Thursday, July 22, 2010

Day 1 Down

Surgery day has come and gone. All went well yesterday and the night was good too. Only one parent gets to stay at Jeffrey's bedside at a time. Last night mommy got to. I was hoping daddy could get some well needed rest back at the Hackerman-Patz House, however, he had to wait for a washer to be free so he could wash and dry Jeffrey's pukey Phillies blanket. [side note: Jeffrey got sick because right after surgery he requested orange juice and even though the nurses were hesitant, he got some. (charming little devil) Well, the orange juice made a reappearance right before Jeff had his dinner of pancake (just 1). The poor little guy felt bad because he was all wet and the bed was too. It was his first little wipe down/bath. So instead he later had dry Rice Krispies and ice chips for dinner. MMmmmm! I must say though that his dinner was better than our hospital food dinner. Luckily the cafeteria has really good food!] Shocker, I got off topic!

Brace yourself, here comes a fixator picture! Gotta love the smiley face on his knee!
The osteotomy went well and the pins are in! This external fixator is called an "Orthofix".

Okay, so post op was all good. The poor little guy was fighting off sleep. I think he just didn't want to miss anything. Plus, the last time he fell asleep, in the OR, they stuck this big metal erector set on his leg, which is uh, well, not comfy. I can't say we blame him for wanting to be aware of all that's done to him. He's cried a few times but not so much out of pain but fear. He said, "I don't like when people come with tools." Again, I'm right there with ya, buddy.
He still is not feeling much pain due to the epidural that will be in for a few days. He seems to be most bothered by the IV in his hand and the catheter which was referred to by the PT as his "tinkle tube", that cracked me up.
He had some nice distractions today. He got to ride in his wheelchair for the first time. We rolled on out to the play room to shoot some hoops, chuck some beanbags, paint and even use mommy's camera to take some interesting photos!

Daddy is dumping beanbags out of a spotted kangaroo
Artist at work

He kept requesting, "When can I get down and play?" Ya figure, to him, a play room means you run around and play. Here we were telling him he has to stay in this chair on wheels and watch the other kids' siblings dribble and shoot basketballs and walk around. I think Jeff was slightly discouraged that he couldn't be, well...himself! The good news is that as soon as the epidural and the catheter are out, he is free to get down and around as much as he can tolerate.
He keeps asking, "When are we going back to Peppermin-Pats?" The house we are staying in, The Hackerman-Patz House, has been renamed by Jeffrey in honor of Peppermint Patty, the Charlie Brown Peanuts character. Too cute!
Well, the little dude is sleeping, finally!!! I'm going to upload some pics and rest my eyes as well. Thanks for tuning in!
Still his goofy self

(I'm going to apologize now for any grammatical errors. I typed all this and honestly don't feel like proofreading. Feel free to let me know if something just doesn't make sense)

9 comments:

  1. He looks so sweet, and still smiling! What a good kid he is! I can't wait to see him, and I'm sure Jack is ready too. Will he have a different fixator, the kind we are used to seeing?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jill, Jamie, and Jeffrey
    I just wanted you guys to know you are all in my thoughts and prayers. Kelly gave me your blog
    (I hope you don't mind) so I could read the updates. You are one special family, with one special little boy.
    Eileen Pippet ( Kelly's Mom)

    ReplyDelete
  3. go get 'em Jeffrey!! Great job on the site you guys!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow...I know if I was in your shoes, this site would never have crossed my mind, but what a great way to let everyone know what's going on and a great way to remember it years down the road! It's truly amazing! (and btw...i don't think anyone's going to notice or even care about any grammar mistakes...which i don't remember seeing!) I'm thinking of you guys!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Jill, Jamie, and Jeffrey...what a creative way to share your "marvelous adventure". Please tell Jeffrey that I enjoyed the video...especially his wonderful words of wisdom..."sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't - but you never give up". Truly a lesson for all of us and certainly a quality he'll carry with him for a lifetime. I'll check in often. In the meantime, if there's anything I can do on this end to help you guys, just give me a call or drop me a note. I'll be happy to do whatever I can to lighten the load a bit. By the way...I'm a huge Peanut's fan, so "Peppermin-Pats" sounds like a great place to stay. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey Guys!

    Thinking of you all the time! Jeffrey is one tough dude! Love all the smiles despite what he has gone through. If there is anything else I can do besides sending love and positive thoughts your way - just call!!!

    Pippet

    ReplyDelete
  7. The "S" Family;

    So glad that everything went well with the surgery. All of you are so STRONG, especially the little guy.

    Jill you had me in tears reading your blog- that Connor had to finish reading it for me.

    We are thinking and praying for all of you. If you need anything even the littlest thing just let us know.

    Best of luck on your journey.

    ReplyDelete
  8. So glad to see that BIG smile on Jeffrey's face. We're so glad he's doing well, let us know if you need anything.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jeffrey is quite the charismatic character, just like Dad!!!! He gets his amazing strength from his two wonderful parents! Just know that I will be thinking of Jeffrey and hoping his recovery continues to go well. He reminds me of my grandkids, so full of love!

    ReplyDelete