Pink and Purple

It's been a good day!  We are grateful that surgery took place, went well and so far recuperation is going well also.  

We arrived at the hospital at 6:45am since Matthew was scheduled for first surgery of the day.  He was off to the OR shortly before 8am.  The surgeon advised it would be about 3 hours, so after an hour of so of sitting around Rob and I decided to go stretch our legs ... we were only gone a short time when we heard our name being paged over the PA system to return to the Unit.  Thankful it was good news.  They were done the surgery, it had gone faster then expected but everything went as planned.  The ANs were removed and they were able to suture the tendons back in place without needing any pins or hardware.

Matthew was not able to see/keep the bones as they are sent off to the lab, but the surgeon did take pictures of them so Matthew could see what was removed.  The large piece on the left is from his left foot.  The one from his right foot came out in two pieces, which are pictured in the center and on the right.

Apparently it was a busy day in the OR/Recovery Room today and there were lots of babies screaming/crying when Matthew woke up.  So his stay in Recovery was short and they brought him back to the Unit as soon as they could.  He was still pretty zonked out and slept for the next hour and a half, before slowly waking up.

Physio came around in the afternoon once his nausea began to settle to teach him how to get in and out of his chair.  They provided him with cast shoes to give his feet some grip, since casts are really slippery, so that he can do heel pivots.  He is allowed to put some weight on his heels in order to balance himself when transferring in and out of his wheelchair.  This is the only time he's allowed to put weight on his feet and most of the weight should still be in his hands or through someone assisting him.

Yes those are pink and purple casts. I guess he was desperate enough for $10. 

At this time he is being given stronger pain killers (I believe Ketorolac) and his feet are still numb/"frozen" from the local freezing they gave. So he is feeling good with almost no pain.  He feels like he could go home, but that can't happen until the local anesthetic wears off and we know how his pain actually is. Feeling well has given him a chance to try to be independent, and he is determined to do everything himself.  At this time bathroom breaks are his only time out of bed as he has to focus on keeping his feet elevated above the heart to prevent swelling. 

Overnight the local anesthetic will wear off and by morning we should have a better indication of how he is truly doing pain wise.  If all is well then we will be able to head home tomorrow. 

Thank you to all who sent their well wishes and prayers, they are muchly appreciated. It's a little bit of a different feeling to be in the hospital with something that is not so complicated or chronic or serious or life-threatening.  It's a different province,  different hospital, but still so many of the same things that bring back lots of memories of past events in our lives.  Adding the Ronald MacDonald into the mix also brings up extra memories of where we were 13 years ago at this time, which also makes us think of where we were 17 years ago at this time.  Life has certainly had it's challenges and this seems like a simple journey in comparison, but it is still a journey that Matthew has to go through and will need strength and patience for during the process.  We give thanks that the Lord has cared for him this day, that he could be healthy and able to have his operation, that all went well with the operation, with no surprises or extra challenges and that so far recovery is going well.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 107: 1