VNS Surgery

Dear Caida,

Yesterday you had VNS surgery.  I was terrified.  Thankfully, between a priesthood blessing, my fasting, and prayers from LOTS of people around the world, your surgery went very well.  Couldn't have gone better, actually.  You were a little nervous as you walked into the hospital--a little clingy and whiny, but not too bad--but once James came in you lit up with a HUGE smile and then were so excited to get this surgery ON.  :)  They finished the whole thing in less than 2 hours with no blood loss.  You were a very BRAVE girl and went into the O.R. to be put under all by yourself (which you had to, anyway, but we didn't have to sedate you first, you were pulling the surgeon into the room happily and you followed directions and breathed in your watermelon mask like a BIG girl!).

Here are some pictures from Riley Hospital yesterday:

Us in the car on the way.

Checking in.

Playing with Grandma Linda's nook while you wait.

SO CUTE in your hospital scrubs!

Talking with the child life specialist.

Showing off your sticker-ed up, watermelon sleeping mask!

You were so good the nurses let you pick out TWO toys.

They let you keep the surgery pen, so you gave us all tattoos. :)

Look how well you write!

You REALLY perked up when James came in!

Us waiting anxiously while you were under the knife.

A bad pic, but this is your room.  It was a pretty sweet setup, actually.

Talking to you when you first woke up--you were PRETTY out of it for a while! (That's normal, it was just funny to see...and a little heartbreaking, too.)

This is pretty much how you looked for a few hours as you slept on-and-off.

By the time we left you and your mom to rest, you had a BIG lunch in front of you and were excited to be eating it--and you sounded like your old self again.  So RESILIENT!

Right next door to the floor's awesome playroom--notice the mini MRI machine and the awesome view!

Unfortunately, you're having a rough time in recovery.  You were supposed to be discharged today, but you developed a bad rash on your body last night that is spreading today and worrying the doctors and they won't let you leave until they get it under control and figure it all out.  You also had three seizures of a NEW kind last night (though maybe they weren't seizures, but reactions to your medications?), where you sat straight up in your bed in the middle of the night and your heartrate skyrocketed to around 170 while you couldn't breathe (a few seconds later you'd gasp for air and then your heart would calm down again). So your mom called a neurologist for a morning visit.  We're still waiting on results--they seem kinda baffled.  Your actual VNS hasn't been activated yet, so it's not like we were expecting you to magically be fine all of a sudden...but new medicines and the stress of hospital stays, not to mention after-affects of surgery, are all scary.  We are all still praying for you, and I don't feel as nervous about THIS as I did about the surgery itself, so I'm sure it will be fine.  But I worry.  'Cause that's what I do.

SURE LOVE YOU, KIDDO!  Can't wait to hear updates and to see if this whole experience was worth it.  You are SUCH a trooper and with the right amount of morphine you are doing really great in spite of these complications.  Hopefully your good spirit will catch on to others, and bring you good things.  :)

Love,

Aunt Celeste