Went in at about 5:00 a.m. and didn't have to wait very long for the process to get underway. Got her nice and comfortable, met the anaesthesiologist; the plastic surgeon and ENT docs came in and said a quick hello, and then they took Scarlette back and we went to the waiting room. Our nurses, docs and staff were very considerate and gave us periodic updates frequently. About halfway through the surgery her main anaesthesiologist came out to discuss with us the possibility of an extened intubation (a tube inserted into her lungs that forces her airway open and gives her 100% oxygen) because of her decreased lung capacity. We agreed that this was the most prudent decision given her history, even though it means that her recovery time will be a little bit longer and she may be less comfortable, resulting in more pain medication. Dr. Vanderkolk, her plastic surgeon came and spoke with us after the surgery and said that she did extremely well and everything went according to plan. He was very pleased with the results and hoped that she would be extubated either late tonight or early tomorrow morning.
We got to see her once she was transferred to the PICU. She was given heavy sedation medications and morphine, so she was not aware that we were there for awhile. Her cheeks and throat are very swollen from the surgery, the swelling should go down significantly overnight and almost completely by tomorrow night. It looks like we will be staying in the hospital at least until Saturday, with the possibility of maybe staying until Sunday. We are going at Scarlette's pace and don't want to rush her just because of inconvenience. Our room is a double and very cramped, so Mitch and I are taking shifts. He is with Scarlette now, updating me on any important news, and I will relieve him tonight at 7. He has school tomorrow so he needs to get a good night sleep and be at school until 4 tomorrow, then he will come relieve me tomorrow night at 7 so I can get some sleep and be back at 6 a.m. for rounds.
Thank you all so much for your prayers, the love for our little girl is such a blessing and inspiration to see. We thank you for taking time out of your hectic lives to pray for Scarlette. She's a little fighter, but she (and we!) couldn't do it without all of your love and support, and of course God's saving grace.
That's it for now, I will update as soon as there's anything else to tell. Please pray for her comfort, as pain meds can only help so much. :0) I am going to get some rest now!
Nicole
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