfortable with the folks taking care of her.

Her surgery took over 3.5 hours. But I was delighted to see a friend from years ago, Lisa, come into the preop area. It was nice to have her with me, and we dashed out to the hotel so I could check in and unload my luggage. We chatted and caught up, and then she had to leave. (She lives in the area and was so sweet to come and see us.) When I got back to the hospital waiting room, there sat Ally, one of Haley's dearest and best friends. She, too, lives somewhat nearby, and also took the time to come and be with me and to see Haley after surgery. That is some of the best medicine for Haley!

A little while later, I saw a wet (still raining) Gary coming toward us in the waiting room. He is the sweet friend of our family from our church, and a dear, faithful friend to Haley through years and years of illness. I gave him a hug and asked what he was doing there. He said that he was in the area for work so he thought he would stop by. (I saw through that--he owns the company, so he can go and check on whatever work is being done whenever and wherever he wants!)  Anyway, what a treat to have two of Haley's favorite people to wait with me.

Dr. H came out of the OR at 5:00 pm and said that the surgery went well. He untethered her cord, and it retracted up, meaning that it was truly tethered. This is a good sign. Then, he fixed the darned shunt, and he said that the rubber on the valve had disintegrated. He has never seen this before, except for the last time he saw it in Haley! What the heck? I asked him later if he thought the valves were defective. He said that that was a good question, and that he isn't sure, but that he definitely thinks that the way they are made is a poor design. Anyway, he fixed the thing and sewed the tissue in her back that had formed into a pocket so that it would heal well.

Haley was in recovery for 3 hours. We got to see her for short periods, as they were trying to control her pain. She said that her headache was much, much better, but that her back was really sore. They finally moved her to a room at around 8 pm. We were allowed to see her for a while in her room. At one point, Gary had her smiling and I snapped a picture.

Gary and Ally left shortly after this, as they both had long trips to their respective homes. I stayed for a bit longer, and stepped out to get Haley a drink from the vending machine. When I got back, I saw Dr. H sitting in the chair holding her hand and talking to her. 

He was so kind and said that Haley is so smart and so strong. He said that he thinks she is going to get over this hurdle and do great things in this world. He is really quite compassionate. He genuinely feels badly for all that Haley has had to endure. I could not believe that he was still at the hospital. His first case was at 7:30 this morning and he had just finished in the OR. What kind of dedication is this? It really blessed me (and Haley.)

So thank you for your prayers. God heard and answered: I was not alone, I'm safely tucked in at the hotel and am fine, and most importantly, God brought Haley through yet another surgery. I don't take one minute of this for granted. Would you please pray for her recovery? She has to lie flat on her back for three days, which will be hard for her. She doesn't ever watch TV, only YouTube videos of Broadway singers, so it may be kind of boring for her. Pray that she can endure the pain and the boredom and that I will be helpful to her. Thanks so much. We are in awe of the support you have shown. And we are humbled.