Surgery Day: An Anatomy Lesson

So, today was finally surgery day for my daughter's urninary reflux (this is where the urine "backs up" into the ureter toward the kidney). I've previously posted about this. Anyhow, we made it -- even with kids being ill and all. We were lucky enough that Aubree got over her fever a day and a half prior to the procedure.

So, of course last night had some anxiety associated with it -- in preps for getting my son to school and daughter prepped and packed for her "procedure." As well as the anxiety any parent has going into these things and praying that it fixes the problem. Falling asleep wasn't so hard as I "induced sleep" with that little OTC known as Diphenhydramine HCL (50 mgs usually does the trick). But, I had children having "vocal dreams" all through the night. So, I played musical bed at midnight, 2:am, 3:am at which point I discovered my son was running 101.4 temp, and so on.

Thus, time to medicate and re-evaluate....and, then basically, it was 5:15a.m. and I had woken up late. DH had been woken as often due to the 40mph winds outside and my son, constantly re-waking at all hours of the night and running into our room to remind Daddy to wake him so they could shower before we all left.

Luckily, we were able to get son re-arranged (as he now must miss school again) and off and to the hospital by 6:15 a.m. for daughter's 6:30 a.m. appt. Once signed in and in a room we are advised that the doctor will begin his procedures at 9:00 a.m. today. WTH?! So, daughter is "NPO" meaning no food or drink and she ended up waiting until 9:45 as we were the second procedure on the list.

But, so far it looks like it all went well. Here is where the anatomy lesson comes in. These are pictures of my daughters insides so if it makes you squeamish you can scroll past them:


This is where her left ureter connects to the bladder. It basically looks like "nothing" but there is a little vent type slit there (somewhere).


This is her right ureter connected to her bladder. Obviously, you can now see a BIG difference. This is the large gap through which the urine was "refluxing/backing up" into the ureter toward her kidney.


This is what the right ureter opening to bladder looked like after the "Deflux" injection. You can see that it has greatly closed the gap. So, it looks good so far. But, now it is a wait and see.


Lastly, this is what my daughter's bladder wall looked like today. It should look all light pink like the rest of the pics above, but it is apparently very irritated. The Doctor said either an infection beginning or I guess, from the irritable bladder. Can you believe a 4 1/2 year old has to deal with all of this? Geeze. Anyhow.

They "cleaned her all out" and provided some antibiotic and some numbing medicine to ease her "urinary needs." All well and good, she may return to school tomorrow.

FUNNY PART: We get her back from recovery and the nurse is ready to "wake her" to drink her apple juice so that we may then proceed home. I have been through this before and waking my daughter from anesthesia is like taking on the Incredible Hulk. Two years ago it took two large nurses, my 200 lb husband and 105lb self with all of our combined might to prevent this child from tearing out her I.V. She has the power of four grown men when she is under the influence of anesthesia.

So, obviously, I know it is a better idea to let the "sleeping angel" lie. But, the nurse [unknowing of my daughter's magnified strength and determination] wakens her with apple juice. At which point my "sleeping beauty" sprouted horns, grew five times her strength and flailed herself all over the bed, screaming because, she wanted us to, as she stated "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" The nurse hands me the apple juice and makes her escape. Leaving DH and I to deal with the drug induced power struggle of a child who obviously just wanted to sleep off the medications.

After hearing our ordeal all through out our floor and from the floor above and below the nurses quietly sneak back in as The Hulk has re-incarnated back into my sleeping angel. They provide discharge papers, juice, and allow us to quietly leave. LOL!

Aubree slept off the anesthesia. Woke hungry at 3:00 pm and began immediately making up for lost time picking on and bitching at her brother and the rest of us. Oh, my sweet child has recooped and returned -- tarnished halo hanging on the horns and all.

And, I am thanking the Lord for the frustration I will endure the rest of the afternoon.

Surgery Day: An Anatomy Lesson