The numbers game, 'the chair', and your love

Day two into night two on the ICU and Elliott's progress is good. His pain has continued to be well managed, even with his epidural removed, and he has rested much of the day, with a couple of doses of 'Bob the builder' to keep things level-headed. His fortitude and generosity with all of this just amazes me. For instance, his GI tube (which goes up his nose and down his throat) had to be removed and replaced today due to a blockage. I was imagining myself in Elliott's situation and how far down the corridor I might have made it before security brought me back. He is a trooper and we are so proud of him.

 For Mom and Dad, it is a numbers game. Above is the screen we try not to watch too often. Right now, we don't need to that much because Elliott is doing so well with low enough blood pressure (it may be weeks to months before the kidney might fully respond to the potential positive effects of the surgery and thus leave Elliott with normal range blood pressure) and a good amount of urine being passed. All the same, Monica and I make notes with every medical conversation (and there are many), and try to juggle the various and intersecting factors in our minds: blood pressure, urine 'output', pain medication, movement with a sore abdomen...it goes on.

Fortunately, as the one who spends the night in the room, I have the chair to comfort me. It suffices to say that if I ever meet the man or woman who designed this piece of work, I will take that individual out for a drink and hear their confession. The chair, as you might expect, does indeed become something of a reclined bed, but only something. My estimation is that you get to sleep at a 15 degree gradient, only prevented from sliding all the way to the hospital floor by a two tier foot rest. Thoughtful. Sliding off, therefore, is not the problem; the problem is being catapulted by the reclining back of the chair, that, as soon as it loses the weight of your body, springs back to its upright position. Thankfully, we English/Californians (take your pick) are an ingenious lot, and I tied the back to the leg of the chair and managed to  'sleep' securely.

Numbers and chairs aside, one of the most precious gifts of this time, beyond the great news of Elliott's progress, has been the outpouring of love and blessing that Monica and I have been showered with since we got here. The above picture was sent from Virginia. Elliott opened packages today from Texas and California too. The kind and abundantly generous people of a local Episcopal church here in Ann Arbor have been bringing us hot meals every night, people we don't even know. And, there are entries, one after the other on this blog that make our hearts glad. By them, we know that we are not alone (especially at times like the last 20 minutes when Elliott wakes feeling pain and weepy). God shows up in so many guises and gifts, and we are held.

ICU Night One

Now I don't know about you, but if my dad walked into my pre-op staging room dressed like this, I would be scared. Thankfully, Elliott was not. In fact, Elliott's pre-op stay was good particularly given that we were scheduled for a 6am start and the surgery ended being bumped to 2pm. Through all of this delay, with no food or drink in his belly since 9pm the night before, Elliott was a real trooper. All he asked for was that there would be 'no pokes', 'no mask' and 'no cuts', and he got his way on all three counts until he was too fast asleep to know the difference. I have to admit, that as I carried him into the OR and lay him on the operating table (hence my gown, mask, and tasteful hair net) and, when invited, kissed him on the cheek, it was hard to hold back the tears. So much of all that Monica and I (and Euan and Annie for that matter) value in the world, lay there helpless but for a surgeon's skill and God's grace.

And that is what we are so thankful for, in abundance: skill and grace. The surgery went as well as we could have expected and took much less time than it could have, mostly due to the position of the aneurysm, which was mostly anterior and so easier to get to. Monica and I waited quite a while outside the Pediatric ICU where Elliott now sleeps, much like in the picture above.

As you can see, Elliott's best friend in the wide world, Noe the elephant, is keeping him company and he is mostly very peaceful. These next 72 hours are pretty crucial for his full recovery, so please keep the little guy in your hearts and prayers as we make it through the weekend. Your comments on this blog are such a source of comfort for Monica and I. There are many times that we have welled up reading what you have written. You touch that place that we attend to gently, doing all we can to stay positive and brave for Elliott.

All in all, on night one in the ICU, it is abundantly clear that God is good.

First base!

Elliott's surgeon, Dr. James Stanley (now officially a saint in the Mainwaring household) has just met with us and described Elliott's successful surgery...as well as we could have hoped for. Now we do all we can to gently care for him through these first few hours and days of recovery.
Thanks be to God!

Please pray

The surgery was postponed a few hours, so Elliott has just gone into surgery (1.10pm EST) and once we hear from the anesthesiologists, the surgeons will begin. Please pray for him these next few hours.

The waiting game...

Today, there has been a lot of waiting for Elliott (and for Mom and Dad too). He was admitted about 2pm and he soon made himself at home by emptying the play room of two firetrucks, a rocket ship, and a dinosaur that moves of its own accord. All of them make noises. One even has eyes that follow you round the room - who knew that firetrucks could be so sinister. Thankfully we have now been released of such delights (and all of the self-propulsion devices have been deactivated), and Elliott is enjoying story time with Mommy in his hospital bed.

Earlier in the day, Elliott showed off his fine physique to show us his pre-op belly. Euan and Annie have done well so far, with the help of Carmel and Momute, and of course all of your prayers. We now are waiting for Elliott's aforementioned 'belly' to clear out as his little body gets ready for surgery in the morning. May God be with him, and with us all.

Never knowingly underpacked!

A few days back, Monica said something to this effect, 'I've packed and unpacked this bag three times...I think I might have too much stuff'.

Possibly true, but now that we have safely arrived and have had a chance to settle into our fantastic suite (one of two in our hotel, which itself is located inside the hospital) we are glad that we have what we have with us to make our stay a little more like being at home.

Elliott, Monica, and I went around the hospital today, meeting the Child Life Specialist, the surgeon who will be performing Elliott's surgery, and to add a little drama to the day, Elliott had what he calls 'a poke', which was two minutes of him screaming bloody murder as a tech took his blood for labs. Elliott already has his own doctor kit, so he will be able to take his revenge.

In the picture, you can see Elliott and Euan enjoying a story with Momute, (Monica's mom) who is here with us to help. Carmel, one of Monica's good friends, has just arrived braving the Michigan snow, also to help us out. So, with all of your love and support, and with the two of them, we are well placed for the adventure which begins tomorrow with Elliott's admission and prep-op work-up...

Packed and ready to go!

We are all packed...almost, and bracing ourselves for the cold.
Elliott is most definitely in charge of the bags!

Please pray for Elliott..
January 10- We fly to Michigan (for smooth travels)
January 11- He meets many doctors and gets a battery of tests (for courage with “pokes”)
January 12- He enters the ICU and his system is drained (for a miracle…returning to the ICU will be traumatic)
January 13- 6am, surgery (for Dr. James Stanley and Dr. Jonathan Eliason, vascular surgeons)
January 14-onward…recovery (healing, patience, hope)

Elliott can receive mail beginning January 13 at the hospital:
C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
1500 E. Medical Center Drive Ann Arbor, MI 48109 For Patient : Elliott Mainwaring