So sorry for the lack of posting. I usually only post late at night while I'm waiting for the nurse after Abby is asleep, and the past few nights, she's been really hard to get to go to sleep. We have such a good routine going with the 9 p.m. bedtime (hooking up the vent and monitors, starting her food, putting pjs on, etc.) that I'm pretty sure it's been pain that has been throwing her off. Last night, she didn't fall asleep until 11:35 p.m.! Needless to say, there has been no blogging the last few days!
Other than the late night pain, Abby has done incredibly well post-op. While we do have a prescription for a strong painkiller, we haven't used it since she got home from the hospital. In fact, she hasn't even had any Tylenol since last night at 9 p.m., and that dose had been one of only three she'd had since she'd been home! It's pretty amazing how tough she is. You would never know to look at her that she just had a fairly major surgery three days ago.
It's not that we're against using the stronger painkillers, but we want to make sure that it is extremely necessary and that Tylenol has already been tried. It's a pretty heavy-duty drug to just give every 4 hours around the clock for a week. Apparently, that's what most parents do. I would if I feel like we needed to, but I really don't see a need for that. Abby is doing just fine.
Below is the progression of pictures from before surgery to right before we headed home.
Other than the late night pain, Abby has done incredibly well post-op. While we do have a prescription for a strong painkiller, we haven't used it since she got home from the hospital. In fact, she hasn't even had any Tylenol since last night at 9 p.m., and that dose had been one of only three she'd had since she'd been home! It's pretty amazing how tough she is. You would never know to look at her that she just had a fairly major surgery three days ago.
It's not that we're against using the stronger painkillers, but we want to make sure that it is extremely necessary and that Tylenol has already been tried. It's a pretty heavy-duty drug to just give every 4 hours around the clock for a week. Apparently, that's what most parents do. I would if I feel like we needed to, but I really don't see a need for that. Abby is doing just fine.
Below is the progression of pictures from before surgery to right before we headed home.
In the pre-op room
We had such a hard time keeping her awake so early in the morning!
In her cute little hospital gown
In the PACU (recovery room) right after surgery...fairly pitiful, huh? (The black mark isn't a bruise. It's a marker they use to mark the body part to be operated on, so that there's no confusion. I could understand an arm, a leg, or even an ear...but the head??) Her lips and mouth were all cut up from the mean things they used to hold her mouth open (I don't want to think about it!) and her nose was bloody from the surgery. Poor baby!
She was so incredibly out of it.
She got the no-nos taken off for the first time and was loving it!
I got this toy from the playroom and Abby adored it. The tube over her trach is what they call the "trach collar." It is used to provide humidified air so that she doesn't plug up, because hospital air is different than regular air. She could never be on just her regular filter in the hospital because they were afraid she would plug up. None of us cared for the trach collar very much.
All bathed, the wires are removed, and I'm just waiting for discharge!
She cried when I took this toy back to the playroom.
Does she look like she just had surgery the day before?
Comments
Also, everyone is certainly entitled to his or her opinion, but the way in which you inserted your anonymous opinion was very mean-spirited and rude. I know that Julie and Matt certainly want the best possible care for their daughter and love her very much. If they thought for one second Abby was in any pain, they would not hesitate to give her medication. Perhaps you have some medical knowledge, but no amount of classroom experience replaces the knowledge a parent has about their child. Julie and Matt know their children better than anyone and are extremely involved in their care. You should know that by now!
Amy (the very loveing and slightly protective older sister of Julie)