So much time and so little to do ...

Oops.  Strike that, reverse it ... I don't think there could actually be enough time to prepare for what's ahead, but that is probably for the best.  

Sorry again.  I know this is probably the most confusing start to a post ever, but my mind is honestly in such a jumble that I don't even know where to begin.  As mentioned in the last post, Claire had her pre-op appointment with Dr. F. today.  Bo and I knew going in that we would be picking her surgery date during the appointment, and we had been planning on trying to get something at the beginning of November (mainly because I am awesome a nerd and insisted that we avoid the end of October so I could take Claire trick or treating).  You would think, however, that we would know better than to even TRY to plan something given our track record (we thought Claire would be in the NICU for at least a month, that we wouldn't be able to put her in daycare prior to her surgery, etc. etc.).  

Okay, okay, I will get to the point.  Really, I blame Claire Bear, who apparently has a strange way of celebrating her monthly "birthdays" ... at two and four months, she got shots, and now, at five months, she will be having her closure surgery.  That's right, Claire's surgery is scheduled for next week (Wednesday, October 16th).  It really hasn't started to sink in that, at this time next week, I will be sitting in the waiting room anxiously waiting for the surgery to be done.  I keep thinking it's too soon, but honestly, it was our only choice.  Between our work schedule and Dr. F's surgery schedule, it was either next Wednesday or right before Thanksgiving, so it was a no-brainer.  Dr. F also stressed that the sooner we got it done, the better recovery time would be for Claire since she isn't at the stage right now where she is really using her stomach muscles (e.g., she isn't trying to crawl, or to pull herself up, or to walk, etc. etc.).  Plus, as Bo put it, we are better off having only a week to stress out about the surgery than five weeks.  And really, it couldn't come at a better time since our schedule over the next week allows us to spend as much time with Claire as possible.  We already planned to take off the afternoon of Friday the 11th to take Cole to Busch Gardens (teacher work day, so no school for him), the office is closed on Monday the 14th, and Bo and I had already blocked off the 15th so we could celebrate our second anniversary.

And now for the details for those who want to know, although I will try not to be too graphic:

• Dr. F will be making a vertical incision right in the middle of Claire's O (cutting out existing scar tissue) for the surgery.  He confirmed that her O is too high up for him to create a belly button (usually one is made at the incision site using the leftover skin), so Bo will get his wish ("No belly button rings for her!").  

• After pushing her liver and bowels all the way back into her abdominal cavity, he will then stretch her rectus abdominus muscle (her "abs") to close the hernia.

Image source

• If he absolutely has to, Dr. F will then put a layer of biological mesh over the muscle to form a lattice that the tissue can grow into (essentially, it would provide extra support to avoid the chance of Claire developing an incisional hernia down the line).  The mesh would eventually dissolve, but since it comes with a risk - albeit a slight one - of infection, he is really hoping to avoid having to use it at all.

• The surgery itself should take about 90 minutes, and Bo and I should be able to see Claire within 30 minutes after completion.  Claire is not supposed to eat anything the first day since Dr. F. wants to avoid her stomach expanding unnecessarily or her throwing up (both of which would stress the closure site).  Instead, she will get her nutrition via IV until the second day, when she should be able to eat normally.

• We should expect Claire to be in the hospital for a couple of days, mainly for pain management.  At that point, she should have some good scar tissue forming that will assist with the recovery.  At three months out, she should have 70% of her strength back, with "full" recovery at six months after the surgery (or, as Dr. F put it, by that time it will be "as good as it gets").  We will not need to do any more compression wrapping, but will still probably use the ACE bandage for a little while after the surgery just to provide some additional support while she is healing.

I think that is about it (or at least all I can think of right now).  Please feel free to ask any additional questions you might have.  In exchange, we once again ask that you keep Claire Bear in your thoughts and prayers as she prepares for (hopefully) her last big hurdle in her omphalocele journey.

Love,

Val and Bo

P.S.  Sorry about the lack of pictures in today's post, but my brain is a little scattered.  I promise I will (try to) post some pictures between now and next Wednesday.