World Traveling Military Family

Boo's Surgery Update

Jumping Jellybeans we have an Internet connections! Now I'm going to hustle and try to get this blog posted before it dies out on me....

Friday 11/7/2008 Day of Surgery

We arrived at the Surgical Outpatient Center a few minutes early at 11:45 am (we were supposed to be there by Noon). Boo & I met Mr. B there as Mr. B was coming from a morning of work. We checked in and waited to be called back to a bed for pre-surgery stuff.

We get called back around 12:10 pm and Boo gets an initial check in like weight, blood pressure, ect. They they get him a gown, bed, and start and IV. He did great getting the IV and it didn't hurt like he was expecting it to. So that was great. We talked with the nurses, anesthesiologist, and the Dr. about what to expect. They told us surgery would last at least 45 mins to 2 hours. They gave him some meds to relax him via the IV and he was off to the Operating Room at 1:15 pm.

Mr. B and I headed out to the waiting room until 1:50 pm when Mr. B had to leave to pick up Bea & Bubby from school and pick up Boo's prescription for after the surgery. After Mr. B left I tried to read my book (Snow Falling on Cedars) but couldn't concentrate. I flipped through a few magazines and kept waiting. At an hour in I was hoping to hear from the Dr. saying they were done. By 2 hours I was starting to get anxious and it was making my stomach feel crappy.

Finally at 4:10 pm almost 3 hours (!!) the Dr. called me in the waiting room to let me know the surgery was done. He was able to successfully repair the ring finger nerve damage and tendon but was unable to repair the pinky finger. The tendon was no where to be found and the only other thing that could've been done was a tendon graft from his forearm which wouldn't have been worth it for the bending function of the top part of his pinky. He told us that Boo will adapt and it really won't be that big of an issue.

I go back to see Boo at 4:15 pm in the Recovery area and he's trying to wake up from the anesthesia. He is coming in and out of consciousness and wakes up sweating and with a horrible headache! The nurse tries Tylenol but that does not relive it and after 20 mins the anesthesiologist gave him something in the IV. Boo says that his headache is gone but 20 mins later he woke up vomiting and the headache was back in full force!

I drive him home as he's in pain from the headache and throwing up in a bucket, I'm trying to keep focused on the road and not get sick myself. We get home and he gets in his bed, waking every 20 mins to complain of the pain and throw up. We try to get him to eat/drink since he hasn't had anything since 6 am (glass of apple juice) and he can't even keep a sip of anything down. I proceed to rub his head each time he wakes until he falls back asleep.

Finally at 9 pm when Mr. B is checking on him he pops up and says "I'm ready to eat now" so Mr. B gets him some pizza and I get him so of his pain meds. He eats takes meds and head back to bed.

Unfortunately he wakes at 2 am in pain and I give him another does of meds. He is unable to go back to sleep, probably from sleeping from 1:20 pm until 2 am and stays up watching TV. I give him more meds at 6 am yet they are not providing relief for him.

Finally at 8:30 am I call the surgeon and explain the situation and he prescribes something stronger, we head to CVS to pick up the new prescription. It takes a few hours of the new prescription rotated with Motrin every 2 hours before we get the pain under control. By 2:30 pm and the end of Madagascar Escape 2 Africa we've gotten the pain controlled, but we keep him on the 2 hour cycle until that evening.

Sunday morning he wakes up feeling great but we continue 1/2 doses of prescription meds to prevent the pain from overloading him again. I also only gave him 1/2 dose (Monday) this morn before school.

DRATS!! The Internet quit and I had to do the last part from the Library...thankfully I thought to upload and save the pics when I started this post...

Tomorrow (Tues) he will see the Occupational Therapist to get the cast removed and we'll find out what his limitations are. Currently he has to wear his arm in a sling and is unable to use his right hand for eating and writing. He can write some with his left hand so we'll see how this week at school goes.


Boo sleeping off the anesthesia

Boo's bandaged hand

posted by Mrs. B @ 9:12 AM