HAPPY TO BE HOME

So as posted earlier, Friday was another visit to Rochester for Faith. She needed to be there at 6:30 AM, which meant a 3:15 AM wake-up time for me, quick trip to the gas station (forgot I needed gas) at 3:40 AM and we left the house at 4:06 AM (to be exact...because I like to be exact).

At this time of the day, Faith usually continues sleeping. This is both good and bad for me. Why? Well...I'll tell you why. One...it's quiet. Not only in the car but on the road. No traffic on Highway 12, I-494, Highway 52. I can just set the cruise and pretty much go. However...it's almost TOO quiet...even for me. Since Faith is sleeping, there's no radio turned on and one to talk to. Nothing or no one to keep me AWAKE! The first hour of the drive went okay because that part of the drive has stuff...buildings, a few cars here and there, street lights...it's the metro area. But the last hour of the drive? Just a long stretch of nothin'. Well...except for lots of corn fields and teeny-tiny towns here and there (one has a population of 140-something and the next one is way up in the 400's). This is when it starts to get difficult for me to drive. So I start blowing the air conditioning in my face. I bounce in my seat. Once I even slapped myself on the cheek several times to perk myself up. This is when I need Starbucks or Caribou by the gallons...but then I need a potty, too.

We pulled into our parking spot at the hospital parking ramp at 6:00 AM. 6:04 AM...to be exact. We checking in at the administration desk and headed to the first floor of the hospital to wait. It wasn't long before a nurse came to get us and take Faith into the preop area. She was weighed, height measured, blood pressure check, listened to the heart and lungs, pulse-ox on her finger...the usual stuff. One nurse also said that Faith wouldn't get her eye drops until she was asleep this time. They tried this last time and it.work.fabulously. No four other people besides me to hold down sweet little Faith while they tried to get the drops in, with Faithy screaming and kicking and fighting. Just put her to sleep, drop in the drops and easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy they are in without her even knowing. Faithy was happy. VERY happy! This mommy was happy, too!

Until the anesthesiologist came in. We hadn't had this anesthesiologist before. She was new to us. She didn't know that this mommy knows what's going on. She said, "No." to putting Faith asleep before putting the drops in because she would have to be kept under for about 30 minutes longer than usual. My thought was..."Aaaaaaaannnnnnnd?..."

Nope. This doctor was a tough one to budge. She said Faith would have a pre-medication to help relax her prior to putting in the drops (which are three sets of drops, five minutes apart...and all the above-mentioned kicking, screaming, fighting, pinning down, etc.).

Fine.

So, they came in with the pre-med that is SUPPOSED to make Faith relaxed...picture a drunken six-year old. Both my kids have had this before and other than making them look like they are in a drunken stupor, it relaxes them only to a point...the point when the drops come...and then we are back to said kicking, screaming, fighting, etc.

Faith drank the pre-med. They gave it about 15 minutes to work. At that point she is slightly sleepy and tells me she has a tummy ache. Faith eye doctor comes in and charms her in his usual charming way and makes her giggle. He asks her if HE can put the drops in instead of anyone else? Nope. No way, no how. She tells me again that her tummy hurts. I ask her if she feels like she's going to throw up. She said, "No." I'm thinking...big dose of pre-med on a very empty tummy...she's going to throw up at some point.

Doctor finally says that we just need to get to the OR to keep on schedule and that he'll do the drops in there...after she's asleep. Yep...shoulda just done this in the first place. This makes Faithy very happy! Me, too!

I put on my lovely blue disposable jumpsuit, funky shoe covers and my little stretch hat and carry my sweet girl down to the OR. They are all waiting for her and they welcome her like she's just arrived at a party. A "slumber party" as her doctor usually calls it. Getting Faithy to fall asleep in the OR is the easy part. I snuggle in as close as I can get to her, without getting too close so I don't breathe in the anesthesia from the mask, too. I recite to her the story, "My Many Colored Days" by Dr. Suess. It's our routine. It works. Never any glitches.

Until this time.

Before the mask is even put on her little face she starts to gag...like she's going to throw up. Sure enough...up comes the pre-med. I could tell the anesthesiologist was thinking I was more of a hindrance than a help...and I was thinking the same about her. They laid Faithy down again and tried again to put the mask on. She started gagging again...and up came more pre-med. This just isn't working well...at.all.

Finally, they got me a chair, put Faith in my lap and I snuggled her close to me. I rocked her and rubbed her cheek and talked to her while they put the mask on and she eventually fell asleep. They took her from me, put her on the table. I kissed her cheek, told her I loved her and left for the waiting room.

Then...after feeling like I had been holding my breath...I breathed.

It was about an hour later that the doctors came to talk to me and told me that there was another swollen area of vessels in Faith's right eye (the "seeing" eye). They do not know why these little areas keep popping up, but to be safe they decided to do as they have done with these areas in the past, and treated it with lasers. They said she was fine and that there were no other problems related to anesthesia after I left. We discussed her future and what limitations she has as far as trying new things...within reason, of course. Both doctors (hers and another specialist that has been brought in the past couple of visits) said that she can try whatever is age-appropriate for her. When I told them that I don't want Faith to think there is nothing she can't do (again...within reason)...they both agreed. One of them told me that although we want to keep her safe and protected and that it's natural for us to worry about her vision issues that we also can't keep her in a bubble. We were all three on the same page...Faith can do whatever Faith sets her mind to do!

After talking with the doctors, I quickly ran down to the cafeteria, grabbed a muffin and a Diet Coke and scarfed down the muffin between the cafeteria and the elevators back to the first floor. Faith would soon be in recovery and they would call me in to be there when she woke up.

* play soothing elevator music here...oh...for about four hours *

Faith likes to sleep off her anesthesia. Always has. So...I grabbed the recliner in her room, covered up with her Hannah Montana blanket and dozed off while she continued to sleep. She had a nurse that understood Faith's need to "sleep it off" and she just left us alone. No need for chit chat or small talk. Thank goodness. Just quiet and sleeping.

When Faith wakes up she's pretty much wanting to go. She had a freezie...pink one (I think it's cotton candy flavored), IV came out, sticky monitor patches all over her chest and tummy came off, blood pressure cuff was removed and the pulse-ox thingy on her finger went in the trash. They brought in a wheel chair so I didn't have to carry her all the way to the parking ramp and we were on our way...outta there!

And Faithy asked me if we could stop at McDonald's...the drive-through...on our way home. "The one right by the hospital, mommy." Yep...that's the plan...as it has been EVERY time we're here.

Oh...you think just because we're heading to the parking ramp that our excitement for the day is over? Oh no. No, no, no, no, no!

I got Faith settled in the back seat. Put the wheelchair back in the elevator vestibule and got back to the car to head home. I called before backing out that we were just leaving and that I'd call him when we turned onto our street so he and Parker could greet Faithy as we pulled in the driveway. All was good.

Until I went to back out of my parking spot. First of all...I hate parking garages. I always feel so cramped and tight and I don't know...un-maneuverable. Anyway, as I was backing out of my spot I was doing an excellent job of watching the left rear of my vehicle on the drivers side. In fact, I was doing such a good job of watching the left rear that I completely neglected the right front. I turned too short and scraped the dickens out of the rear driver's door on the little electric blue Vibe parked next to me.

My.heart.sank.

How would I find the owner of the little electric blue Vibe? What do I do now? I quickly grabbed my purse for a piece of paper and a pen. I apologized for my mishap, left my name and phone number and told them to call me for my insurance information. Then I thought...do I need to call 9-1-1? Maybe I should. So I did. The 9-1-1 lady was very nice and told me I had done exactly what I was supposed to do and that there was nothing more necessary. I still felt horrible. Poor little Vibe. Just for good measure, I told the parking garage attendant when I paid for parking and she said if she saw the little Vibe go through she would relay my message and my apologies.

Now my tummy hurt.

We barely exited the parking garage when we were already at the McDonald's. Faith had her usual...hamburger and fries, with a Coke...and sat eating her food in the back seat with her Hannah Montana blanket over her head because otherwise it was too bright on her eyes. She had that blanket on her head almost the entire drive home.

Once we were back on the road...I called Scott again and confessed my mishap. He was very quiet. Didn't say much other than we'll see how it progresses. Maybe the person won't even call.

As of 11:50 AM this morning, as I type, the owner of the little electric blue Vibe has not called.

* insert big sort of sigh of relief here *

At 3:00 AM this morning, Faithy came into our room to tell me she was hungry and she wanted to watch TV. UGH. She slept too much yesterday. So, she and I got up and went down to the family room. She wanted another freezie (red this time) and the TV on. Until the TV went on and she said it was too bright on her eyes. TV off. We decided to go back up to her room together and I would sleep in her bed with her. (Oh, please let her fall back to sleep...I'm SOOOOOO tired). She did. I did. They all let me sleep in until 10 AM this morning. 10 AM! That's almost a sin for a grown-up mommy to sleep that late. Except it isn't because I was just that.darn.tired.

So, my friends, this is the end of my post. Finally, huh? That's what exam days are like...except for the parking garage incident. I don't usually add that to exam days. Yesterday was just a "special" exception. I guess we didn't have enough excitement going on in our lives and we needed a little more.

I hope today will be quiet around here. So far it has been...except for the quiet voices of the dirty laundry upstairs that calls out to me. I'll see how the day goes and maybe it will get done. Or...maybe not.

Peace and blessings to your day...and your weekend.
Jeanine