4-13-10 Pre-op Appointment

We have completed Dean's pre-op work today and are one step closer to surgery and getting all this behind us! We headed down to John Hopkins for our 1pm appointment. I've got to hand it to them, although we were there until 4 o'clock, we were hardly ever sitting in a waiting room. When we arrived, we filled out some paperwork and grabbed a quick bite to eat in the cafeteria. As soon as we returned, Dean had his vital signs checked by a nurse. We were then seen by a physicians assistant who discussed the anesthesia process. John Hopkins has pediatric anesthesiologists which is comforting because infants have smaller airways and different concerns than adults. It is nice to know that his care will be specialized for his age in every area the day of his surgery. He was given a physical to determine if he was healthy enough to proceed with everything as planned. I told the physician that he was sick last week (a respiratory problem could affect the safety of anesthesia,) but she couldn't hear anything in his lungs or see any other problematic symptoms so he was cleared for surgery. Praise the Lord! Dean was his happy quiet self during the entire process until we went for his lab work. He was really tired and hungry and I am sure that that made the blood work even worse for him. Fortunately, they were able to get all of the blood they needed quickly before anyone's eardrums were permanently damaged. I didn't expect him to enjoy giving blood (he must get that from his mommy!) My little trooper fell asleep immediately afterward and slept the whole way home! It seemed like all the preparation for his surgery went very well. I found out a little more about what to expect the morning of his surgery (April 21st.) We will be staying at my grandmother's home the night before so we will only have an hour and a half drive. We could stay in Baltimore, but I can't nurse Dean after 2am, so I decided that it would be better to travel in the morning since he sleeps well when he is in the car. I don't want to risk him waking up in a hotel at 5am and not being able to feed him. When we arrive, we will be able to stay with as he is dressed in his little hospital gown and his vitals are taken. Then they will put him to sleep with gas, and that is when we leave. All the poking and prodding will happen after he falls asleep gently which is as comforting to me as I am sure it will be to him. We can not stay with him the first night when he is in the NICU, so we have put in a request to stay at the Children's House and Ronald McDonald house; we are waiting for an opening from one or the other. Please pray that we get a call soon so that we can be sure that the necessary accommodations are in place for that night. The day after surgery he should be moved to the Children's Hospital where I will be able to stay with him. If all goes well, we should be back home on Friday or Saturday. I will try to keep everyone updated via my blog during the process, but since I may be limited, you may want to become a "follower" so that you are alerted to my postings or check in frequently. Wednesday will be a long day for us, but Ben and I will be glad to be on the other side of this. We still have a great peace that God is guiding us every step of the way. His hand has been so evident in every part of the process so far that we know we can trust Him to take care of Dean next week. Thank you all so much for your encouragement and support! Also: Those who read this yet tonight, please pray for safety for Ben tonight. He is working night shift and really didn't sleep at all today so that he could take us today! Thanks!