Day 5 - First post op appointment

Picture warning for this post - they might be tough for some to look at...
Today was a very long day for Jack and I...

Last night, Jaden was very ill and up off and on. Jack was tossing and turning, so little sleep was had. Chris' mom got the older kids off to school. Jaden was deemed too sick to go back to school so she spent the day with Grandma and they dropped us off at the airport for our 12:15pm flight.

Before we left for the airport, I took these pics of Jack.




The drains go away today - yeah! For people who may have to deal with these drains, here is my tip. Jack kept getting the tubes caught on things and the older kids thought they were a bit unpleasant to look at. So, we started putting a shirt or vest over the top. We pin them to the undershirt and then put the top shirt over. They seem to just stay in one place and didn't bother Jack near as much. We did the same thing at bedtime. One pair of zip-up footie pj's with a button up top over the drains.

As Jack and I manuevered through the airport, we garnered a lot of attention. Jack is so happy and normal behaving, yet he looks like he just got a lobotomy with all that head gear. People just stare and stare. It was a little unnerving.

We got to Burbank with little hassle, rented our car and ventured out into the rain. I only got a little lost and Chris guided me back on track by cell phone. I get so twisted around down there! I am taking a compass next time. Back where I grew up - the mountains are always on the same side - namely, the WEST. Those hills just screw me up! Anyway, Jack was a trooper and we got to the office by about 3pm. Our appointment was at 4:45pm but they took us back right away to help us make our flight back.

Dr. Reinisch, Dr. Lewin and the nurse all helped. I held Jack in my lap and they began working. I have to say it was just awful to have to hold him. He just screamed his little heart out. They removed the stocking, the gauze pads, the cup over his ear and the other stitches. He was completely screaming. One place on his skin graft was bleeding pretty good, but most of it was just oozey. The last and by far worst part was the removal of the drains. I have never heard Jack cry like that before. I was relieved when they were done. I gave Jack a pile of jelly beans and they gave him stickers. I'm not sure that made it worth it, but he sure perked up.

Both Dr.s said his ear looks really great. Dr. Lewin took some pictures - see below. We agreed for them to shave his entire head - this is not necessarily the standard practice - but we thought it would be better than a somewhat odd mohawk. There is a sponge in his new ear canal - it will be removed by Dr. Roberson in Palo Alto. Jack is still pretty upset in these pics, but we think the ear is looking pretty good.
























Jack really came around pretty quickly and Dr. Lewin took this picture of him before we left the office...





















So, the plan is to see Dr. Roberson on Tuesday of next week. We will remove the dressing again then. In the meantime, we will be putting drops in Jack's ear through the holes in the cup. After the visit with Dr. Roberson, we will put the cup back on. We will change it one more time the following Sunday. Each time, we will take pictures to send to Dr. Reinisch. We may put the cup on one more time after that, depending on how Jack is doing with it all. He really doesn't pull at it much at all. The only concern is really when he is sleeping. He rolls all over the place while he is sleeping. We are expecting the ear to swell some now as the blue silicone that was protecting it is now off. So, the next time we see the ear, it will probably be pretty puffy.

All for now!