We arrived at the hospital at 6:40 AM.
They quickly got Sierra changed into a gown. It was a really hot gown - literally! It had spots for a hot air hose to hook into the gown.
Sierra has never even had blood drawn, so I was worried getting the IV started would freak her out. It ended up being messy - but she took it all in stride. She is totally fascinated by all things medical, so rather than averting her eyes like a "normal" person - she watched every bit.
Her phone kept her busy while she waited. One of her BFFs set her alarm so she would be awake to text with Sierra pre-surgery. Besties are truly the best!
About an hour before surgery the anesthesiologist came in to do a nerve block. He gave her what we have nicknamed "loopy juice." She has an odd combination of memories from that point further. She does not remember getting the nerve block. she does remember some of the funny conversations we had.
Full of loopy juice she looped through the same conversations over and over. She would freak out because she could not feel her arm. Then she would freak out because she did not know why her finger was glowing (Oxygen sensor). She remembers trying to lick the oxygen in her nose... she wanted to know what it tasted like. She remembers worrying about farting in the operating room. She remembers getting mad at her dad for teasing her. He called it teasing, she was sure it was lying... and lying is NOT OK! And then randomly she would tell me she was scared, and start crying. (Insert momma's heart breaking here.)
They took her down to the OR promptly at 8:40, but the surgeon was running a bit late, so surgery did not begin until 9:30.
While I was in the waiting room, I felt "holy calm." I was OK. I am so thankful for prayer. I had had several of my besties text and FB me before and during her surgery reminding me they were praying. There is nothing more precious that a girlfriend holding you up in prayer - except the amazing calm that the Holy Spirit brings.
By 11:10 surgery was over. We met with the surgeon soon after. He was happy with the repairs they were able to make.
About an hour later they brought me to my girl. I was definitely getting fidgety by the time I was able to be with her again.
She was nauseated, overwhelmed, and a little grumpy by the time I arrived. They gave her some meds for the nausea. Her nerve block was already starting to wear off. Her fingers were tingly. She hated the tingly. She would continue to hate the tingly as it climbed up her arm. But when she woke the next morning feeling her arm with no nerve block, she decided tingly was not so bad at that point.
It did not take long before they were sending us home. The instructions were all a bit of a blur. It all felt very rushed. Getting her dressed was NOTHING like we had been told it would be. We had been told she would be able to wear any old t-shirt. Not so. They wanted her whole arm inside her shirt, immobilizer and all. She had worn the largest t-shirt she owned, but it was a tight, uncomfortable fit. Not cool. When you are 15, details like that matter.
We got her home, put one of her dad's much larger t-shirts on and started pain meds.
Hunter stopped with a dozen pink roses.
We told silly stories about her pre-surgery on loopy juice. She was definitely still a bit loopy!
I do not even remember the rest of the evening. The only place she is even a bit comfortable is in the recliner, so I slept on the couch next to her - with my timer set to wake her every four hours for pain meds. It was reminiscent of her infant days when I would watch the clock for feedings.
The following day was NOT FUN.
At ALL.
We tried. We really, really tried. We rented about a million '90's chick flicks on Amazon Prime - but nothing can distract you from terrible pain. My Berra-girl was miserable. She cried. Many, many times. She almost never cries, especially from pain.
She had several friends stop after school and into the evening. For me, that would be a nightmare. For Sierra, even in terrible pain, it was a blessing. Conversation, silly stories, sympathy, and laughter helped her. It was still bad, but the time passed more quickly.
Saturday was a bit better. The pain was bad, but not so bad she was always near tears. There were tears, just not as many. She had friends stop off and on all day. They watched what I have called "comfort movies." All of her favorite movies from upper Elementary School and Middle School were re-watched. She has been so thankful for her friends.
THAT has been such a blessing. It has been a hard year for her. She has not felt like she has many friends, but she has been well-loved these last days. Being well-loved is a precious gift.
I had been noticing that she was increasingly dizzy - but I attributed it to a combination of all the meds and her being tired. I was concerned, but felt that a good nights sleep would help.
She slept the best she had slept since surgery. It was hard to wake her for her meds. I expected some big improvement when she woke this morning. Instead, she was CRAZY dizzy. Walking her to the bathroom was scary. I truly expected her to go down.
So, I started sending texts and making calls. Why is it that whenever you have a pressing medical question, it is on a weekend?
After consulting several people, we decided to switch her meds up a bit. We dumped one, and added another over-the-counter one. Her dizziness is better. And hopefully her Doctor agrees with the decisions when I visit with him tomorrow.
The accomplishment of our day was a shower. She is not supposed to move her shoulder AT ALL. The goal of the surgery is to keep the ligaments they have shortened short, so her shoulder must be still. It is in an immobilizer all day and night which maintains the perfect position. Showering was scary because the immobilizer is removed. Add to it a still slightly dizzy girl and the fact that I have not assisted her in showering since she was about 4, and you have a bit of a stressful situation. But we made it! It is a good thing we were close before because once you shave your 15-year-old's arm pit and assist her in putting on a bra, you are about as close as it gets. (HA!) I definitely make a poor nurse and I will never get a job at a spa; however her hair is clean and braided, her bandages are removed, and she is still in one piece. Thank you Lord.
I have her snugly tucked into the recliner. I will soon crash on the couch - but I wanted to update and add some specific prayer requests.
Please give thanks:
for the scary of surgery to be behind her.
for friends that love and encourage us both.
that Sierra is such a trooper. Even on her most painful days she was full of "thank you mom for taking care of me." It is easy to take care of a patient as sweet and thoughtful as Sierra.
for the power of love and friendship.
Please pray:
for her pain. It is much worse than she expected.
for the dizzy to subside completely.
for rest. Sierra, Chad, Mataya. and I are all very tired. Mataya is teething and has a stuffy nose. Both Chad and I have been up with her. She is cranky and restless and not any fun!
that love, unity, kindness, and patience rules our home.
Sierra will be home from school all day tomorrow and Tuesday. She has PT on Tuesday. She will attempt a half day of school on Wednesday and another half day Thursday. Then she has a four day weekend in which we hope to catch up on homework. All those details feel overwhelming when today we celebrated a simple shower. However, tomorrow is another day!
Good-night all.
Sleep well.
