So today is going to be my last flashback, because I'm going to talk about Cam's last surgery...which is the last major thing he has gone through...then only moving forward. Cam's head surgery was scheduled and rescheduled 2 times. The first was scheduled for January 5, 2011. Although I was extremely anxious for this to actually happen I knew that it needed to so that we could put it behind us. Cam was 4.5 months old. However on Christmas last year, Cam decided he wanted to catch pneumonia and so we ended up in the hospital during his first scheduled surgery....so it was postponed to January 26th. However, I wasn't comfortable doing it so close to him having such a rough illness so they ended up rescheduling for the third and final time to February 9, 2011. This day gave me severe anxiety. I had a hard time sleeping, couldn't eat. I just kept imagining horrible things happening to my sweet, sweet baby. Then the day finally came and it was the scariest, hardest day of my life.
Cam's surgery was the first of the day, so we arrived at the hospital at 7am. He wasn't allowed to have anything to eat after midnight the previous day so he was a little hungry. But he didn't cry or get upset at all. He just sat there smiling and cooing until we went back to the pre op room. I was a mess. I had a hard time looking at his sweet face knowing that it was about to change, and not only that but that surgery meant that something bad could happen. I couldn't stomach the thought of anything else bad happening to my baby. I was crying, and Cam was just smiling away. We got him dressed in his little hospital gown and then sent him on his way.
Our surgeon, Dr. David made it possible for me to hand him over. She herself carried him to the o.r and promised that everything was going to be OK. Something I know medical professionals aren't supposed to do. But that was what I needed to hear in order to hand him over, and she knew that. She took him and I sat crying and pleading with God to please bring him back safe and to let everything go well. Paul and I left the pre op room and began the 6 hour wait until we would be reunited with our precious Cam once again.
The actual surgery got started at 10 am. It takes a long time to get iv lines started and to make sure his anesthesia is working well. But they called us at 10 am and said they had began the procedure and that they would call us every hour with an update. At 11 I received the first call that surgery was going well and that Cameron was doing great. He had lost minimal blood and they were moving right along. Then at 12 the same thing. They said he was still looking good and that they would call soon with more updates. Well one o'clock came along and no call. This terrified me. Of course the first thing that popped in my head was something was wrong. But then I received a call at about 1:15 saying surgery was finished and that they were closing up. I sighed a huge sigh of relief and thanked GOD.
Dr. David came out and spoke with us. She explained the surgery had gone as planned and that Cam had done great! She said they were still in the process of extubating him, but that as soon as they had that we could see him. I sat crying in Paul's shoulder knowing that the next time we saw our sweet boy he would look different. I knew that the next few days were going to be hard, and I was anxious to see my Cam.
They called us back about 20 minutes later. The first time I looked at him was terrifying. His head was wrapped in a white turban and his face was red and puffy, and he was completely knocked out. Paul had to sit down, just seeing him like that made him nauseous and he didn't know if he was going to pass out, so he took a seat. We both stayed with him until they moved him to the intensive care unit. That is where he stayed for that night. Then the next day they moved him to the step down unit and the day after that to the regular floor. Cam stayed in the hospital for 6 days. Every day he improved and his swelling really didn't get too horrible. They did sew his eyes shut during the surgery, but they removed those sutures on day 3. Then all he needed to do was eat well enough to go home. So on day 6 he was looking good and they let us go home!
This experience was really hard. My anxiety was through the roof, and my heart ached for my sweet baby that I couldn't explain why he had to be in so much pain. But Cameron....He was a CHAMP. He made it easier on me because he handled it so well. He was the one that got me through this, and Paul of course. Cameron is an amazing little guy, and we are so glad that this part of his life is behind us. We know he faces more surgeries, and we know that his life is always going to be a bit more complex medically, but we know that Cam is a fighter, and that even when we don't feel like we can make it through, he gets us through it!!
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