G-Tube Surgery - Day 1

We didn't have to be at the hospital until noon.  It was a rough morning.  He kept asking to drink and eat.  He could drink clear liquids up to about 9am ... and that was it.

Nathan and Liam both decided to sign.

Nathan started out on the N on the end of his name, I thought he was going to write his name Nathan backwards.  But he started out on the N all the way to the right.....  and wrote nataN backwards (writing right to left)   he forgot the H ....

I went to take his picture before surgery but he was upset, and he didn't want his picture taken.  So Liam photobombed....  

After we got settled in the waiting room (we were early) ...  I let him watch YouTube on his tablet...

And since it helped keep him calm and not freaking out before surgery .... that's what he did.  He did NOT like it when I took it away to take off his clothes and change him into the hospital garb ....  and I had got get dressed up in scrubs to go back with him ...

I wanted to get a before picture of him before his G-Tube was placed.  It's hard to explain just how tiny Nathan is.  With clothes on, it is hard to see but here you can see how he really doesn't have an ounce of fat on him.  He is nothing but skin and bones.  He eats all the time.  He just burns the calories as soon as he takes them in.

I took him back for surgery and it was tough.  Got him to lay down (and he was anxious) ....  he was whimpering a bit but not crying.   They put the mask on him and asked him to take some breaths .... it took longer than I expected, and the last 15 seconds or so he was kicking his feet really hard trying to fight it.  :(  

They had said that if they felt they needed me they would call me back to recovery, but I figured they wouldn't because they hadn't for the surgeries prior.

But the DR came out - said everything went wonderfully ....  they only difficultly there was - was - that his large intestines were "swollen" or "gassy" ...  and he had make an extra incision to be able to move them out of his way.   Everything else went great.  

But they did beep me, figured it was just to get his room number.  But they told me to go back to recovery and gave my mom the room number.  So these are the first pictures of Nathan I took after his surgery while he was in recovery... and he was already telling me (signing) he was hungry and thirsty.

After we got up to his room, I put the gifts together that we brought.... there was a gift already delievered from the gift shop....  it was pretty awesome :)

I had gotten some balloons too on the way to the van, then I moved the van and brought all our stuff up to the room.  I wanted to make sure he had balloons to wake up to.

Lovely view right?

After surgery, Nathan slept most of the rest of the day.  Nana left around 7pm... he was still sleeping.  I think it was around 8 or 9 that he woke up ....   and then we opened up gifts.

They came in with this - saying they are going to drain him over night.......  

He did okay - pain was an eh .... mostly a 4 ...   on the face pain scale.  But he slept.