Tummy Surgery

We have known for over a year that Jacob had a small umbilical hernia from being premature that he needed to have fixed with surgery. It wasn't painful but the doctor said that it needed to be fixed so it didn't get bigger and become painful. We put off the surgery because of lack of funds and because Jacob became terrified at even the mention of his tummy. A year of preparation didn't seem to help much with either of these issues but we decided not to put it off any longer. Since he had a week off from school for Thanksgiving it was the perfect time to schedule the surgery.

On Monday we invited a friend of his to play all day in order to keep his mind off the surgery. Along with preparing Jacob for what to expect in the hospital, Max also gave him a blessing of comfort and healing the night before. We took him to the hospital early Tuesday morning. We waited in the main waiting area first and when Jacob's name was called he yelled, "Noooooo!!!" and grabbed onto his daddy. People in the waiting room chuckled and smiled. So did Max and I.

When the nurse led us into Jacob's pre-op room we had to practically force him in. He wouldn't sit on the bed, let alone take off his pajamas. Every step of the way we had to slowly get him used to the idea and he would eventually comply. He was still very nervous and whenever anyone would walk into his room he would yell, "No!" and try and get off the bed. He had lots of toys and fun things to do but he wasn't fooled. One of the nurses finally brought in a sedative and we had to hold him down to squirt it in his mouth. Jacob was hilarious when it started to affect him. We captured many videos of his silliness.

After a bit the doctor and his entourage rushed in, got to work, and rushed us out. We waited about 15 minutes in the lobby and he was finished. Then we waited about 20 minutes in the consultation room because the doctor got pulled away. The surgery went fine and he was beginning to awaken when we got to post-op. He wanted to be held and was completely out of it. Jacob wouldn't get back on the bed or ride in the wheel chair when they needed to transport him to his post-op room, so I got on the bed with him for the ride. An hour later he was discharged, refused a ride in the wheelchair (much to the orderlie's surprise), and walked to the car. Jacob said he felt fine and really wanted to go to the hotel for daddy's work Thanksgiving lunch. And he was fine, but I don't think it will be any easier the next time he needs a surgery :)