The staff at Gillette Children's Hospital were amazing. We arrived in the late morning and they had all kinds of toys and games for her to play while we waited for surgery. Everyone involved with the surgery checked in with us and made sure we were doing good. They asked her to pick out a color for her cast, to which she responded that she wanted yellow AND red. The nurse said they would do their best to make a swirl for her.
Only one of us could go back into the surgical suite with her. I was really hoping my husband would volunteer because I was starting to have panic attacks about all of it. But when he didn't... I knew I had to because there was no way I was going to let her go back there alone! I got all dressed up in the space suit and we wheeled her back into the surgery suite. They had me hold her (something I was not expecting to do) while the anesthesiologist worked his magic. They had be bring a chapstick from home that had a familiar scent to it and rub it on the inside of the mask. He sang her ABC song and Itsy Bitsy Spider while the mask was over her mouth and nose. She started to fight it and wiggle a bit in the last few seconds (something they told me would happen). Then she just went limp in my arms and they took her over to the table.
Lena's surgery was all done in 21 minutes! We barely had time to eat lunch. Dr. England met us back in the waiting room and explained he was able to do everything all in one incision instead of two. So, that's a bonus! Only one scar!
We were told she was ready to meet us in post surgery so we started our way to the back of the hospital. I could hear her screaming. :( I really had wanted to be there when she woke up, and I'm not sure how long she was scared with the staff. But we got there as quickly as I could. Lena was struggling with the nurse wanting to rip her IV out of her wrist. We tried to distract her with with television and snuggles until it was time for the IV to come out. Once it was out she calmed down quite a bit... until she saw the yellow and red swirled cast... then she screamed "NO!!! Only RED!!!!!" To which we had to giggle a little bit at the "difficulty" of being 3 years old and making decisions.
She ate a bunch of crackers, juice, applesauce, and popsicles. They let her pick out two stuffed animals and then it was time to go home! I think we were at the hospital about 5 hours.
