Post op day 1 - slow and steady

Last night went well but was about what you would expect for the night after sugery.  Gary and I stayed in his room and he woke up every few hours, usually upset for a little while and then we would coax him back to sleep or get him some pain meds to help him sleep.  So we had several sleep interruptions but were able to get enough to keep us going today.  Overall it went very well considering where he is in the recovery process.

Today has been a lot of the same - lots of sleep but not usually long stretches.  He's had an hour here and there but usually startles awake after a while and is confused at first.  We've gotten him to sit up a few times which helps him cough and clear up his lungs but coughing is not very much fun for him so it's a blessing and a curse.  It's good for him to cough up some of that crud since his lungs need to get cleared up.  Todayis a day for a little bit extra in the pain med department but we're trying to move away from stuff that will make him groggy. He's had some  soy milk and juice to drink but hasn't been in the mood to eat which is normal.  We'll hope for more interest in eating tomorrow if not later today.  

This is the point that I personally have been dreading in all of this - the recovery that is painful and uncomfortable to him but that we can't fix or give him an explanation for that he will understand.  He's been upset quite a bit but we've done our best to soothe  him and reassure that that we are there.  We are hoping that each day will get easier from here.  And honestly today hasn't been as bad as I feared. He's been quite the trooper and even though he clearly can't understand what's happening, he's done very well and from a medical standpoint is doing great.  He got his arterial line out which is good and they removed his foley catheter so we are hoping that some of these baby steps foward will make him a little bit more comfortable.  He has a little bit of a fever off and on which is normal at this point and he is on antibiotics to help clear up the bacteria in his lungs.  He has sounded much better today though, like some of that is  breaking up. 

One highlight of the day was him being able to move from his bed to sit with Gary for a little while during which my dad "Papa" held the tablet so he could watch some of "cars". That was good but the moving back and forth is tough on him.  This is the beginning of the long recovery road and where we hope the determination of a willful 2 year old will be extremely beneficial.