His surgery wasn't scheduled until 11:30 a.m., so we started the day with me pumping him so full of jell-o that he was spitting up orange....he couldn't eat solids, but was allowed jell-o up until 8 am, so I made sure he had plenty of that!
He was such a happy boy at the hospital...he thought the crib they put him in was a play pen, and he loves getting attention, so he was a happy guy. Here he is, pre-surgery:
He remained happy the whole time before surgery, although about an hour before he kept signing the word "eat". He had just learned the sign a couple weeks before...just in time to break my heart because I couldn't give him anything before surgery!
Mike and I decided we didn't want to be with him when they put him under....it would just be too hard to see him that way. The anesthesiologist's nurse just carried him down the hall. He doesn't really have separation anxiety, so he didn't even cry; he just kind of looked at us like, "are you coming??".
The surgery took just long enough for us to grab some lunch in the cafeteria. The doctor came in and said it went perfectly, and that the muscle was HUGE like it had gotten lots of exercise. Bryce is such an observant kid, those eyes are always moving!
Between the anesthesia, morphine, and Tylenol they gave him, it took a while for him to wake up. He needed to prove he could hold liquids down before we could leave. We finally stirred him enough to have a bottle of juice. He was trying so hard to be his normal, happy self, but then he would get a druggie-look on his face and drift back to sleep. Here is all drugged up:
He slept the rest of the day and woke up the next morning looking great. On the second day after surgery, the swelling set in and had me a little worried. The doctor didn't say much about swelling, just redness. Here he is at the peak of the swelling:
Notice how straight his head is already, just two days after surgery?? It took him a few days to re-adjust his vision, but it was so rewarding to see results almost instantly. I am so thankful we did the surgery while he was still young and resilient, and before it had any lasting affects on his neck and/or vision. He recently had a post-op visit with the opthamologist, and he said he couldn't ask for any better. Everything looks great.
I am so thankful that Bryce had a knowledgeable physical therapist who recognized that his head tilt was NOT torticollis, but ocular in nature. I'm so thankful he had a knowledgeable doctor who was able to pin-point the problem and correct it so well. I'm thankful I have a happy, easy going baby who made the day of the surgery as painless for Mike and me as possible. And most of all, I'm thankful for a baby who can finally hold his head straight!
He has been developing like crazy lately, but that's a whole 'nother post. Stay safe during this bitter cold spell, friends!
xoxo, Julie
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