Six Days Post-Surgery
Surgery is never fun. It feels awfully good to have it behind us. Grace did great. This was the first time I was brave enough to go back with her to the anesthesia room where they let her slather the face mask with the lip balm flavor of her choice (root beer, ew) herself, and so for the first time, I saw her fall asleep on the table. Afterward, she told me she’d choose the IV next time, since with the mask on she says she felt panicky, like she couldn’t breathe. But as I watched her lying there, all I saw was a little smile on her face before the anesthesiologist said “okay, she’s out.” And I surprised myself by keeping my $#% together the whole time – both during and on the walk through the corridors back to the room where Kali and Jason were waiting for me. The surgery lasted just under two hours, and Dr. F came out and told us he was very pleased with how things had gone. Grace did not have the same terrifying panic reaction coming out of the anesthesia that she did when she was eight (that time, she apparently woke up too soon in the recovery room, where, completely disoriented and frightened, she took out a couple of nurses and the anesthesiologist. She says the one thing she remembers from that surgery is the feeling of her fist coming in contact with someone’s nose).
She swam through all the narcotics and anesthesia pretty smoothly this time, and we were able to come home after an hour or two. She was already texting her friends on the car ride home (hello thirteen). She was even hungry enough to eat ravioli when we got back to the house.
The last few days have gone quite well. She was achy but not overly grumpy during the days. The nights were harder – because for some reason the pain seemed to spike around 8 PM, and between that and the need for her to be propped up in bed, it was hard for her to sleep. But each night got a little bit easier, and by Saturday night, she was sleeping pretty well again.
She was well enough yesterday to get some quality outdoor time with her friend, M, and felt good enough today to go back to school. Just in time, in fact, to be inducted into the Junior Honor Society.
Grace’s first activation appointment is a week after next. Soon, she’ll be hearing in stereo again, and we will be able to get her attention from both the left, and the right. Sending all of you hugs and gratitude for your well-wishes, check-ins, love and thoughts as we made our way through a challenging time.