Andrew Prepares for...

Here's sweet little Andrew. He had quite a day today. It started off quite innocently with the morning diaper change, which happened a little later than usual, because I've been feeling under the weather, and Andrew was enjoying his play time with his brothers so much. As I prepared to fasten his diaper in place, I noticed something strange on his lower abdomen. I looked again, noticing it looked quite swollen. I felt the area, and there was definitely a lump, and a lump that I could move around quite easily. It didn't bother or hurt him for me to touch it. However, me being the worry wart that I am, I decided to get this looked at as soon as possible, for my own peace of mind.

We got in to see the Pediatrician for 11:30 a.m. As the Doctor looked, poked, and prodded for several LONG minutes, I began to worry. The doctor looked concerned, I became more concerned. He said, "Wait here, I'll be back in a bit." When he came back, he announced that we were to go directly to Children's Hospital Emergency and he had already spoken with a surgeon there. They were expecting us. Before we go on, be assured, there is a happy ending to this day!

I was unable to reach Mike, so the boys and I took 2 buses to Children's Hospital (a grand adventure for them, not so much so for me, being nearly 7 months pregnant without a stroller!). We arrived at around 12:45 p.m. Fortunately, the weather has been so nice here that taking the bus and all the waiting involved wasn't as bad as it could have been. Also, I was happy to find some snacks in the diaper back, packed for pregnancy hunger attacks. Caleb and Joshua each enjoyed a small fruit snack for "lunch".

Eventually, we saw the surgeon, who poked and prodded as well. By now, I had heard the term "hernia" being used, and worse case scenario was that Andrew would have surgery that day and go home tomorrow. Not being able to convince the herniated part of his bowel to sneak back in, the surgeon ordered an x-ray, followed by an ultrasound. By this time, Mike had found us in one of the many waiting rooms we visited that day.

We went down for the ultrasound shortly after 3 p.m. and as we pulled back his diaper for the Ultrasound Technician, I was shocked to see the mass (as it was now known) had virtually disappeared!! Unfortunately, this did not eliminate the need for surgery, as his bowel can still pop through the hernia opening in his lower abdomen. But, for now, surgery was post-poned, and Andrew could resume eating and drinking (which he hadn't done properly since breakfast at 8:30 a.m.), and we could go home. We arrived home tired and relieved at 4:30 p.m.

Andrew's surgery is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. Fortunately, this is just day surgery, and a fairly routine surgery. The most common type of surgery in children is for appendix removal; hernia surgery is second. A small incision will be made and the hernia will be repaired. The surgeon did an excellent job explaining everything to us, and I understood it all at the time, but to repeat it all, would just be quite impossible with my tired brain!

So for those of you who read this before Tuesday morning, please remember Andrew in your prayers. We know he will do well as he has no other health problems. I think the biggest hurdle will be making it from 6 a.m. in the morning to after-surgery without drinking and eating! For a healthy 19-month old boy, that's going to be a hard lesson to learn! The surgeon assured us that his recovery should be easy and simple; he'll probably be back to normal by the next day.

In the mean time, we just need to keep an eye on him, checking him regularly at diaper changes, and watching to see if he's in any pain. If the bowel pops through again, we need to try to push it back in and hopefully avoid another trip to the ER, which could mean his surgery would be earlier if his bowel does not go back in.

I will be sure to post as soon as I can after his surgery, to let you know how he is doing.

I found a website that clearly explains HOW this type of hernia develops. It's the first kind of hernia, not the second. Here's the link:
http://www.hernia.org/paeds.html