Going to Bed Now

Last update of the night - General anesthesia and interventional radiology will just see us in the morning. Lovely. The one big downer of this whole thing (not counting the fact that we're here in the first place) is that with four different departments involved, it's a lot of hoopla just to figure something out. Logistically, Clare's caths go so much smoother because only cardiology is involved. Now we're dealing with cardiology, general anesthesia, general surgery, and IR, so it gets very complicated with who's doing what and who's going where.

We met with the cardiologist tonight who went over the brief amount of information he knew regarding what was going on tomorrow. I have to say that he, his top nurse, and the general surgeon have been fabulous in nailing down these IR people to get this thing done. If it wasn't for them, we would still be in fistula-limbo. (Not sure what that means but it does not sound like a pretty place to be.) The doctors are fascinated by Clare's fistula (it's a rare occurrence in a 4-year old) and everyone wants to feel the thrill and listen to it. One of the doctors even let Shawn and I listen to it with her stethoscope. Not as exciting to us as it was to her, but interesting, I guess.

We also found out that Clare is on for the frenulectomy as well. The general surgeon will come in right at the beginning of anesthesia and clip that tongue once and for all! Hooray! That means that, not only will Clare finally have this done after four years of waiting for the right time, but she won't have to undergo anesthesia a second time in the process.

The IV finally went in around 8:30pm and was every bit as traumatic as I expected. They wrapped Clare tightly in a blanket so she wouldn't kick or flail her other arm. She screamed like a banshee and kept begging me, "Help me, Mama!" It breaks my heart, but all I can do is keep calm and stroke her hair and promise to pick her up when it's all done. Thankfully, the IV nurse made it a one-stick deal. A prize of Mickey Mouse checkers brought a tiny smile to Clare's tear-streaked face when it was done. Shawn was going to lay down with Clare in the hospital bed, put on a movie, and hope she falls asleep quickly. At midnight, the plan is to start her IV fluids so she is well-hydrated in the morning.

Violet and I are in the hotel for the night and ready for sleep. (Violet already beat me there.) I am heading back to the hospital at 7am because Clare will be taken in for anesthesia around 7:30. I will try to update as I can, but we really have no idea what to expect tomorrow. We are just praying for the very best!