2.05.2013

1 week Post Op

A recap of our week so far since being discharged from Ellie's surgery.  
I spilled some of her pain medicine and didn't honestly think she would need it all.  I thought wrong.  She is having a really hard time with pain control.  Sweet girl is really, really hurting.
So I had a refill called in to replace what I spilled and Ellie & I ventured to the pharmacy for our first public outing post op.
I was too tired to even think about what people might think about a little girl in 4 casts.  Y'all.  The comments and questions were actually quite funny.  People are baffled by four casts and can not figure out how that happens.  A friend joked that I had better get ready for the comments whenI take both kids.  I can only imagine the looks and questions I will get with two little kids in casts!

a few last hospital pictures - Ellie cuddling with her Honey on a "walk" around the inpatient floor & sleeping on her G-Dad

I could not wait to get that iv out of her neck.  Learned something new - ivs in the neck bleed a lot.  A lot.  Also - impossible to keep from kinking. (see first night in the hospital when it alarmed every 7-10 minutes all night long.)

The epidural Ellie had for pain control was taped up her entire back.  Once it was removed, the surgical tape from that and her neck ended up all over Ellie's hair.  
She kind of resembled a 1980's rock star chick for several days.


Once we were home, I could not wait to get that gunk out of her hair.  We started with baby oil and let that soak out the adhesive.
Then a good shampooing in the kitchen sink with my mom's help.
She was not a fan.  
Both my kids are hating the sink hair washing.  For Will we've tried having him hang his head over the shower curb but that scares him too.
At least (after several washings) I can finally brush Ellie's hair again.


Sweet girl sleeping - one of the few times she isn't crying...



Getting some fresh air and playing with our neighbors.  
We have about 3 windows each day of time when the medicine hits Ellie's system and she is happy.  She is still having a really hard time managing her pain and spends much of the day crying and in my arms.
But oh my heart is so happy when I see her smile.
Sweet girl cuddling on me

 Hanging out watching a cartoon.

We tried to do a fun activity the other day.  A friend of ours invented these amazing activity packs called "Let's Go!"  We worked on the farm pack the other day and she pointed to the stickers while I placed them where she instructed me to.  This was the best I could do on a picture - Ellie only wants to be in my arms or my lap most of the time right now.  

Great Aunt Lili came over the other night to hang out and help out.  She gave Ellie lots of cuddles.

I found some hospital grade no rinse shampoo on Amazon.  Apparently it is used for astronauts.  
I used it on the kids and it was great tonight - no screaming or resisting and clean hair!


It left Will's hair super curly so I may have to use this all the time on him - even when he is allowed to get in the bath again.

Some friends brought dinner last weekend and hung out to eat with us.  They gave Ellie some dress up clothes and once the medicine hit, she was really funny - 

Honestly, we've had a really hard week.  Ellie has been in a lot of pain.  She cries most of the day and just wants to be held.  She says her "pink and purple feet" hurt.  She can point to the exact area of the incisions and says they hurt - and I hate that she hurts and is uncomfortable in four casts and doesn't understand why or when it will be over.  She does have good pain medication and that gives us brief spurts of happy Ellie... and then it wears off and she fusses and cries a lot again.  She has also not been sleeping well.  She cries in her sleep a lot and just wants to be held and rocked.  We've noticed that her crying coincides with the times she is due for her meds.  She hates her medicine - screams and yells "it's yucky!"  so it feels like torture giving it to her.  She has been waking up crying multiple times in the night and usually by the time I get medicine in her and rock her back to sleep it takes about 45 minutes to an hour.  This morning, I was up at 4am with her.  I had set my alarm for 5:07am to attempt to get back to exercising.  I finally got Ellie settled down and crawled into my bed at 5am.  I then cancelled my alarm - even though I felt alert after being awake with a crying baby for an hour, there was no way I could function all day if I started the day at 4am!
We have been so grateful for all the help - family has helped with washing Ellie's hair (can't get her casts wet), holding her, reading stories, supervising Will while he plays (no running allowed), etc. So many friends have brought us meals - we have been eating some super yummy dinners and breakfasts.    I have been so thankful for the meals as it has freed me up to sleep during nap time each day (a must after being up most of the night) & there's no way I could make dinner from scratch right now with the amount of crying Ellie is doing.  I am constantly holding her it seems and she is heavy with 4 casts!  
A huge thank you to so many who have been blessing us and taking care of us right now.
(I've been doing lots of thinking in the middle of the night about how people have served us to free us up to serve our children - more coming on that soon.  Maybe.  If I can find free time and energy to turn on the computer.)

Some funny videos of Ellie shortly after the medicine hit her system the other night at dinner:
Ellie being really loopy:

Ellie and her "crazy drug voice:"
(This is a new voice we have never heard before until she was in the hospital.  It makes us laugh hard.)


This morning, I literally took off my nightgown and put on clean pjs to take Will to school.  I carried Ellie from her crib to the car - she was crying the whole time and hurting.  I gave her meds to her in the car seat.  I put Will's prosthetics on and drove him to school in tired tears.  (My tears. And Ellie's.  Not Will's.)
Glimpses of my silly girl like in the above videos are helping me get through some of these top days.  I miss my happy girl.  I am so hopeful each day (& please, God, please let it be tonight!!) that we are about to turn the corner and have less pain. 
Surely, it will be soon.
In the meantime, I need to get more pjs in the laundry.


4 thoughts:

ywilbur said...

I once saw a little boy in double leg casts and with multiple bruises and mom in cast too! It is quite a shock to see very young like Ellie in casts.

This was all before my adoption journey and I didn't comment but got some good staring done in check out line as they were in front of me. Never found out their 'story' but I've often thought it must have been a car accident. I can still see the little boy (under 2 years): it was very disconcerting for sure.

ywilbur said...

OK...I barely got through another few paragraphs and have possible helpful suggestion on sink hair washing. When our bathroom shower went down last year JK LOVED 'showering' in the washer room overflow sink. Mine is large with two halves. He was small enough to sit on over turned bucket and hold head forward over other half to rinse. We had one of those multiple spray hoses so one was shower and very easy to move.

ywilbur said...

OK. Spaceman soap way cooler than laundry room sink showering!

I will pray for Ellie's to be painfree..

The Reeves bunch said...

Praying for you and Ellie to be pain-free. Have you tried alternating Tylenol and Advil? Eli didnt like the medicine either from Scottish Rite, so when we would get home I would give him Tylenol every four hours and then Advil/Motrin every six hours. I would wake up in the middle of the night and give it to, so that I could stay on top of the pain. It is miserable as a Mom to know that your girl is in pain. Something my Dad still to this day says to me is, "This too shall pass..." (easier said than done). Praying for you friend!

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