So we made it to KC wednesday and got through pre-admission testing with no problems. The rest of the day was fine, and that evening was a little stressful as you'll see in my previous blog. Overnight I slept horribly, waking almost every 45 minutes. At 4:00 a.m. I nursed him until 4:30 a.m. when he had to be cut off prior to surgery. He went back to sleep & amazingly I did too, after several texts to BFF Jessie, who left Wichita at 4:00 a.m. to make it to KC in time. Then I got up and showered at 6:00 a.m. The baby woke up but was so good, not ever really fussing because he was hungry or tired. When I was done getting ready I held him as everyone else got ready. It went so well! We were all ready to walk out the door on time and granny & grandpa arrived at RMH a little early so they were able to help us.
We all joined hands and said a prayer - mama prayed and grandpa prayed. In all my life I've seen my father cry 3 times - when his father died, when I got married during the rehearsal dinner toast & during the ceremony, and during his prayer for Immanuel. I'm sure he also cried when my brother had his ATV accident but I never saw that. It was very touching and yet hard to see & hear. Then we all headed out & met Auntie Jessie in the parking lot & all drove in caravan to the hospital. We checked into the hospital, got a wagon for all of our stuff, and then headed to Same Day Surgery. Outside the door we took a few quick pictures of "Team Immanuel" in our heart shirts and then checked in. Shortly thereafter they called for us to come back.
Mommy, Daddy & Immanuel then went back into the pre-op area where they explained everything to us again, took his weight, blood pressure, O2 sats, temp, etc. He got changed into his hospital gown and they brought him a toy to play with that he really loved. He was hungry & tired and luckily after some bouncing, patting, & swaying he went to sleep on mama's chest as Dr. Hubbell talked with us & went over the paperwork. This was such a blessing because my biggest feat was that he'd cry as I handed him off to a stranger and I'd have to listen to him crying for me as I watched him walk down the hall into the unknown of this procedure. When the nurse & anesthesiologist came to get him he was asleep and I just handed him over to the nurse. He did open his eyes a bit but he didn't cry. They went around the corner right away. I did walk around a sneak a peek and as they walked away I saw him with his chin on her shoulder, looking over her shoulder behind her, with eyes open but obviously sleepy and not entirely there, and then I turned around. It was so hard to let him go but it really helped to see him leaving and not crying. Then my dad hugged me very tightly, Shock and I hugged for a long time, and then we all got on the elevator to go downstairs and check into the surgery waiting area.
Once there we all kind of parked our stuff in our area. I was totally exhausted, my back hurt, my head was pouding and I wasn't sure what to do next. Since none of us had eaten I suggested we go to the cafeteria & get some food. Not to mention I couldn't take any medicine until I'd eaten. The cafeteria was quite the playful atmosphere and the boys really had fun with granny & grandpa. We all had breakfast and then went back to the waiting room. As soon as we got there Shock told me that the nurse had called at about 9:20 a.m. to say that he'd cried a little but not much before going to sleep in the OR, he was doing great, and they were just getting ready to take the pictures/video of his heart. I was so sorry I'd missed the call. Then we all just relaxed a bit, Jessie and I walked Isaiah back to play in the cafe with granny & Isaac. Then Shock went to eat. Almost faster than I could imagine the nurse called for Immanuel's parents and I raced to the desk. This was at about 10:10 a.m. and she said that Immanuel was being taken to recovery & that Dr. Hubbell would be down to meet with us in about ten minutes and to wait in room 3 for him. I called mom to tell her and then we all gathered in roon 3 to hear how it went.
Dr. Hubbell came in and explained everything to us. He showed us the videos of Immanuel's different heart functions, which was very interesting. They did find one conal arterial branch that isn't "standard" and said it was good to know so they'd be aware of it during the surgery. He also has muscle bundles in his right ventricle, which they will remove. Overall he felt it went very well and that we'll schedule surgery for 1-2 months out. Dad recorded it all on his phone and then emailed it to all of us so I have that in my inbox.
Then we all went back into the waiting room and within a few minutes they called for Immanuel's parents again and said that we could go up in 30-60 minutes - this was at 10:45 a.m. but it didn't take nearly that long - maybe 15 minutes. Then they called & told us to go up the elevator & the nurse would meet us there. When the doors opened Immanuel was asleep in a metal crib being pushed by a nurse. He looked so precious and yet so helpless. Honestly, it was hard to see him like that but all I could think of was my rejoicing over just having him in my sight again and that he was okay. The nurse led us to another elevator and up to 5 west.
We got into his observation room 6 and as soon as they took him from the one crib they handed him to me. It felt SO good to hold him in my arms! He was crying, if you could even call it that, more of a mild whining that was pretty hoarse. I was able to nurse him right away before he even opened his eyes. His ate for almost 30 minutes and then slept in my arms for awhile. Finally he did open his eyes. They looked tired, half open, and like he'd been through a lot, but it was so great to see him looking at us. When daddy walked in he got very animated, considering the circumstances, and then daddy held him. Then granny wanted to hold him & she rocked him back to sleep. While he was awake he stuck his tongue out, played with daddy's necklace, chewed on his IV, but was very laid back and snuggly. He was also very warm but they said that is normal. Dr. Hubbell came in with some students and checked on him and said he was good to be discharged at 3:00 p.m.
The hospital experience & staff couldn't have been better! At 5 west, there was a slushy machine, snacks, and our nurses were so kind - they even gave the boys DS's to play while they were in the room. Granny & grandpa took them to eat lunch with daddy and auntie Jessie stayed with me. They offered me a food tray as a nursing mother and just did all they could to accommodate us - it was awesome! Jessie left in the early afternoon. Then around 2:30ish mom, dad, Shock & the boys went to the Ronald McDonald house to clean, pack & check out. We were discharged at 3:15 p.m. but waited on everyone else to come get us. Grandpa waited in the car with the boys & granny & daddy helped us all out to the car and we were leaving the hospital about 4:15. The drive home went very smoothly. He slept almost the entire way with the exception of nursing twice. The boys behaved nicely and we only had to stop to use the restroom & get gas once. We got home around 7:30, unpacked and got ready for bed. It was so nice to be home, in our own beds, safe & sound, and knowing this is behind us.
Since this is over I feel so much better. It was a great experience, the staff & hospital was awesome, Immanuel did so well & is so strong, and it was a nice "trial run" for what is to come with the surgery as far as logistics, experience, familiarity, and just seeing him recover and really realizing how strong & resilient he is. It was also helpful to look back and see how much anxiety was there prior to the procedure and then how much relief there was once it was over. Although I'll never look forward to sending my baby boy into open-heart surgery, it does make me look forward to getting it over, to getting him mended, and to getting the anxiety, the ancitipation and the concern behind us. Although I'll always worry to some degree a little extra for my heart baby, I'll rest much easier knowing he has a mended heart inside him that is more capable of doing it's job the way it's supposed to and that we can let him cry on occasion, that we won't have to always watch for him to turn blue or pass out, just that we can let him be more of a "normal" baby - what a blessing that will be. For now, we just praise God that this all went so well, that He saw us each through this, that we made it so well, so united, so faithfully, and all due to the glory of God. We also find great comfort in knowing through our faith that He will do the same again for us when it's time for surgery. Our God IS an awesome God!!!! I am so very, very blessed. As Immanuel's name means, which couldn't be more fitting, "God is with us." Amen!
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