More on Emme’s Surgery today…

Written by Melissa on 6.23.09

Thanks to everyone who has followed our updates today and for all of the prayers and support. Emme’s surgery went very well today, “textbook” to be exact, and we are so grateful again for such a good team of doctors here at Vanderbilt Children’s.

Today started very early. We left the house about 5:00 a.m. and headed to VCH to check in. Shannon’s Mom, Barbara, said she couldn’t remember ever being up that early in her life. I felt rested and I think Shannon did too.

Shortly after we checked in, a pastor from our church came by to pray for Emme. There were also two ladies who came to sit with us while she was in the operating room. Cornerstone is such a wonderful church and we are so thankful for the people there.

Right before they took Emme back to the operating room, she fell asleep. As they wheeled her back to the O.R. she was peaceful and calm. Those to words are how I felt today also. Neither Shannon nor I shed a tear (not that we didn’t want to) and we both seemed to handle the stress of the day very well. I will admit, seeing her after surgery was a great feeling. Although she was swollen and stuck with I.V.’s everywhere, she looked beautiful to me.

After touring the PICU, Shannon and I decided that we would take shifts at the hospital. We had first intended on both staying the night, but there is only room for one in Emme’s room. The hospital does have family rooms, but they usually reserve those for out of town guests. We are so lucky to live in Nashville and not have to worry about where we will sleep during Emme’s stay here.

Emme is doing so awesome. As I type this she is sleeping peacefully. She only gets a little fussy when she’s hungry, and don’t we all do that? The nurse quickly learned that Emme’s appetite was way bigger than anyone could imagine. They gave us these little bitty bottles (kind of like what they use in the nursery when you have a baby) to begin feeding Emme with. In 15 seconds she had the whole bottle finished and was asking for more. After a few rounds of this, big bottles showed up!

She is opening her eyes off and on, but her face is getting more swollen as the minutes roll by. I anticipate by the morning her eyes will be swollen shut. Please don’t let this scare you, they will reopen in a few days. Until her eyes are open and she is eating well (we all know that won’t be a problem) she will not move from the PICU. Her room number here is 5419.

Speaking of her room number (5419), visitors are welcome. I was a little unsure of who would be allowed to come back into the room, but she can have up to 3 people in her room at a time. So, if you want to come by, even if it’s just for a few minutes, please feel free to do so.

Many of you know that I teach elementary school P.E. and this year I had a student who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her family has been such a blessing to Shannon and I by giving us all the details and ins and outs of VCH. Their daughter will be here on Thursday to have some bloodwork done and they plan on coming by to see Emme. We are so thankful to have such a huge support team and don’t know what we would do without any of you.

I’m going to sign off for tonight, I’m sleep deprived and I think I better take the chance to rest up now before it’s too late. I’ll try to update more tomorrow.

Emme’s Surgery Complete

Emme has completed surgery with flying colors & almost 2 hours ahead of schedule! Dr. Kelly, the plastic surgeon, said it was “text book perfect”! Melissa & I are so thankful for your continued thoughts & prayers. Hospital stay is still estimated to be 7 days. Pictures will be posted to the website soon.