Aug 16, 2011

We did all of Corbin’s pre-op evaluation yesterday.  He did great.  He did his xrays, lung studies, and two blood draws and was brave during it all.  He has become a pro.  We cried a little bit with the bloodwork but that was it.  After the pre-op stuff, we all went out to buy Corbin a new shirt for the first day of Kindergarten, next Monday.  He decided on a red and white striped shirt only after we told him athletic gear was unacceptable for his first day of school.  You should have seen him trying on clothes.  He felt like he was pretty handsome.  We finished the day at the hotel pool.  We ordered pizza and officially went on our last swim of the summer.  The kids all had a blast.  And Corbin can now swim across the pool by himself!

We got to the hospital at 6:30 this am and he went to the OR at about 8:30.  The surgery went well, though one of the things we have learned is that we really never know what exactly is going to be done until the surgeons see everything.  We expected a routine expansion without any more hardware being placed.  When everything was examined, several of the ribs on the left side of his body were fused again.  These were separated when he had his initial surgery but have grown back together again.  The decision was made to re-separate them and place a second rod more laterally.  He also had to have his original initial rod repositioned due to it migrating over the last year.

He did well during the surgery and is now in a bed in the Intermediate Care Unit.  We are used to going straight to the orthopedic floor.   He still has a drain in place and due to his ribs being separated, he is in quite a bit of pain.  He has been sleeping on pain meds most of the day.

We are looking at a few more days than planned due to the more extensive surgery, but are thankful everything went great with the surgery. 

Callie didn’t like seeing Corbin hurt so much after surgery.  She was really sweet with him.  You can see his post-op xray below.  We were thrilled with how his shoulders look and how much his lung cavity has grown, but you can see why he is not very happy right now!

Kindergarten is probably just going to have to wait a few days or so..

Aug 17, 2011

Poor Corbin just didn’t have a great day.  Corbin doesn’t remember having a surgery this big before and he kind of expected to recover like he does after a normal expansion.  So, not only is he in a lot of pain, he is disappointed he hasn’t been to the playroom, discouraged that he hasn’t felt up to getting out of bed, bored of laying around, and does not want me out of his sight.  Tonight he just lost it and had ENOUGH!  He wanted to go home but was upset if you got close to his back or ribs.  As the Mama, I had to fight not to burst into tears with him (and maybe wiped a few away when he wasn’t looking!)  I know this is all part of the recovery process, but it is tough seeing him in so much pain and knowing there is nothing you can do about it.  And there is no doubt in my mind that he is going to remember this one.

Jonathan and the other two kids went home today.  At this point, I have no idea how long we will be here.   Although this isn’t the situation I’d choose, I am relishing in time with a little boy who is growing up way too fast.  He is true joy to Jonathan and me.  Praying that each day is better than the one before.  Thanks for keeping up with us!

Special Note:

I cannot tell you how thankful I am to all of our family and friends who have been so supportive to Corbin, Jonathan, me, and our other two kids.  From the texts, phone calls, emails, messages, visits, gifts, and prayers, we are beyond grateful.  We are truly blessed.

Aug 18, 2011

It is never a good feeling to wake up to, “Mommy - help!”  I jumped out of bed to find that Corbin had somehow flipped onto his stomach this morning.  While this felt good to his back, he was in a bind because he really couldn’t use his left arm to turn himself back over.  Anyway, I encouraged him to try to inch himself back over by himself.  He did it and it set the tone for our day.  He was much more determined, focused, and positive to get out of bed and feel better.  By mid-morning, the suction was turned off of his drain and he was ready to sit in a chair.  Corbin’s nurse and I helped him stand up and slowly putter around his bed.  It was all a little too much for his stomach.  After getting sick, he moved to his chair and sat for a couple of hours.  I made him take a break, but by late afternoon, he was ready to try to walk down to the playroom.  Little by little, we made it!  We played for awhile and just enjoyed being out of our room.  And that folks, was the jest of our day.  While it might sound kind of  uneventful to most, I feel like it was HUGE!  Not only did he get up, but he had a bit of his twinkle back in his eye.  I’m hopeful that he will have less pain tomorrow and eat and drink a little more.  We are still in the Intermediate Care Unit, but hope to move to the 6th floor tomorrow.

In other news, we missed his kindergarten meet the teacher tonight.  Since Jonathan has to be at home, he ran over to meet her for us.  I think it is going to be a great year for Corbin.  It made me sad that he had to miss out on tonight and I know that on Monday, as sad as I am to send him to kindergarten, I will be even sadder that he doesn’t get to start on time with his friends.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am completely thankful and pleased with his surgery and how he is doing.  I just hate when he doesn’t get to do things like everyone else.  When I broke the news to him that he probably wouldn’t get to go to school on Monday, he just kind of shrugged as if to tell me, “relax woman - no big deal.”  Kids have great perspective on things.

I did thoroughly enjoy chatting with him today.  Although he is ALOT like his Daddy, there are moments I can see me in him.  Like today when I asked him if he wanted to watch a movie or just talk.  Thrilled my soul to the core when he said, “Let’s just chat, Mom.”  Ahhhh - Now that’s my boy.  Oh - and he wants to name his daughter Felicia someday.  It’s amazing what you can learn when your son is on pain medicine..

Aug 20, 2011

Can I just say, we love the 6th floor!  We had a pretty good night last night and Corbin has been able to keep all of his medicine down.  Today he woke up and his side, back, and arm just hurt.  The boy in him really wants to play and be normal, but the kid who just had a really big surgery won’t let him!  I keep reminding him that it will just take time and he seems ok with that answer.  The rounding dr. came in and gave us the good news - Corbin’s drainage was low enough that we could go home if his xrays looked ok.  YES!  Now the hard part - removing the drain.  To say that Corbin was mad is an understatement!  He was swatting, kicking, and yelling at us.  “Everybody - stop touching me.  NOW!!! I’m serious!  I’m telling you what to do and no one is listening.  You better stop - NOW!!!”  etc., etc., etc.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I laugh when things are kind of tense.  Anyway, I was trying so hard not to laugh.  I’m sure the dr. and nurse thought I was a great mom...

After xrays and a CT scan, they decided to let us go home!  We are so thankful!  Bubba and Nana picked us up and brought us home where Jonathan, Grandmom, Granddad, and the kids were waiting for us. 

I think we have lots of recovery days in front of us, but I am truly thankful for the Drs, the staff, this surgery, and all of our friends and family who have prayed for our brave boy.

Aug 19, 2011

Recovery wise, today was pretty uneventful.  Corbin’s pluera-vac was taken off and a jp drain was put on.  This is just another step closer to getting to come home.  When his drainage gets below a certain amount, the drain will be pulled and we will get to come home.  So... now we are just waiting for that number to be where it’s supposed to be.  A waiting game!  Other than that, we are hanging in there.  Corbin is still having some trouble tolerating his pain meds, so after getting sick again this morning, a decision was made to switch to a different pain medicine.  So far, so good!  He was pretty crabby at me today, but as soon as his cousins or some friends came by, he perked up, got a little loud, and just seemed all around happier.  Otherwise, he pretty much wanted to stay in his bed.  On his two outings to the playroom, he stayed about five minutes and was ready to lay back down.  Slow and steady wins the race, right? 

Have I mentioned that Corbin does not want me out of his sight?  And I’m talking at all!  Even if I just run to the bathroom he lets me know I was gone too long.  And yes, the bathroom is in the room.  My favorite is if I go down the hall to get some ice or pick out a game or movie for him.  I can hear the screaming “MOMMY” half-way across the floor.  Amazing.  And you can only imagine what a girl has to do for food around here!  Thankfully, we have awesome volunteers and nurses who help me out.  It makes me smile every time. 

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