I took Thomas down to Columbia Presbyterian yesterday. Dr. Kazim removed the dressing and both Thomas and I got a first look at the reconstruction work. It's still a bit swollen and there are stitches and incisions still visible, but when it's healed it's going to look much better. Thomas wasn't real excited at first by the way it looked, mostly because of the swelling and the way the site of the surgery still looks, but he did comment that he liked the way that the eyelids would open now and how you could actually see his prosthetic eye. He's feeling a bit self-conscious about the way it looks, though, so he may not be showing it off until it fully heals. Today he chose to wear his patch for the first time in a long time.
As far as recovery goes, he still has a very sore throat---sore throats are a typical side effect of surgery, but it's usually minor and clears up within a day or so---and we think it's possible he actually has strep. We knew he had a viral infection going into surgery, and now it appears that perhaps it and other things are wearing him down. Step has been going around the area, Dr. Kazim himself had it last week, and given the soreness of his throat and other symptoms, it's not an unreasonable possibility. He's already taking a strong antibiotic to prevent post-operative infections, so if he does have strep then it should clear up soon, but for most of the last two days he has not been feeling all that well. Keep him in your prayers that he'll be fully recovered soon.
Thomas, Ritina, and I headed out shortly after 6 AM this morning. Around 10 AM I accompanied Thomas to the OR; Ritina chose not to go into the OR this time. She felt that Thomas would show more courage if she were not there, and she knew that introducing the IV could be a rough experience and she just didn't feel like she could handle that today.
She was right. Of the four surgeries to date, today's attempt at getting an IV going was probably the most difficult. Even though today's surgery was the shortest and simplest procedure yet, Thomas was more nervous than he's ever been. Perhaps because he's older and more aware now. Perhaps because it's been a while since he's had to do the "hospital thing". Whatever the reason, he was nervous and scared, and this made for an IV procedure that was stressful and emotional, but, in the end, successful because he showed tremendous courage and allowed multiple attempts at the IV even though he was scared and in pain. Once the IV was finally in and Thomas knew it was done, he visibly relaxed and things went great from there. He calmed down quickly, and even smiled at me before indicating that he was ready to go to sleep.
Less than ninety minutes later we were with him in the recovery room. Dr. Kazim came out to speak with us right after he finished, and his opinion is that the reconstruction looks great. It's covered by a dressing that won't be removed until Thursday, so we can't judge for ourselves yet, but our trust in Dr. Kazim goes very deep at this point, and if he says it looks great, then we believe it must.
Recovery starts with a couple of days of inactivity; no school, no physical activity, nothing that might cause stress to the surgery site in any way. On Thursday I'll be taking Thomas back to see Dr. Kazim who will remove the dressing, examine the eye socket, and let us know where to go from there. We expect that other than having to skip physical activities at school for a while, the recovery process should be relatively easy for Thomas.
We'll post another update after we've seen Dr. Kazim on Thursday.
With much love to all our friends and family.
On Tuesday Thomas will undergo his second reconstructive surgery. The purpose of this one is to open the eyelids covering the prosthetic eye. Given the options that were available, all of us, Thomas included, opted for a non-permanent procedure that will last maybe two to three years, at which time the condition of the eye and socket can be evaluated again. Once Thomas is older and more fully grown, he will likely want to undergo a more permanent reconstruction for the eyelids, but we are hopeful that Tuesday's procedure will open the eye sufficiently that Thomas will feel more comfortable with it and with himself.
If the procedure goes smoothly then Thomas will be back home Tuesday night, and the recovery should be relatively minor compared to the previous procedures. For the month following the surgery he will be restricted from certain physical activities such as running, jumping, participating in gym at school, and other activities that might result in stress on the eye socket.
Obviously we are not approaching this procedure with the dread and apprehension that we faced for the surgery April of 2002 which removed his eye, but nevertheless we ask for your prayers for strength for Thomas, a smooth surgery with no complications, a quick recovery, and a positive result.
Thank you to all our friends, family, and everyone for continued prayers and encouragement!
