Joel's surgery was very successful. The doctor was able to remove the entire birthmark and had enough skin to pull really tight to close him up. I asked the doctor how many stitches and he said oh pick a number that it was too many to count. And I said 100 and he said sure. He said there were more internal stitches that will dissolve than external and we needed to limit Joel's activity.
So we were expecting Joel to be in a lot of pain and not moving the next few days. We couldn't be more wrong. I've had to tell him to stop jumping rope and to stop running. He went outside while I was in the kitchen and pulled our trashcans up to the house after seeing that the garbage truck came. My neighbor tried to help and took him over to her house to sit inside and pet her dogs. It calmed him down for a little while. I stopped his pain medicine today and he's more subdued and lethargic so I think he's starting to feel it but I've been paranoid that he will rip himself open. It also doesn't help that I had a nightmare before his surgery of him ripping himself open so I'm a little stressed making sure he stays still! Colin keeps telling Joel that sitting around watching TV and playing video games all day sounds like a great thing. Joel's not convinced yet.
Brent took Joel while I dropped Norah off at a friends house to play for the day. The day before we had met some friends at a playground near our house and Joel tried to jump this creek. He landed in it and his shoe came off. Colin fished his shoe out with a stick as it went floating by. Well I thought Joel grabbed his flip flops but nope. He put on his tennis shoes that were still soaking wet. I walked into the exam room and was met with the most awful smell. I looked down and Joels wet, gross shoes were lying there. It was so bad we went and asked the nurses for a plastic bag to seal up the smell. hahahaha
Poor thing had been awake since 4:45. He woke Brent up by saying "daddy I'm really scared" But he was so brave. They asked if he would need a sedative and Brent had told them no. Brent has never been with me during a doctors visit when Joel needs shots! But he went willingly. The nurses said he was so good and listened and breathed his special gas just like they asked him to. He was so cooperative with them. I think he was part terrified but whatever works. He is also in love with those hospital socks and think they are the greatest thing ever.
It was hard seeing them mark him up. I knew it was large but when you look at this and see the amount they took out of him and then had to close shut. Its amazing that they got it all in one surgery. I was also reminded that God knows just what Joel needs. He was my child that wasn't gaining weight at all when he was little that I was so worried but now he's on the complete opposite end and chunked up so much that I'm worried now. But if he hadn't gained weight this past year then they wouldn't have had enough skin to close him shut. A few years ago they said to remove it would require a huge skin graft so I'm thankful that its just a ton of stitches that don't seem to bother him at all.
Our small group threw me a birthday party a week ago and gave me this scripture coloring book. I brought it to pass the time.
"Cast all your anxiety on Him for he cares for you" I think that was very appropriate for Joel to color while waiting to get wheeled back.
Then they wheeled him back and I had to hold back tears. Thankfully our friend Laura works at the hospital and came and sat with us while we waited for Joel to come out of surgery. They have this tv screen that has a number on it kind of like an airport has the screens with the flight numbers. You can see exactly where the kids are - in the operating room or recovery. Brent and I must've taken turns every 5 minutes looking up at that screen. They said it would take 45 minutes but then an hour goes by and another half hour and you try not to get nervous but its hard. Finally the doctor came walking in the room and I've never been more relieved. He was all smiles and gave us the good news.
He had a hard time waking up. He also had a breathing tube down this throat during the surgery so he sounded strange and raspy and his throat hurt. A slurpee helped.
He was so relieved to have it all over with and also a little high on the strong medicines they gave him, that he came home and was ready to play like normal. I will be very ready to get the all clear from his doctor for him to resume all activity.
Thank you all for your prayers. We felt them all and would read all the texts and messages to Joel. I told him people were praying for him all over the world.
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