Noah's 2nd Surgery-1st on His Leg

Originally posted June 28, 2007

Noah's surgery on his ankles went great on Tuesday. He handled it so well. We were very proud of him. We got to MUSC in Charleston at 9am that morning and got checked in for his outpatient surgery. We waited around in the waiting room for quite awhile, and poor Noah was getting hungry and thirsty since he was not allowed anything to eat or drink after midnight. They finally called him back, and Daddy went with him while I sat out in the waiting area with baby sister Anna. Noah played in the play area back there, and gave all the nurses check ups with the play doctors kit they had, but did not want to let the nurses do anything to him. He would not even let them get him undressed and into a gown. They gave him some medicine to drink though that would help relax him and make him forget most of what happened. It took some time, but Daddy finally coaxed him into drinking it. It didn't make him forget anything though. He remembers just about everything except the surgery which he was asleep for. They put him in a little wagon and wheeled him off to surgery, and Daddy came back out to the waiting area with me and Anna. The surgery did not take long at all, maybe about 30 or 40 minutes. Once they got him to sleep and could do some good x-rays, the doctor decided he only needed surgery on his right ankle. He put a plate and screws in that ankle to keep his foot from turning outward and hopefully eventually he will no longer need the brace on that leg thanks to this procedure. Daddy went back to see him in recovery, and he was quite grumpy and groggy when he woke up. The first thing he noticed after waking up was an I.V. in his arm, so he started yelling, "What's that in my arm? Get it out! I want it out!" He then tried to pull it out himself, so Daddy and the nurse had to hold him down and keep him from yanking it out. Then he noticed his foot felt funny, so he lifted it up to look at it and saw it all bandaged up, and started yelling again, "What's wrong with my foot? What's on it? Get it off!" He cried and whined a little bit after that and said his belly hurt, but once we got him out of there and into the car headed home he drifted off to sleep and slept the whole way home. By the time we got home and Daddy carried him into the house and laid him on the sofa to rest he had woken up and was pretty much back to his normal self. He was happy and fine and acted like nothing had happened. He never once complained about his ankle hurting him, and in no time he was hopping around the house to get where he wanted to go. I can't believe how well he did with this.

Surgery Day

Playing at MUSC before surgery

Still playing

Getting ready for surgery

See you soon

Headed home after surgery

Finally home and relaxing on the sofa

See my foot all bandaged up?

It doesn't hurt at all Mommy

Nothing gets him down

Day After Surgery

Decided he finally wanted to wear his hospital gown the day after surgery

Two Days After Surgery

I don't want you to take off my bandage

No, don't take it off!!!

Yay, no more big bandage!

What a brave boy!

As you can see we took his bandage off today. He has never once complained about being in any pain. He didn't want us to touch his bandage though. He was afraid taking it off was going to hurt. He screamed and cried and fought us for awhile, but we finally got it off, and then all was fine. We put a little Star Wars bandaid over his stitches and gave him a cookie, and off he went hopping around the house again. In no time at all he was starting to put weight on it, and by the end of the day he was even running around the house at times. Nothing gets him down. He's already asking to go play putt putt golf and to go to Magiquest tomorrow. He's such a tough little guy.