Garrett's First Surgery (And Hopefully His Last!!)

After church on April 27, Garrett started complaining of not feeling well. He said his stomach didn't feel well. Shortly after, he started throwing up.  Cody and I both thought he had a stomach virus.  He did complain of a pain in his stomach, but it didn't hurt when I touched where the pain was coming from.  After Sunday, he didn't complain of the pain again, but continued getting sick all day on Monday.  On Tuesday I called his pediatrician, and he had me give Garrett an anti-nausea med we had at home.  Garrett didn't get sick anymore, but he just didn't look right.  On Wednesday I noticed that he walked really hunched over, so after talking to Cody, we decided to go ahead and take him in to the urgent care at hour local children's hospital, Cook Children's.  At the urgent care they took a set of vital and immediately sent us to the main ER. They weren't totally sure what was going on, just that he was very sick. After an x-ray and an ultra sound, they determined he had something called intussusception.  I remembered it from nursing school, but thought it was something only for infants.  As it turns out, it is very rare in older children, but it is the leading cause of bowel obstruction in children under 24 months. Basically it is where a portion of the bowel folds in on itself, or it telescopes in onto itself.  They tried a procedure to move it with out surgery, but it didn't work.  He was taken to surgery, and was in surgery for about three hours.  They had to remove about eight inches from his small bowel, and went ahead and removed his appendix since it was in the same area of the problem. He was in the hospital for a week.

God blessed us beyond measure while he was in the hospital! He gave me friends and family that sent me verses of encouragement and prayed for us, many friends would text me and ask how they could pray specifically, and just everyone who took the time to come and visit him.  His teacher came up one day to see him and brought cards to him from his class.  I think he had everyone who visited either read them to him or look through them.  His librarian sent him a book he had been wanting to read.  He had friends that came and visited, and was more than loved on by all the family that came by.  God also put us at a children's hospital.  They were able to figure out rather quickly what was going on, and give us a surgeon who knew what he was doing. He also put us in a facility that truly loves on their patients.  The nurses were great, and he had a doctor that did rounds on him that actually spent time with him.

After the last test before Garrett went into surgery, he shut down.  I could tell he was done, he wasn't listening anymore, and he wouldn't respond when you talked to him.  That lasted a good 48 hours, until this one doctor came in.  He sat with him and talked superheroes.  He had nerf gun fights with him, and taught him how to use the saline syringes as water guns.  It was amazing, how fast Garrett came back to himself after someone really spent time with him.  Even his favorite nurse noticed that he had a lot more personality.

Here are some of the verses that helped me through this:

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am you God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  -Isaiah 41:10

 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at worth within us.  -Ephesians 3:20

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.  -Deuteronomy 31:8

God is so Good!!!

Waiting in the ER

Right out of surgery

That night right after surgery.  I had put his horses in his bed and he grabbed them at some point during the night.

He couldn't eat for a few days, but they would let him chew gum and eat hard candy.  This was his first piece of gum.  Kinda the first thing he had eaten in about 4-5 days.

No more tubes in his nose!

They had a Lego model of the hospital that he took most anyone who visited to see.  

The first day he could eat.  He had to wean slowly back on to food. The first day he could only eat "clear" liquids (jello, popsicles, broth, juice, water, etc.)

The hospital gave him this nerf gun, and he is waiting for the doctor to ambush him.

Even after being attached by Garrett, the doctor finally let him eat real food! This was his first bite.  He said it was the best toast he had ever eaten.

So he learned that with abdominal surgery it hurts to laugh.

Speaking of abdominal surgery, he has also come up with a good story for his scars.  He said that he got them from being gored by a cape buffalo. 

Some of his friends that came to visit.

He wouldn't leave until he could have some frozen yogurt.

Going home! 

Even Hank missed him!