Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Cystic Hygroma Surgery

It's over!  A surgery we knew would happen since she was 22 weeks in-utero, is done!  I'm so relieved and thankful for the results.  

I wanted to get her a stuffed animal that would represent her surgery, so we bought a kitty.  She loves cats and says "meow" all day long.  It looks like a bear, but I promise it's of the purring type.  Here she is the day before surgery.


The morning of was a whirlwind.  We got up at 5:30am and through shaky nerves got to the hospital.  Below we are at the hospital waiting for the surgeon to come talk to us.  I was a nervous wreck here.  But look how cute my baby is in that hospital gown!


The doc came, spoke to us briefly and it was time.  Nate took Andrey back to hold her while she went under.  I couldn't do it.

We waited and waited and cried and cried.  

When the doctor finally came out, it had been about 90 minutes.  The longest of my life.  He said immediately that she did fine, and was recovering.  Then he told us the cyst had been larger than expected, going all the way to her skull and forward to her carotid artery.  She has a tube in her neck to drain all the junk that collected in the large hole left by the cyst.  It's still there and will remain until Thursday this week.   

We waited again for a nurse to take us back to see her in the recovery area.  We could hear her crying all the way down the hall.  She was miserable and inconsolable.  I held her and tried to soothe her, but she wanted her dad.  So sweet!  After about 30 minutes we were transferred to the room we'd stay the night in.

Here she is in our overnight room.  It took her a while to fall asleep - but the morphine helped!


Her IV was in this arm and it really bothered her.  She would move it and would cry and point to it saying, "please! please!".  


Laying in my lap, not feeling very good.  You can see on her right side the bandage and discoloration from the procedure.  


And here she is now, at home and doing great!  She's such a trooper!


I took a picture of her Frankenstein looking neck, but decided not to put it online.  It's really gross and I'm not sure it's appropriate.  We are grateful for answered prayers and a God who is merciful.  Our little girl is okay.  

We are beaming with joy.

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