Surgery Update

Zane’s surgery is scheduled for the end of this month, and to say I’m nervous would be an understatement. Already, there have been nights where I’ve snapped awake by the thought of it—too anxious to go back to sleep.

Zane’s been through surgery three other times. But the memory of the first surgery will be with me forever—the fact that he almost died back in 2007. And maybe that’s where the fear comes from. Maybe it comes from the fact that things seem slightly less predictable with Zane and his medical history and involvement. Yes, he’s a trooper. But he’s also human.

What am I afraid of?

1.  He won’t make it through the surgery (something will go wrong).
2.  He’ll be in A LOT of pain after the surgery. No loving parent wants to see his or her child go through that. He’ll need narcotics, but they were (at one time) his evil nemesis, sending him to the PICU back in 2007.
3. There will be complications after the surgery, such as infection, wound problems…who knows?
4. The whole thing is out of my hands. I have absolutely no control over what happens with him when he’s with the surgical team. I’ll regain some control once he’s in recovery because I can be his voice and his advocate there.

Zane now has clearance for surgery from both his allergist and his cardiologist. Zane’s allergist used to manage one of the floors of an area children’s hospital, and he highly recommends that I push to have Zane immediately placed into ICU rather than on the floor. He said the level of skill and care in the PICU is superior to that on the floor. And, in Zane’s case (where he has extenuating medical needs), it is not unrealistic to ask for this level of care.

The red tape surrounding the surgery is a whole other story. I feel like a circus dog jumping through hoops to simply get a leave of absence from my job. Plus, I am still waiting to hear whether Zane’s insurance company has even approved the MAGEC rods his surgeon wants to use. The nursing staff at the ortho office manages to dodge this question through every exchange of voicemails we have. We never seem to connect on the phone.

Zane’s pre-op and lab appointments are both set for the week prior to surgery. I am trying to get nursing care at home for post-op help. But like so many other customer service slights of late, no one will return my calls or messages.

But through it all, my main hope is that Zane’s surgery and post-op situation will improve his life and make him even happier than he is now.