September 23

Another one on the books! 

  We (Joel, Mom, and I - Dad was home to see Em off to school and be there when she came off the bus) arrived at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital at 7:30am, after giving Sadie her 3am formula and 7am pedialite.  Check-in has been smooth, as we are familiar with the registration process by now.  We barely had time to sit in the waiting room before we were brought into room 5 for pre-op.  

Styling in her koala rocket ship surgical wear.

The nurses were exceptional, as always.  We went through the same routine: meet and talk to the anesthesiologist (had the same one as last surgery), the nurse anesthesiologist, nursing assistant, and see Dr. G.  The patient care coordinator was there as well, and we always go through the old song and dance: "Oh, you're here!  I'm happy to see you again but sad that you have to be back." 

Sadie really has been a trooper; we are constantly amazed that she rests before each procedure and is calm for the bulk of our waiting time.  She never gets upset when they are checking her blood pressure, putting on her ankle name bracelet, or attaching her oxygen monitor.  

Sleeping peacefully with Grandma Debbie.

Sades with GIGI, her giraffe.  

She was taken back to the OR at 9:15, and goodbyes are always hard.....they never get easier.  The tears flow quickly and hard, and then we take deep breaths and remind ourselves that we are doing the right thing.  

After a LONG 45 minutes, Dr. G's nurse called into the waiting room phone to let us know the plans: she was going ahead with a goniotomy on the right eye.  The glaucoma pressure in her left was at an 18 - best it's ever been!  We were very excited to know that the goniotomy on that eye has been successful thus far and doesn't need a shunt quite yet.  Then we were informed that the right eye (which only three weeks ago was at a 20) was now at a 40 and needed a procedure to lessen the pressures.  WHAT?!  But we've been so diligent about drops!  After I got off the phone, I cried with mixed emotions; I was thrilled to hear that the left was still doing so well (as Dr. G had assumed she was going to go ahead with a shunt in the left), but I was frustrated that with all of our hard work, the right pressure number still raised.  I'm also learning to trust my "mommy gut"; in the past two weeks, I've noticed some haziness in her right cornea, but loved ones around me tried to convince me that I was overreacting.  Low and behold, glaucoma was rearing it's ugly head again, and surgery was needed.  (If you would have told me last year that I would know so much about the human eye, I would've thought you were crazy!)

While in the waiting room, we met a wonderful family whose 10 month old was born with a unilateral cataract and was going through an EUA that morning to check for glaucoma.  She had a fabulous pair of pink glasses on, and I got to chat with her grandmother about the battles of contact lenses, drops, and the like.  How wonderful to not be alone in this battle!  We have now added sweet Gracie to our list of nightly prayers.  

Sadie was in the recovery room by 11:57, and we were called back shortly after.  It's never easy to see her with a flushed face, squirming in pain, and restless.  Yet she was an amazing trooper once again, and she never cried.....I wish I had her strength!

I fed her 2 ounces of pedialite, and after she polished that off, we gave her 4 ounces of formula.  She takes food SO well after anesthesia, unlike most of her family members.  :)  We waited around for the 2 hour window to pass, and blood pressure stats, oxygen levels, temperature, and heart rate was all healthy and strong. Dr. G checked on us, and I explained my frustrations with the glaucoma meds not "doing their job".  She said it was a tricky disease - is it ever!  It has a mind of it's own, and if all of the parts in Sadie's eyes are not working together to drain the fluid, the pressure numbers rise.  We were encouraged, however, to hear that there were no cracks in her cornea this time around, and the optical nerve looked good.  Thank God for small miracles!

After being discharged, we rested at home.  The night was hard, and her pain was high, but she's HOME.  God bless our fighter!

"ET phone home".