A Superhero

Claire had her surgery on Wednesday (they moved it ahead a day because of scheduling issues) and sailed through the whole experience like a pro. We, on the other hand, were complete basket cases through the entire pre-op, anesthesia, waiting room, recovery room thing.

When she woke up, she wanted a drink and got to eat two popsicles and part of a can of ginger ale (a big deal for a kid who has never had a carbonated beverage in her life) and within an hour or two of getting to her room she was pretty much acting like the Claire we all love.

Her urologist told us that if we could a) get her peeing and b) get her walking she could go home the next day and so we made that our goal as a big storm was set to hit southern Ontario on Friday (wowzers...we got a lot of snow).

Claire rested peacefully all night in her bed while the nurse came in to check her vitals and medicate her every 4 hours. I got to "sleep" on a nasty, hard little cot next to her bed in a ward room (3 other kids). I woke up fully every time the nurse checked on Claire. Thirty minutes after each check her IV pump would alarm and that would rouse me again. The baby in the next bed screamed for 2 hours and finally threw up on its mother and fell to sleep. The kid across the way made a huge production of going pee in the dead of the night. There was also a cute kid with autism down the hall who didn't sleep at all and liked singing the same little nonsense song over and over and over at the top of his lungs. I was downright bleary eyed by morning.

Claire, in stark contrast, woke up perky and said "I'm hungry" and proceeded to devour most of what was on her breakfast tray:

Froot Loops...something else she never gets to have.

Anyway, the first time we stood her on her feet she freaked out at us "PUT ME IN MY BED RIGHT NOW...DROP ME...DROP MEEEEEEEE!". We were thinking we'd never get outta there. DH checked out the ward and found a great playroom down the hall. He came back to try and lure Claire into getting up and going for a stroll down there and she said "If I want to go to THAT playroom you can roll me down there in THIS bed". The kid is too smart for her own good.

I ended up taking a nurse aside and asking her to be the nasty one and at that point we got her on her feet and convinced her to tip toe to the bathroom on her own. After that initial wander, she was pretty much up and running. Walked to the playroom and the lounge and the bathroom several times. When her urologist came to check on her, she was meandering down the hall chatting away like normal. He immediately told us we could go. Hurray!

We gave her one dose of pain meds the first night she was home and that's been it for pain control. She has been playing like normal (even if she moves a little slower) and has been absolutely amazing...a superhero. If you knocked ME out, gave me a c-section type incision, played with my insides and then sealed me back up...I'd still be flat on my back moaning about the injustices in life.

We still have a way to go. Her anatomy wasn't the best and her bladder is a mess. She has been holding her urine for too long and her bladder shows several ill effects. We've been instructed to keep her heavily hydrated and on a pee schedule to try and retrain her to go when she gets the slightest urge rather than wait till she's desperate. It isn't easy. The urologist said that her surgery is 90% effective but if he had to pick a kid who might well be in that other 10%...it would be Claire. Eeep. So, if we aren't careful we could be back at square one before long.

Anyway, that's all beside the point for now. For now, we have a happy, healthy, cheerful little girl in the house, excited about Christmas and healing fast. Hurray!