Riley's Surgery

Hey all. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts for Riley and for our family. We really appreciate and felt all that you did for us.

His surgery went well. We arrived at the hospital at 7:00 a.m. They took us right back to Same Day Surgery and got Riley in his gown. They had some crayons, coloring pages, stickers (yeah, that was funny - he didn't even touch those), a little game, and one of those hidden-objects-in-rice-in-a-bottle things. A couple of nurses and the anesthesiologist came to talk to us and to Riley. I really liked it because they included Ben and I in the conversation, but they spoke to Riley most of the time. And he liked that. One of the nurses in her scrubs and hat came in to tell him about some stuff and she was really fun and goofy. Riley liked her and he leaned over to me, putting his hand over his little mouth, and whispered, "She's crazy." I thought she and the other nurse were going to fall right over, laughing at the little stinker.

The surgery took about 20 minutes. The doctor said Riley did beautifully. They brought him back to our room about five minutes later, and after Riley came out of the anesthesia, ate a popsicle, and took a walk around the place, we were ready to go home.

Yesterday was good and bad. It was good because he ate four Otter Pops when we came home because some of the Demoral was still in his system so he wasn't feeling the pain in his throat. It was bad because besides that, he was so lethargic. Normal for post-surgery, but not normal for Riley. He kept asking for food, and typically patients are supposed to stay on clear liquids, but one of the nurses said there are exceptions to every rule. He ended up eating three pieces of bread in the afternoon and a scrambled egg for dinner! He went to bed in his own bed, but climbed in bed with Ben and me at about 1:00 this morning. He slept until 5:00, and then woke Ben up and they came and watched Bolt.

Today had a rough start but got better. His throat is sore, but then he sleeps with his mouth open and that just dries it out. He was NOT in the mood to take his antibiotic or his Tylenol this morning. He had a few bites of popsicle and a sip of juice or water every once in a while. He had a nap and woke up cranky, but then he was good and took his Tylenol and his antibiotic and is feeling much better. He ate again and will drink every 15 minutes or so.

Riley is lucky to have a brother who loves him like Carter does. The night before Carter played so nicely with his brother - he just wanted to make him happy. He told me to make sure and wake him up early so he could see Riley before he left for the hospital. He got so anxious at school that he gave himself a stomachache and almost came home. If it hadn't have been for my amazing sister-in-law, who convinced him to stay after she told him she'd pick him up from school and take him to the store to get a prize for Riley, I don't know what I would have done. Tonia, you rock. Thank you!

Thank you all for your love and concern. The night before the surgery Riley was the happiest he has been in a long time - I just knew all your prayers were doing us all a bunch of good! Thank you!