Scarlett has successfully avoided this surgery 5 times now. Once in June, when she suddenly started having hundreds of seizures a day, and then abruptly stopped (and hasn't had a single one since). Twice in December, first for an emergency and then for a cough that developed the morning of the surgery. Last week, Chris arrived for the scheduled pre-op appointment to be told "There's no surgery scheduled for this week." After some high-tension phone calls, we were told that somewhere along the line, the message was crossed, and there was never a surgery scheduled for February 6. Chris solidly remembers the conversation where it was scheduled, but that doesn't change what was on the surgeon's schedule. In their minds, it was always scheduled to be the 13th. So, this week we were ready, yet again. And...bam. Runny nose. Coughing when laying down. Waking in the night. We called Wednesday to check in, not wanting to go to the lengths we did before only to be turned away after putting on her surgical gown. Surgery checked with anesthesia, and they shut it down. So, no surgery yet again. We'll try again next month. We're going to enjoy our Valentine's Day at home, gardening and working on projects for the new baby cousins!!
"Hello, Doctor. I won't be coming in for that surgery you keep telling my parents I need. Maybe next time!"
Don't have time for much, but the bottom line is that surgery is now next Friday. Apparently what we heard as "February 6" was actually "February 13"...not sure how that happens. I think we would have connected that we scheduled a surgery on Friday the 13th...and the day before Valentine's day, which is a long-running theme in Scarlett's life. Anyway, one more week of freedom for the little one.
You probably think we fell off the face of the earth. We didn't.
I'm sorry! I was so burned out after the surgery planning...and then the day came.
It was scheduled for a Tuesday. We had worked really hard to plan out all the details - all of Scarlett's classes, therapies and appointments had been rescheduled; I had 4 days of lesson plans for my class, including their field trip and holiday party; we were ready.
Which, really, should have been my first clue that things were bound to derail.
The neurosurgeon's office called Monday afternoon to tell us they had an emergency case that would delay Scarlett to Friday. It was frustrating, but we understood - we have been that emergency case more than once. I talked to my boss, and together we agreed I should just take the scheduled time off since I had already done all the planning and the students and parents were already prepared.
Instead of work or sit in the hospital, I spent a few glorious days just relaxing - taking Scarlett to school, finishing shopping and wrapping gifts, and planning for holiday cooking.
On Wednesday, she went to the pre-op appointment, and was cleared for take-off. On Thursday, they called to confirm times and that she was still well. We made sure to make a last minute stop at Santa's workshop, then did the pre-surgical bath, packed our bags, read our books about the doctors and hospitals once more, and set our alarms for the early morning trip to the hospital.
I am pretty convinced that she wish for a no surgery Christmas from Santa...how could he have resisted?
Then came Friday at 5:00am. We were all groggy and anxious. We started driving, and then we heard the dreaded sound from the back seat - COUGH. COUGH. COUGH COUGH COUGH.
We checked in, but the first nurse who heard her through the curtain shut it all down. She called all the doctors and OR and told them all she was sick. She didn't both to tell us she was refusing to allow her to go through for a solid hour into waiting - after we had done all the pre-surgical checks, changed her into a gown and even had an anesthesia resident okay her (I made a stink about that!!) In the end, they didn't feel it was worth the increased risk of pneumonia or infection for an "optional" (not emergency) surgery.
She sure didn't LOOK sick.
After that, we were in a funk. We had been so revved up, it was hard to come down without the desired result. I felt like I cheated my class, did a ton of extra work and was just going to have to do it all over again. The next few days were grumpy, even though it really just meant that we would get to be home and enjoy the days before Christmas without pain medication.
In fact, Scarlett and I both ended up pretty sick by that point. Coughing, fever, all the delightful things that would have made her SO sick had they gone through with the surgery (I recognize this in hindsight, of course...)
So, then came Christmas (with me sick), New Years (with Chris sick), school starting back up and...well, here we are in February.
Helping mommy bake cookies for Santa
The good news is that we finally got her surgery rescheduled for this weekend. She is SCHEDULED to go in Friday morning and get this whole thing over with. It's a 3 day weekend for me, so that helps ease the workload; Scarlett should only miss a few days of school. We'll see...I know better than to try to plan too closely this time!
Christmas Eve with her best bud and cousin Caleb
Spoiled rotten by Santa, mommy, daddy, grandparents, great grandma and aunties and uncles.
Helping Peter Pan walk
Jackpot!
Testing out her new sleeping bag - she napped in it for days afterward.
Test-driving her new wheels with her favorite co-pilots
Loving Elsa at her friend's birthday party
Last weekend...all the adults are tired of pulling the wagon, but the riders are waiting...
"Helping" mommy build the baby swing for the new baby cousins