Many of you knew that Skyler was born with an umbilical hernia, which is quite common in so many infants. Her pediatrician, Dr. Eanett, suggested we waited until she turned two before we made any surgery decisions.
Well, after her scheduled check up this past summer, Dr E told us, unfortunately, the naval was not going to repair itself and recommended, Dr. Caughlin, one of Tampa Bay's top pediatric surgeons to perform the umbilical hernia repair, so we scheduled an appointment for November 18th.
Surgery week finally arrived. The day prior to her naval incision, Pastor Tom stopped by our home to pray with us. It was such a lovely surprise! That Friday morning, our Princess under went her very first operation and she was a true champion! We arrived in Tampa at 9AM for her 10:15 surgery. The pediatric center had such a delightful waiting room for the children, so Skyler felt like she was at the park and had much fun playing and climbing!
The nurse called us all back to a patient room and we were greeted by Dr. Caughlin and the general anesthesia doctor. Within minutes, we said our goodbyes to our Princess as she was carried away by the nurse. No cries.....No hesitation....No fuss.....just a sweet kiss and a bye-bye wave. I truly believe she did not feel threatened because of her sweet personality and love for people. Anyway, it hurt both of us to watch her being taken away. We wept and certainly prayed while waiting in a private room. The surgery lasted 45 minutes and it was a total success. We were immediately taken back to her recovery room and spent 30 minutes relaxing and waiting for a discharge. Here's a sweet picture of our brave Angel after waking up. The anesthesia made her nose and eyes itch. You can see the green tape securing the i.v. on her right hand. Poor Precious!
By 11:30, the nurse allowed us to go home and she gave Skyler stickers for not crying and for being very brave. Skyler talked to the nurse about her belly and told her, "Dr fixed my belly and ice is gonna make it all better". The nurse smiled and thought she was adorable. She was also shocked to find out Sky's age, because she mentioned how well Skyler puts sentences together, just like a 4 year old!
Praise God for a successful surgery!
Homeward bound......
Although Skyler was still a bit drowsy, she was happy to be going home. We had a 35 minute trip, but made a pit stop at our local Publix for her prescribed pain medicine.
She received an erasable pad from the nurse and got to drawing right away...
While Daddy was picking up her medicine, he stopped by the bakery to tell the ladies about Skyler. We visit a few times a week, so they have all become big fans. Leslie gave her this cookie. How's that for service! It's true about Publix....shopping IS a pleasure!
Sweet Pea was the perfect patient, just staying rested and faithful with the ice pack all weekend. I was a bit worried about her reaction to it, but she welcomed it with open arms. Again, just perfect. Each time the ice would melt, Skyler would say, "I need more ice to fix my belly, cuz the doctor said so". Too cute! She only took the pain medicine once and that was instructed by the doctor for 2PM that afternoon.
Tom stayed home with her while I attend Sunday service. Our church family has been wonderful during this procedure. She was very missed in the nursery! Later that evening, our Associate Pastor's wife, Sandy, came over to visit and drop off a card and gift. Skyler got a pony tailed blonde baby doll & the added bonus was the baby's belly. How appropriate! When you touch the doll's tummy, she sings "Jesus loves me." Before Sky went to bed that evening, she already had the pretty song memorized!
Thank you dear family and loving friends for your steadfast prayers, emails, phone calls and multiple text messages! Your support means the world to us and we are greatly blessed to have each and every one of you in our life. God is so good in ALL ways!
Btw......The Princess had a follow up visit this past Monday with Dr. Caughlin and after removing the bandage, he was very pleased with the results. We return in two weeks for one last visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment