Ethan has no more tape on his face!

Ethan had surgery on Wednesday, March 3 to have a g-tube (PEG) put in his tummy.  He is quite our little trooper.  The anesthesiologist was very concerned about Ethan's low tone and how he would react to being put to sleep.   She warned us that he might have to be on a ventilator and/or oxygen if he was slow to start breathing on his own.  I think that took all of my focus off the negatives of the procedure itself - all I was focused on was him waking up and breathing on his own!

She came in and said "he did perfect!"  He had zero problems and I was so relieved!  It was a while before we could see him.  They kept waffling from bringing him back to his pre-op room or waiting for us to see him when they got him to a room.  Thankfully they brought him to us in pre-op and he looked so good!  I pulled his little (purple, much to Allen's dismay) gown up and looked at the PEG...it wasn't NEARLY as "bad" as I was expecting.  I was sssooooo relieved.  It does stick up a bit more than I was expecting.  They equate it to getting an ear pierced - the skin around the tube will heal and it won't hurt him at all.  Right now, it is still pretty tender and hard to clean, but we are doing our best to follow instructions to avoid anything gross.

We ended up on the surgical floor and not on the G.I. floor.  I was disappointed because Shana Owen was working and even if she wasn't our nurse I knew I could count on her help.  However, I have to say that we have 3 really wonderful nurses. The first nurse was my least favorite and she was still great.  Because of Ethan's neck problems, when he was laying in his crib he was facing the wall away from us.  We got permission to turn him around and it was so much better!  He could see us from his bed and I think he felt better.  I felt better because I didn't constantly have to stand next to his bed!  The night nurse and the nurse we had Thursday were just awesome!  They were pleased with how well I was doing with the g-tube.  Apparently, LOTS of parents have regrets and don't want to handle the tube.  I am not like that.  I wanted to learn and do as much as possible so I don't have any surprises here at home!

Things are going well.  Ethan doesn't really seem to have any pain.  He is tender when I have to move it to change his diaper or clean around it, but he still doesn't cry.  The hardest part now is that he is not getting nearly the amount of calories he needs.  We have to build back up to the quantity...but the main thing is for him to manage his feeds (or not throw up).  He went for almost 24 hours without throwing up but then had a really bad episode after his 1 o'clock feeding this afternoon.  He is eating now and I am on pins and needles although I laugh at myself for being so anxious.  He either will or he won't, right?!  He has thrown up so much...I just hate him having to go through this.

The best part is being able to see his whole face and his sweet smile with no tape!  This picture was taken Wednesay afternoon after surgery.  He was being really cute!