Back in business!

Zack wants everyone to know that he's feeling good again. He says one eye is already swelled shut and he hopes the other one doesn't close too. He's watching the Incredibles and downed a glass of Gatorade. He thinks his Power Ranger from Eden is cool. He's feeling "thumbs up."

I can't believe the difference half an hour makes around here! He's acting great again! He's had no pain medication, and they say the ativan is long worn off. They are going to come clean his incision in a bit, and if that bugs him we'll do some Tylenol or Ativan then.

Swelling fast...

Dave went to grab some dinner, and when he came back, we decided Zack was ready for some Jello (which he insisted on eating himself.) The swelling/bruising had started pretty bad on his left eye. I ran down to grab a bite and came back at 6:30, and the difference in just half an hour was amazing. I expect that eye will be fully shut much sooner than I expected. Poor little monkey keeps crying that he just wants to go home. He's breaking my heart. He still says nothing hurts, which I can't believe by the size of his head, but so far he hasn't needed any pain medicine. He's settled down a bit watching Ice Age. Hopefully he'll manage to rest well tonight, though I don't hold out much hope for Dave and me...sleep doesn't really happen in the PICU.

Waking up...

The Ativan's wearing off, and he woke up and wanted a drink. A few sips of water later, he threw up all over the bed. We got everything changed and settled him watching tv. Can you believe we already got a smile out of him??? He's doing so much better than we imagined!! He's in great spirits, pretty quiet, but answering questions in true Zack style. The swelling has started a bit, but isn't bad yet. He already has the nurses wrapped around his little finger! He wanted some toys, so Dave went to get the package from Eden and family for him to open in a bit, and the nurse brought him a teddy bear. I thought he was asleep, but as soon as Dave walked in, he sat up and said 'Where's my package?' Time to help him open it up! Thank you so much, Jen!!! He loves it all!!!

Resting comfortably

Well, he woke up fighting mad, and apparently kicked the crap out of a nurse! The comments were all about how they couldn't believe how strong he is! They had us come back, and that helped some, but he was still very agitated until they got the ativan in his iv. That kicked in quickly, and he is resting again. The swelling has started, but he opened his eyes a bit when we first came back. They apparently switched a wide strip from the front and back, but left a crossbar in the middle, so they didn't have to take the whole thing off. Now's when the fun really begins! Hopefully the ativan will keep him pretty comfortable for awhile. The catheter is out, but he still has 3 lines in for blood draws/fluids/etc. They are measuring pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level, and respiratory rate...all looks good there as well as with his most recent lab work.

All done!

Just saw the surgeons. Everything went great! He only needed 900cc's of his own blood back in. The breathing tube is out, and we'll get to see him in about 20 minutes. Yay!

Closing!

They're closing! We're moving to the PICU waiting room where we'll wait until they get him settled then talk to the surgeons and head back to see him. Yay!

Another update

Latest update is that all is still going well and they may finish earlier than expected. They think he'll be in the PICU around 11:30 and suggested we grab an early lunch when the cafeteria opens at 11. Since we just downed a chocolate snack, we'll probably just wait and take some shifts later. The time has been passing faster than expected, thank goodness!