A Recap

For those that didn't know about Ben's surgery. You can read about it here .

We drove down to Phoenix on Monday afternoon. We figured this would be a better option than making the trek down on Tuesday morning. We had to be there by 8:00. A drive that would take 90 minutes could take 30-60 minutes longer in morning rush hour traffic. Also Ben was restricted from food and water, so that long drive would seem even longer. So, going down the night before was for the best. We went to my sister's new house and met my Dad and Suzy there.

All 9 of us headed to NYPD, which is a wonderful pizza place that we dearly miss living up here. We stuffed ourselves on salad and pizza. It was a wonderful dinner. Then, we went by one of our favorite stores, Sprouts. It's like a healthy grocery store. The kids raid the candy bins which isn't very healthy, but I was letting Ben have whatever he wanted. Gummy bears and taffy.

We enjoyed the rest of the night at my Dad's. The kids took a bath (surgery requirement) in my Dad's huge jacuzzi tub. They were having a blast. We didn't go to bed until after 10. I sleep with Ben and David with Emily. The kids don't sleep if we put them together. Plus, my Dad's house isn't exactly kid proof. Who knows what the two of them would get into unsupervised. Ben was wired (too many gummy bears) and didn't go to sleep until almost midnight. I didn't sleep well. Come to find out that neither did David. Fear and anxiety over the upcoming events were weighing on us. Luckily, Ben had no clue, so once he fell asleep, he was out.

We were told to check in at 8:00, surgery at 9:30. I'm convinced this is for all the slackers who think a check in time is 30-60 minutes later than what they are told. For me, I'm always 2 minutes early. It took 3 minutes to check us in. There we sat from 8:03 to 9:15 waiting. Ben was soooo cranky. Tired, hungry, thirsty and bored is not a good combo for any 3 year old. They had a small play area that held his interest for about 5 minutes. The rest of the time he complained in my arms.

As a parent, you want to take away their pain. I'd have the surgery 100 times over if it meant that he could just be content. The stress was building for David and I. Our friend (thank you Dakri) had mentioned giving Ben a "cocktail". The anesthesiologist could give him a little liquid medicine that takes the edge off. I requested this as soon as they called us in the back room.

We sat there with a group of people in this room and waited. They took Ben's vitals. When everything is ready in the operating room, they would come get Ben. I knew this would be where the problem with Ben would come in. He won't let me leave him, let alone some strange nurse trying to take him down the hall. Thank God for the cocktail. The anesthesiologist gave him a dose and within 15 minutes, Ben was feeling good. He was smiling at me and poking his fingers in his eyes. When the nurse came for him, he didn't even complain. Then, I needed a cocktail.

During that 40 minutes, one parent had to stay in the waiting area. I'm pregnant, starving and completely stressed at that point, so I went to the cafeteria for a bite. Uh, breakfast food. I'm not a real fan of breakfast. I get hash browns and bacon. I go back and David goes for a bite to eat. It made the time go quicker which is good. The Dr. came out and told us that Ben did great. He was in recovery and they'd let us go back in a few minutes.

In the information they gave us, it stated recovery would take 1-2 hours. The lady that was helping us said he'd be ready to go in 15-30 minutes. What? We multi tasked and David got Ben's pain prescription filled while I helped get him dressed. I was shocked at how quickly we were sent out the door. They gave us a small cup of juice which Ben drank in the car and then he puked everywhere. Oh, I guess I know why they want us out of there so quickly.

We met my Dad and Suzy who thankfully kept Emily the entire time. Then, we headed home. It was a long car ride. David and I were tired. Ben puked again. This time popcorn. All over. I brought a bucket, but Ben had never puked before. He kept saying "I have angels in my belly." Which he says when his stomach hurts. I thought the pain meds were wearing off. Nope.

He didn't sleep the entire drive. When we got home, we all crashed. I slept with Ben for a few hours. David slept for an hour. Emily, well, she doesn't like to sleep. My Mom was here, so her and Emily played about 20 games of Old Maid (or Old Navy as Emily says).

The night went well and we are all recouping just fine. Ben was back to his normal tricks this morning of climbing over the sofa and running around. His only restriction is no straddle toys for 2 weeks. Everything seems to be a straddle toy, no rocking horse, teeter totter, roller coaster, bikes... That's the hardest part at this point.

But, he's just fine.

Thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes. We knew this was a minor surgery, but risk is always involved in putting your child under. We are glad it's over.