Hooray for Surgery Day...NOT!

Susanne called the surgery department the night before to get the official time of Paxton's surgery. He was scheduled to go under the knife around 11:00am. He was required to arrive an hour and a half before the procedure for Susanne and Scott to complete the necessary paperwork. It was a nice change not to have to get up super early to be at the hospital by 5:00am for his surgery like they had in the past. They weren't sure if it was the type of surgery or his age that changed when it was scheduled, but it really didn't matter to them. The extra sleep would be welcomed either way.

After filling out the initial paperwork, they had to meet with a nurse to double check Paxton's history, discuss his feeding schedule and medication schedule over the last 24 hours, and document his vital signs. Along with that, Paxton always got an ECG, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation level as part of his basic status check. The nurse originally had some difficulties with getting his oxygen level to reach 100%. It was only after Susanne and Scott mentioned that his level was currently in the high eighties or low nineties that she felt relief. After they finished everything they needed to do, Paxton got clearance for surgery that day.

Unfortunately, they had to hurry up and wait. After the initial assessment, they were sent back to the waiting room. They were informed that the surgeon was running behind by about an hour. It was suggested that they grab a bite to eat since it would be a long day. They were given a "lob-stah" pager so they would know when to return to the front desk in the admitting office.

They barely finished their lunch when they were summoned. The pager went off three times and Susanne got called once. There wasn't much time given for them to get upstairs. Once there, they were immediately taken up to the surgery prep area. This was where Moppy had to split ways. She was escorted to the waiting area while Susanne and Scott got to stay with Paxton right up until the minute he was taken into the OR. It appeared that Paxton was in good spirits. He was laughing and smiling quite a bit for what was about to happen. The fact that Paxton wasn't aware of what was going on and he wouldn't remember any part of the entire process was what kept their heads held high. The nurse switched him into his Johnnie before he was taken back. Susanne and Scott kissed Paxton goodbye. Susanne got teary eyed for the first time this morning as the nurse walked away with him in her arms. Letting him go was the hardest part of the whole process.

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting. They set up shop in the same area that they were in for Paxton's last surgery. Just like last time, they continued to be faked out by the nurses and doctors that would walk by. They thought that anyone that even looked their way had to be coming to give them an update. This was extremely nerve-racking. It was about four hours later before they were told he was waking up from anesthesia. This entire process took much longer than they had expected. They were transferred to the cardiac ICU waiting room while he finished waking up and got settled into his hospital bed. After an hour of more waiting, Susanne couldn't take it any longer. She had to see her little monkey. She was so anxious and nervous and restless....she couldn't stand it anymore. She thought she would explode if she didn't see Paxton in the flesh pronto. She just wanted to know for sure he was alright. She wanted to talk to him, touch him, kiss him, hold his hand, smell him, and comfort him. She wasn't asking much.

Finally, they allowed Scott and Susanne to go back. Paxton looked rough, but was at least sleeping when they walked into his room. He was doped up on some good drugs, which helped. They hadn't even been there for more than five minutes before he had a meltdown. He was dysphoric and unhappy. The nurse had swaddled him nicely in a big blanket, but this was a recipe for disaster for Paxton. He got overheated very quickly. Susanne unwrapped him while Scott fanned him. Susanne talked to him softly and tried to calm him down. It was difficult for her because she wasn't allowed to hold him. She had to comfort him from afar. His oxygen levels were dropping rapidly. The nurse had Susanne hold an oxygen mask close to his face. Paxton eventually recovered and fell back asleep. Scott snuggled him in and Susanne rubbed his head so he would know she was there.

While he was in la la land, they decorated his bed with all of his lucky charms. The most important one was his "Lucky Bear", which had been with Paxton since the very beginning. He also had some new faces. Jill had given Paxton a monkey for his birthday. Before they left for Boston, Paxton requested that he be able to take it with him on the trip. It was a perfect fit because he always got a stuffed monkey anytime he was admitted into the hospital. Susanne and Moppy also got him one. They had been eyeballing the Curious George Doctor from the gift shop since January. They couldn't pass it up and got it for him for today's surgery. It was amazing the following he attracted. He had a lot of support wherever he went. This had to aid in the recovery process...right?