It's Official....Another Surgery Ahead

We met with the surgeon this morning at CHEO for our consult regarding josh's possible inguinal hernia. I explained to him that a hernia had been discovered [by general surgery] when Josh was two months old but could not be repaired due to his bowel obstruction and necessary repair. And since his bowel resection the hernia had not returned.

That report in itself was enough to convince the surgeon that a surgery was necessary because as Dr. Betolli put it, "If there was a hernia then, there's a hernia now. It's not going to go away on it's own." He still made an attempt to look at the hernia but Josh was being less than cooperative. I mentioned that I had a picture of the hernia on my phone and he opted to take a look at it. One quick glance and he said, "Yep, hernia." and with that it was settled - another surgery.

I know this one is really not a big deal - it's day surgery so Josh won't even have to spend the night but I'm really not looking forward to it for several reasons.

One: Josh already hates doctors and hospitals and he [presumably] has no memory of any painful experiences ever happening. He'll remember this one for some time which I can only surmise will heighten his distaste for both. Which will, by the way, make his cardiology appointment this summer very interesting.

Two: I am not looking forward to having to say our goodbyes outside of the operating suite. It is one of the worst feelings ever - watching your child leave your side and be taken into the depths of the operating suite knowing that from that moment there is nothing more that you can do but wait. Wait, and place your trust in the hands of the surgeon and your faith in the hands of God.

Three: His heart is awesome and we've had no cause for concern since his heart was repaired but I always seem to have that sneaky little voice in the back of my head whispering suggestions of doubt. Like, "What if his heart goes wonky during surgery?" I know his heart is strong and he's had an excellent repair but I doubt I'll ever be able to shake these thoughts.

I'm supposed to be receiving a call from the OR secretary with a surgery date. Surgery will likely happen sometime in the next 1-3 months which is actually quicker than I was expecting. I'll be glad when it's all over and done with.

Oh and one more thing about the appointment today....Josh got a height/weight check today and though I did miss how tall he measured I do know that we have FINALLY managed to break the 30 lb mark, albeit barely. He weighed in at a whopping 30.14 lbs. It seems like he's been hovering in the 28-29 lb range forever so it's nice to see him get on the other side of 30 lbs.

So that's where we stand right now and I'll be sure to let you know the surgery date as soon as I know.

I'll leave you with some pictures of Josh at the park that I took over the weekend. That boy LOVES being outside!


Showing off his new rake.


Flying a kite with daddy.





Building a sandcastle, or rather, destroying one.



And yes, Jessica was there too!

Thanks for checking in!