Pain, pain go away!!!!

Well, surgeries were a success. All three docs reported that things went well. Amelia is in so much pain. We spent hours in Recovery and then were put up here in the PICU overnight. They were concerned about her respiratory system. She had some pretty heavy stuff coming out in the ER and I've been suctioning her more than I have in years -- of course, she keeps crying so that's not a huge mystery as to why!

The Opthamologist did a great job and was really happy about how it went. But it's very sad to see your child cry blood tears. Amelia has a big, swollen blood clot, in the inside corner of her right eye, both eyes are reddish and slightly crossed (this is normal and within a few weeks/months they should straighten out).

The ENT told us that he had thought the adenoids were blocking 90% of her nasal passage, but when he got in it was worse. He said it was growing into the back of her mouth. It was completely blocking her nasal drainage and on top of that, her tubes were either no longer in/not working, so there was tons of fluid and puss built up in her ears. Poor little thing!

Amelia now has a little button in her belly called a Bard Button, as opposed to the Mic-Key button. It's smaller and more flush to her skin, but it doesn't have a balloon to inflate to keep it in her stomach -- it's more of a hard plastic mushroom on the inside to keep it secure. The downside is, if something happens to it, we need to run to the ER to have it replaced (I can replace the Mic-Key myself) because the Bard has to be inserted through the esophagus (YUCK!). So that's a little worrisome. However, the chances of it coming out is less than the Mic-Key because it's a more secure device -- no chances of a balloon bursting. Oh well, just a month or two before they switch it back out for the Mic-Key.

So that's us. Thank God this day is over. Each day will help her heal and get back to being her happy self. Right now she's in a crib, in a room, shared by two other kids, watching Tigger and Pooh on our computer at her bedside. She's crying and fussing and giving me a heart attack every couple of minutes as she throws her arm with the IV around or tries to kick around, while they're finally giving her some Pedialyte in the new g-tube. Glad to see she's getting back to normal.

And a BIG thank You to Chai Lifeline for bringing us a delicious, hearty and appreciated dinner tonight at the PICU. We are so lucky that they are just a phone call away in times of need.