Better than we expected

I read over our paperwork one last time last night, and I realized that we needed to get up TWO hours before Joshua's procedure to give him his prevacid, which he is back on since the prilosec wouldn't stay down. Neither Shawn nor I could sleep last night. Somewhere around 3:30-4ish, he dug the remote out from in between us. We both laughed out loud. While we both felt a peace that Joshua was going to be okay, we just couldn't manage to get the rest we both needed. So, it wasn't the end of the world when Shawn got up at 4:30 to give Joshua his medicine and I started to pack the things we were to bring along with us.

We arrived at the health campus at 6:15 am with a very groggy Joshua, even though I had bathed him early last night and put him to bed much earlier than normal. He didn't seem to mind that he hadn't eaten, but he became a little cranky in general once the nurses started listening to him - he's a little too familiar with that now. We played in the waiting room until the anethstesiologist (sp?) came in to go over any possible problems that could arise, which included damaging his teeth. Before he left, I told him to take good care of Joshua's handsome pearly whites. They gave Joshua some sort of medicine in a syringe that made him VERY loopy. He'd try to talk, and it came out slurred. He could barely hold up his head and they told us not to let him crawl because he'd be very "tipsy." Then Dr. Devenyi came in to have us sign additional paperwork and then they took Joshua back and had us wait in the waiting room.

We were relieved when Dr. D came back and said that Joshua did very well. He showed us pictures of his esophagus, his intestines and his stomach. He then remarked that usually when there's a hiatal hernia there would be a gap "here" and showed us that there was no gap in the picture. He told us that doesn't mean it has to be completely gone, but if it's not, it's no longer a concern and should not need further surgery. Praise the Lord! He confirmed what Dr. Adzick had told us - no more surgeries for Joshua! Dr. D said everything looks completely healthy and normal. Hooray! So, I asked what that meant for us, and he said that we have to wait to hear the results of the biopsy. So, in two weeks we should know even more. But, the report this morning was even better than I was expecting. Praise God!

Please continue to pray that the biopsy results would be positive and that God has completely healed our precious son!

After Dr. D talked to us, it was beyond time for Shawn to leave and get to work. So, I stayed and waited to go back to the recovery room to be with Joshua. He was SOOOOO cranky. I've never seen him like that before. He was writhing and uncontrollable and screaming but his throat was dry from the breathing tube. He also couldn't open his little eyes. The nurses said that was completely 100% normal. They said normally happy-go-lucky kids are really confused and upset by the medicine and the best thing to do was to take him home and let him sleep it off in his own bed. A drink didn't soothe him, my singing didn't (no wise cracks - normally Joshua eats it up), and even my cuddling and talking to him didn't. So, I had the longest walk of my life down to the car, carrying his discharge paperwork, his blankey, my extra-large diaper bag filled with all our necessities, my keys and a writhing and screaming Joshua - who they told me was to be carried like a newborn again because he wouldn't have control over his top-heavy head due to the medicine. I balanced and juggled and finally made it to the car while everyone stared at me. Such is life. I'm just glad Joshua's head didn't roll off.

We are now home and he is in his crib napping. We're not allowed to let him crawl, climb, play like normal, etc. today because of the medicine. While he can eat anything he'd like, we also can't bathe him since he'll be groggy most of the day. Please pray that he feels better and isn't so upset when he wakes up.

Thanks for your prayers! It was so nice that Pastor Matt came to our house yesterday from our church (Lord's House of Prayer) to lay hands on Joshua and anoint him with oil, and Elaine sent it to through the prayer chain. Plus, I've had lots of emails from family and friends saying that they were lifting us in prayer. We definitely felt them - God's peace reigned in the room and our home! I'll end this post with a quote I found on a friend of a friend's blog:

“O be persuaded to hide yourself in Christ Jesus! What greater assurance of safety can you desire? He has undertaken to defend and save you, if you will come to him: he looks upon it as his work; he engaged in it before the world was, and he has given his faithful promise which he will not break; and if you will but make your flight there, his life shall be for yours; he will answer for you, you shall have nothing to do but rest quietly in him; you may stand still and see what the Lord will do for you.

If there be any thing to suffer, the suffering is Christ’s, you will have nothing to suffer; if there be any thing to be done, the doing of it is Christ’s, you will have nothing to do but to stand still and behold it.”
~Jonathan Edwards, On Knowing Christ (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1993), 164.