He's out!

Tyler's recovery went better than we could have hoped for. After he ate lunch he became more and more active. We knew it was time to check out after we took him down to the kids playroom. Tyler spent his time riding a trike around and around the playroom dinging the little bell all the way. He actually began running down the hall on the way out! We had to call him back and remind him that he needed to slow down.

We decided to stay near Seattle despite his remarkable recovery. It turned out to be a good plan. Out good friends invited them to stay with them, and the hour drive up to Lynnwood was about all Tyler could take. So far he has only had two doses of Tylenol and one dose of Ibuprofen at bedtime to manage the pain. We were sent home with Oxycodone, but I don't think we will be neeeding it. It is such a blessing that his surgery went so well and that the recovery has been so smooth so far.

After surgery

We are waiting in the room for Tyler to come up. The nurse just poked her head in and said she heard that he is doing well and should be up soon. This waiting to see him is hard! I am anxoius! Later: Ty arrived around 10:40. He is sleepy but much more alert than the initial implant surgery. Tyler even climbed from the stretcher to his bed all by himself! His incision is bandaged so I couldn't get a look at it. The nurse offered him a popsicle and he gobbled it all up. Now he is resting and watching Thomas the Train. He really wants the IV line out but we need it in until he is eating and drinking without any problems. We think he will be able to be released today.

Expansion time

Tyler is in surgery right now.  Today is his first VEPTR expansion.  He was such a big boy this morning.  He was calm and energetic.  I know that sounds like a weird combo, but I guess I just mean that he was not acting too worried about the events of today.  Yesterday Joey gave Tyler a new LEGO jet plane and that was the toy Tyler decided to bring with him into the OR.  He flew that jet all around the hotel room and waiting areas at Children's this morning.  I took a before picture of his back, but I can't download it to this computer.  I guess I will just have to put it on later. 
We are slightly more at ease having done this before, but it is still incredibly difficult to walk him back to the operating room.  Tyler had visited with Nancy (the child life specialist) as we waited and she gave him stickers to decorate his mask.  He took it into the OR and told the anesthesiologist that he wanted a root beer mask.  I was impressed at how well Tyler stayed still as I held the mask over his mouth and nose, and he just went to sleep. 
Dr. White expects this expansion to be pretty quick, about 45 minutes.  I expect to be getting a page from the OR nurse pretty soon to let us know that all is well and Tyler is almost done.  Then we will meet with Dr. White and he will give us the clip that has been holding the rods in place.  We should get to see Tyler in a couple of hours and he may be discharged today.  Tyler was relieved to find out that the doctors expect him to walk today.  That is one of the things that bothered him most after the VEPTR implant, having to use a wheelchair and the fear of walking.  We will see how things go.  I don't want to drive all the way home today, so if we are released the plan is to stay somewhere close to the hospital and make the 3 hour drive home tomorrow. 

Tyler's first expansion

Trrow at 7:15 we will check into Seattle Children's hospital for Tyler's first VEPTR expansion. We met with Dr. White yesterday and he expects the surgery to last about 45 minutes. We are nervous but it is nice to know that this time the recovery should be quicker; about a week.