Recovering

Ryan's eye is looking much better. Though it's still a little red, it looks much better than it did just a few days ago. He says it doesn't hurt anymore too, so that is a blessing.

I'll spare you (and him) pictures of his other surgery, but suffice it to say it's healing very well too. He is excited that it doesn't take as long to go pee as it used to! Mommy is excited that it now shoots out straight and directly into the toilet!

Doing Better

Ryan told me a few days ago that he's not angry anymore. His behavior has significantly improved also. What a relief!

I have been thinking about why he might be angry. I don't truly know what's going on inside his head, but I think perhaps we didn't give him enough information. Because he tends to dwell on things, we often try to keep things from him. Though he knew he was having the two surgeries when Gramie came to visit, he didn't know which day it was and perhaps we should have told him the day before instead of the morning of the procedure. I was concerned he would sit up and worry all night, so we didn't tell him.

In retrospect I think he might have felt that we "sprung" it on him, and in a way we did. Sigh. I continue to ask the Lord for wisdom with this little guy. He is so complicated at such a young age! Your prayers are so appreciated.

Angry Boy

Ryan has been acting out terribly the last several days since his surgery. We finally asked him if he knows why he is behaving so badly. Is he upset, tired, scared, angry, confused? He frankly told us he is angry that he had to have surgery and just wanta his eyes and [other parts] the way they were. I was a little surprised he could actually articulate what he was feeling, and slightly encouraged that we now have something specific we can focus on.

Along with disciplining him, we have been trying to love on him and reassure him and try to begin teaching him how to deal with his feelings. Please pray for him (and for us!). Sometimes it's as if his intellect is too advanced..he understands things far beyond his emotional ability to cope with them. I feel so inadequate to help him, but it certainly causes me to keep leaning on Him who has the answers!

The Pictures

Well, my favorite part of having a blog is sharing pictures! We didn't take loads of pictures today, but we did get a few of his progression through the morning ordeal.


Don't ask me why but Ryan woke up at 4:00am this morning. I told him to go back to sleep, but neither of us were really able to. So we finally allowed him to get up and get dressed at about 5:00. We left for the hospital about 5:30 with one sullen little boy. He must have not heard me or understood this morning when I told him we were going to the hosptial for his surgery this morning. He was chipper and ready to go. Then he asked why we were going, and he was NOT happy!


He eventually settled down, and I don't think he said two words the whole way after that. We checked in and everything went pretty quickly after that. In fact, he didn't even get to play in the playroom this time around, which didn't please him. He got to pick out a stuffed animal, and he chose this kitty and named him Stockings.



Daddy playing This Little Piggy with Ryan.
They gave him versed again this time, and it made him a "happy" boy! So long as we could keep him from falling off the bed, he was enjoying life. Both surgeons and the anesthesiologist went over the procedures again, and then they took him away...always the hardest part. They told us that they would do the procedures simultaneously, and the stenosis surgery would be about 30-45 minutes and the eye surgery about 60 to 90 minutes.



After two hours we still hadn't heard from the urologist, and Mommy was starting to get a wee bit stressed. Finally, he appeared and said he had been done for long time but he was waiting till the eye surgery was over before he came to talk to us...WHY!?



Anyway, he said all went very well and his recovery should be fairly easy. Then the eye surgeon showed up and again gave us a good report. We were told they would come get us as soon as he woke up and started calling for us. However, after about 30 minutes they called us and said they were taking us all back upstairs to the final recovery room. He had woke up very well and wasn't nauseous or distressed at all.



He ate a popsicle and took some pain medicine, and we got him dressed and were out the door within an hour and a half. Last time we were in post-op for 45 minutes, then in recovery for over two hours. He did wonderfully today!



He is feeling great now, and we're having trouble keeping him still. He had a caudal block and is still unsteady on his feet from the anesthesia. The nurse told us to keep him quiet for the rest of the day and that they have about two kids a week come back to the ER after having surgery because they fall and need stitches!

I am grateful to the Lord for His mercy toward my son! We will keep you posted on how he progresses and on how successful it all turns out. We go back to see the eye doctor tomorrow and again next week. We also will go back to the urologist next week.

We're Home

Ryan's surgeries went very well today. It lasted two hours, which was longer than expected (giving Mommy and Daddy a stressful hour), but both surgeons said everything went well.

Ryan seemed to tolerate the anesthesia better this time around. He woke up beautifully with no pain and minimal nausea. We left the hospital just four hours after arriving, which was much quicker than last time. We got home a little before 1:00, and we had to stop for a prescription.

He's eaten four popsicles and half a peanut butter and honey sandwich! He is complaining that he "needs to scratch" his eye, but he isn't in any pain so far. He urninated right after we got home, so that was great!

I'll update more later, but that's the report for now. Thanks so much for all your prayers.

Specific Prayer Requests for Surgeries

Tomorrow are Ryan's surgeries, and I thought I'd list some things we'd specifically like prayer for. I know he is in the Lord's care, but the Bible does say, "You have not because you ask not." If you care to pray along with us, we are praying:

1. That Ryan will tolerate the anesthesia well. Last time he was pretty nauseous.
2. That he would be free from infection.
3. For skill and wisdom for the doctors.
4. One of the uncommon side effects from the particular eye surgery he's having done this time is that his lower eye lid could droop slightly. We are praying that would not happen, of course.
5. He will have peace and be courageous! He is very anxious.
6. For a quick recovery, speedy healing and minimal pain.
7. Lastly, we pray that the surgeries would have the desired outcome and be successful. The eye surgery is difficult for the doctor to know definitively where to cut and suture. So much of the outcome is based on things that she can't predict or control...like how his brain will "interpret" the new position of the eye. So we're praying for the best possible outcome.

His surgeries begin at about 7:30 am, and last time we were home by around 2:00 pm, if I remember correctly. I didn't list it above, but of course Daddy and Mommy could use your prayers too. I am much less anxious about it this time around, but it is never easy to hand your baby over to someone else to anesthetize and cut on! Thanks so much.

Completed First Chapter Book

I find it hard to believe, but today Ryan finished his first chapter book, The Boxcar Children. He had been slowly reading it in the beginning, but then the last week started reading it during his quiet time, some days 30 pages at a time! I gave him the book as a reward for finishing it. I'm so proud of him.

Caterpillars and Mole Hills

We took a much-needed outing to our local lake and park, Trojan, weekend before last. We had been cooped up for weeks because Abigail was sick, but her fever was gone now and we needed out! We brought all our fishing gear, but the kids spent most of their time exploring the water's edge, digging in the dirt and running around playing games they created from their imagination. Among other games, they built a miniature Mt. Hood from the remains of an abandoned mole hill and then promptly demolitioned it with an imaginary bulldozer.

Ryan found this beautiful caterpillar, and we had an impromptu lesson on metamorphosis and the wonder of God's creation. Frankly, I was impressed that Ryan held it so willingly. He's usually pretty squeamish about crawly things.

Dig those dirty fingernails!

Upcoming Surgeries

Ryan's surgeries are just a week away now. We haven't really talked to him about it for a while, but recently when we've mentioned that Gramie will be coming soon, he has gotten upset and whined that he doesn't want surgery. Apparently, somewhere along the line he associated Gramie's coming with his impending surgery (smart kid), and he knows that if she's coming, surgery is not far off either.

I'm not really thrilled about it either, but I am much more as ease than I was last time around. I know he is in the Lord's hands, and now I have a good idea how he will handle everything, so I feel better prepared. Of course, life (and the Lord) often has a way of surprising me. I'll just have to wait, pray, and see how it goes this time around...hopefully the last time around!

Cookie Dough Kid

We made cookies recently, and Ryan excitedly told me he wanted to lick the spatula! I knew once he tried it he'd love it. Poor Abby was very dismayed though...up till now she's been able to lick the beater and the spatula!