4-21-10 Waiting and Praying

It is almost 4pm, and I wish that I was writing to say that Dean's surgery is over, but it actually has just started. Everything went beautifully this morning. Dean nursed at 2am (the latest possible time before surgery) and slept well. We got to the hospital at 6am as planned. We put him in his little hospital gown and actually went with him into the operating room to be with him until he fell asleep. They used a little gas mask and he drifted off with hardly any fussing at all. We were told that it would take about two hours for anesthesia and preparing him for the incision. The anesthesiologists wanted to put a line in at his neck, a breathing tube, and another line in a main artery. Unfortunately, about three hours later we were called up to the waiting room (which was packed, so we were roaming around waiting for them to call our cell phone.) We were told they had tried getting access to his artery in his arm, leg, and groin but were not able to get to one. We signed a consent for a mini surgery that would allow them to do a cut-in for direct access to the artery. They, of course, have to tell you all of the risks involved, the worst case being loss-of-limb. So, you can imagine that we were concerned and praying hard for our little guy! At 3pm, they told us they had everything ready, he was stable, and they were going to begin the surgery. I just received a call from Dr. Simmons (the plastic surgeon) saying that the incision has been made. We expect to talk with Dr. Ahn (neurosurgeon) around 4:30 when he has completed removing his scull. Please keep praying; we still have quite a few more hours to go. We are thankful things are finally moving along and that he is doing well. I was told that I should expect his eyes to be swollen shut for 48 hours or more due to the length of time he is spending face down; so, I am trying to prepare myself for that. I am so thankful for the Children's House! We checked in at 2pm and I have computers available to post my updates. When things are finished and we return tonight I will post again. Thank you all for your continued praying! PS: Please forgive any errors in my postings, I don't have time to proof read!