4th fill up, one step back
Sorry for the delay in posting our latest news. Seal took his laptop to the UK for 2.5 weeks, so I have been computer-less.
So where were we? Oh yes dodgey forehead expander. Phoebe's expander was pocking more and more through the skin. So just 2 days after the 3rd fill up, I was back getting Phoebe checked out with her surgeon. To resolve the problem the surgeon decided we had no choice but to operate. This meant a wait until the following Wednesday as Paediatric anesthetists are like hens teeth to find. Over the weekend we kept the hole covered with a bandage (it was horn shaped so quite hard to put a sticky plaster on it). Having not seen the expander before it went it, it was kind of weird to see it now poking through the skin. Phoebe took the whole thing in her stride and providing I didn't fuss around her face too much she was fine.
So there I found myself, not taking Phoebe in for her usual quick Wednesday fill up, but rather for a full general anesthetic. We were first on the operating list, which is always a bonus. Seal normally takes Phoebe through to theatre but as he was away in the UK, I had to step up to the mark. Phoebe was a dream. I realise this could all change in the future but she allowed her blood pressure to be taken, her temperature to be taken, an ID bracelet to be put on her ankle, and her oxygen levels to be checked all without a single objection. She then sat on my knee while they gave her the knock out gas. She just sat there while we played a game called "Lets breath deeply!" (not very original I know!). Off she went and out I went to pace the parents waiting room. Phoebe had 10 mls put in each cheek. The forehead expander was taken out (3 inch incision), cleaned up, straightened out and placed back in upside down. The hole was stitched. Easy. 1 hour later Phoebe was in recovery. However she came round a wee bit too soon and went mad (the same as she does on the sedatives). I struggled to hold onto her as she became more and more upset. She kicked, screamed, and went ridged. Up to this point I had been a very calm brave mummy, but was starting to loose it seeing her in such distress. Luckily a nice anesthetist was on hand and with the aid of a bit of white magic medicine in her hand, Phoebe was put back in the land of dancing elephants and they carefully brought her round for a 2nd time. This time she just very slowly woke up. She was cuddly but did not cry. She went back to the ward an hour later and by 1.30pm we were all back home. Phoebe's resilience never fails to amaze me.
Partly to give Phoebe a break (and partly because Seal was away) the last week we have not had any fill ups. Fill ups resume next week. This time no sedative. ArrrrHHH! We are very far behind with the forehead expansion now. So it remains to be seen if our surgeon just operates on the cheeks implants (once they are at maximum capacity) or whether we try and get the forehead expander to catch up and do all 3 procedures at the same time.
[NB: Please feel free to still email me. My In Box has never been so empty since I started this BLOG. Are you all still out there?]
So where were we? Oh yes dodgey forehead expander. Phoebe's expander was pocking more and more through the skin. So just 2 days after the 3rd fill up, I was back getting Phoebe checked out with her surgeon. To resolve the problem the surgeon decided we had no choice but to operate. This meant a wait until the following Wednesday as Paediatric anesthetists are like hens teeth to find. Over the weekend we kept the hole covered with a bandage (it was horn shaped so quite hard to put a sticky plaster on it). Having not seen the expander before it went it, it was kind of weird to see it now poking through the skin. Phoebe took the whole thing in her stride and providing I didn't fuss around her face too much she was fine.
So there I found myself, not taking Phoebe in for her usual quick Wednesday fill up, but rather for a full general anesthetic. We were first on the operating list, which is always a bonus. Seal normally takes Phoebe through to theatre but as he was away in the UK, I had to step up to the mark. Phoebe was a dream. I realise this could all change in the future but she allowed her blood pressure to be taken, her temperature to be taken, an ID bracelet to be put on her ankle, and her oxygen levels to be checked all without a single objection. She then sat on my knee while they gave her the knock out gas. She just sat there while we played a game called "Lets breath deeply!" (not very original I know!). Off she went and out I went to pace the parents waiting room. Phoebe had 10 mls put in each cheek. The forehead expander was taken out (3 inch incision), cleaned up, straightened out and placed back in upside down. The hole was stitched. Easy. 1 hour later Phoebe was in recovery. However she came round a wee bit too soon and went mad (the same as she does on the sedatives). I struggled to hold onto her as she became more and more upset. She kicked, screamed, and went ridged. Up to this point I had been a very calm brave mummy, but was starting to loose it seeing her in such distress. Luckily a nice anesthetist was on hand and with the aid of a bit of white magic medicine in her hand, Phoebe was put back in the land of dancing elephants and they carefully brought her round for a 2nd time. This time she just very slowly woke up. She was cuddly but did not cry. She went back to the ward an hour later and by 1.30pm we were all back home. Phoebe's resilience never fails to amaze me.
Partly to give Phoebe a break (and partly because Seal was away) the last week we have not had any fill ups. Fill ups resume next week. This time no sedative. ArrrrHHH! We are very far behind with the forehead expansion now. So it remains to be seen if our surgeon just operates on the cheeks implants (once they are at maximum capacity) or whether we try and get the forehead expander to catch up and do all 3 procedures at the same time.
[NB: Please feel free to still email me. My In Box has never been so empty since I started this BLOG. Are you all still out there?]
posted by Laura @ 8:13 PM
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