Waiting

Wednesday morning went well considering Tristan wasn't allowed to eat for 12 hours.  In fact he only had one fit about not getting any food.  He even did well when Mommy and Addison left the hotel a few minutes early to get some breakfast without him. 

Addison having a muffin and hot chocolate.

Tristan and I checked into the surgery center a few minutes before 11am and Mommy and Addison arrived shortly after.  11:15ish Tristan and Mommy headed back to pre-op for his IV antibiotics and giggle juice.  Mommy kept Addison and I updated with the following pics. 

Warming up Tristan's hands so they can insert the IV.

Little man did not like the IV.  Of course it did not help that they tried one hand and had to change to the other.

Apple juice chaser after taking his giggle juice (to relax him.)

At about 12:35 Addison and I were allowed to go back and see Tristan for a few minutes.  Then at 12:50pm they took him back to the OR.  He was much more alert this time as he left us and he was so brave and stoic.  The rest of us made our way to the surgical waiting room and set up shop with all the tech gadgets.  Becky did some grading, Addison watched a movie, and I checked work email.

At about 3pm, we got an update from the nurse that they were about finished in the OR and they were going to start closing Tristan back up.  It was shortly after when Dr.Flynn came to speak with us about the surgery.  Dr. Flynn stated that he was able to get another two lengths on the first VEPTR that was installed.  Then he confirmed that the lamina was in fact broken where the second VEPTR was attached to the spine.  Since it was still broken, he had to attach the new bottom clip to the lamina above the broken one, which appeared much stronger.  He also told us to expect to be back in late June or early July.  In addition, Dr. Flynn determined that our plan for a Thursday check out was not going to be possible, which means we will need to extend our stay in Philadelphia. It appears that the hotel can accommodate our extra day, now we are crossing our fingers that we can change our return flight without breaking the bank. 

Tristan moved to the recovery room and soon after Mommy was able to go back and join him.  All the while Addison and I got text updates on his status.  Below is a picture of Tristan still sleeping before he woke up for the first time.  He looks much better this time right out of surgery than other times.  The staff used different pain meds then previously and his comfort level was really good considering what the little guy had been through. Within about an hour and a half he moved to the main recovery floor.

Tristan is now doing well.  He has been drinking lots of apple juice, ginger ale and holding down food without any sickness.  The staff seems to be on top of the pain management and Tristan is resting comfortably.  He is even doing well enough to play some Mario on the Nintendo DS.

Tristan has decided that I should stay the night with him, so Becky and Addison will be leaving soon to go back to the hotel for the evening.  Better pray for Becky tomorrow because I'm sure to be grouchy after multiple sleep interruptions.

That's a wrap to day three of this Philly trip!
The West Family