Last June, we had some scary moments as Max's belly button inexplicably started to bleed. We had a flurry of appointments in June to investigate, then a contrast x-ray to check later that year, and finally a consultation with a surgeon and a plan to repair an umbilical (belly button) hernia and explore for a possible urachal remnant and cyst (this is the connection between the bladder and belly button that should've disappeared after Max was born).
And so we arrived early in the morning on Monday for abdominal surgery. We waited just a little while and then went back for pre-op. Max was not excited about wearing a hospital gown, since dresses are for girls, and this one was peach, which is awfully close to pink, which is also exclusively for girls in his five year old brain. But eventually he acquiesced. Then he got his vitals checked, complaining bitterly that the oxygen meter on his finger was pinching too hard.
The anesthesiologist came to chat with us and explained that Max would get a little shot of "happy juice" to prepare him for anesthesia. He giggled hilariously after drinking it, which he tried to recreate for photo recognition.
and then he started to relax.
The nurses made sure that Max's Spider-man doll would be with him for the procedure. He got to carry it with him to the OR and it was in bed with him when he came back out to recovery.
At nearly exactly the two and a half hour mark, the surgeon came out to see us. She told us everything had gone well, but that there was definitely a communication between the bladder and the belly button and so it was severed and a couple of sutures were placed in his bladder. She said he shouldn't have much pain, but he couldn't do gymnastics for three weeks (darn!). And then we were welcomed back in to sit with him while he rested post-op. He woke a few times and then drifted back to sleep, ebbing back and forth between burning up and sweating and shivering. All normal according to the nurses who sat with us.
And then we went home with some medicine and some strict instructions of what to watch for.
Unfortunately, one of the things we were asked to watch for happened and he had to go back to the clinic the next day. As we waited for the doctor, he used their crayons and mirror to draw a self-portrait of himself.
After the doctor contacted the surgeon, we were rushed to the ER where he had a couple of uncomfortable procedures to relieve some pressure in his bladder before he was transferred to Oakland to be admitted overnight. At one point he was sharing a room in the ER with a woman who was understandably upset to hear tiny boy wailing coming from the other side of the curtain. Max was upset that we hadn't brought Spider-man with him this time and he also wished that he'd had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle soft toy to hug. His roommate stopped me as we were being moved to another room to let me know that she worked with toy companies and would like to send something to him and gave me her card. So sweet.
The ER also brought Max a "treasure chest" to look through to select a prize for himself. Adorably, his first selections were for his brother and sister, followed by a Thomas the Train for himself. And then it was time for him to get into the ambulance. By this time it was rush hour, but Max settled in comfortably and slept for the ride.
Let me tell you, Kaiser Oakland's Pediatrics floor is awesome. We got a huge private room with an interactive tv, bathroom, and view of Oakland and Piedmont. We met the nurses, we learned that the goal was to monitor Max for the night and then check in with the surgeons in the morning. So we settled in for the night.
While we were ambulance-ing to Oakland, Uncle went back to the house to pack a bag for us, then had dinner with Grandma, Daniel, and Caroline (and grabbed some dinner for me as well) and brought it to us. Max was feeling pretty pooped, but he was also scared, so he went back and forth between sleepy calm and mildly hysterical crying. One of the things he was upset about was that he had to wear a hospital gown while I got to remain in my real clothes, so I requested a gown to wear. Because I am an awesome mom.
One of the most heartbreaking things Max was upset about was that Daniel was going to be scared alone in their room at home. And he wasn't far off - Daniel did get up scared in the middle of the night and, adorably, Caroline stopped him in the hall, walked him back to his bed, and snuggled with him for the rest of the night.
For his part, Max snuggled with his bevy of stuffed animals and me as we shared the bed all night. He watched Nick Jr., rediscovering some old favorites. He kept turning to me and asking if he could watch "just two more shows" and I told him he could do whatever he wanted.
The next morning, Max was feeling much better and I was surprisingly not as bent out of shape as I normally am in the morning (more proof that i need a new mattress at home!). Max was famished and kept asking about when he was getting to eat. The doctors came around on rounds and told us that it looked like Max was out of the woods and if he continued well for a few more hours he could go home. And, most importantly, he could have breakfast.
This excited him to no end. As soon as we were told, I went across the hall to the parents' kitchen (a room with a fridge, sink, and microwave that was available to parents staying with their kids to store food - they also provided breakfast and lunch for folks to grab) and grabbed a banana, which he practically inhaled. And then he ordered French toast and orange juice for his full breakfast. And then I got him an apple. He even got Daddy to go downstairs to Starbucks to get him another banana and to get a hot cocoa for me - which he informed me was my favorite (and which he finished).
When he was able to get up and move around out of bed, he went to sit by the window, excited to be wearing his own pants and thinking it was hilarious that he got to hang out without a shirt on.
Max was visited by his friend Antoine and his mother, who brought him some get well gifts as well. And then his sister and brother arrived (with Uncle) and, amazingly, the room was big enough to fit us all. After Antoine left, Max and his siblings went out in the hall to check out the ward's play room, which was chock-full of toys and drawing utensils.
And then we were informed Max had been given the green light for discharge and we got to pack up our things and head home. Of course, we forgot his potty seat in the big private bathroom and Daddy had to go back after the A's game to get it for us, but we made it home with everything else.
A week later, he passed his follow-up visit with flying colors and is well on the way to a full recovery. YAY!
