We arrived at the hospital at 8 am to register and get him prepped for what we thought was a 9 am surgery. They take him back and my mother in law and step daughter and I wait in the waiting area. After an hour and having not had a nurse come to get me - I went back and found him in a room with two cute nurses. Hmmm. lol Just Kidding. They had him ready, so we brought in the troop to sit with him until it was time to take him away. He was super tired and fell asleep the whole time. He insists they gave him something to make him tired - not sure!
Long story short - we waited hours and hours. It was brutal. It wasn't until around noon that they actually came and got him. Dr. Swain did some see us prior to surgery and we were able to ask questions but it was still large in part - "We'll see when I get in there" type of thing.
Ar 12:42 I got the call that the procedure had started and was going well. About two hours later Dr. Swain came to report that the surgery was a success! Chad had mutliple hernias within the same area and compared it to a slide of swiss cheese. He was able to repair it using a large single piece of mesh and everything went according to plan.
While inside, he had a look around and didn't see any kinks or obvious reasons as to why Chad has so much trouble with bloating and digestion. This surgery weighed heavily on my mind for a couple reasons but the biggest one was cancer. The type of cancer Chad has is tricky (like most cancers). I've read so many horror stories in my support group about CT Scans that didn't pick up the cancer. See, it grows and can produce this mucin like substance that coats the abdominal cavity. It doesn't always show up on scans and since no one ever seems to be able to explain what is going on with him, my biggest fear was that cancer was the culprit.
The last time this doctor operated on Chad, he gave us a cancer diagnosis. So, I was nervous. Worried. And nervous. But thankfully, Dr. Swain did not see any evidence of disease at all! *Victory*
His biggest complaint is a sever burning sensation around the top but an ice pack helps it big time!
This did end up being an outpatient surgery (Thank God!) and he's home resting. We both slept on the sectional last night. Sleep was tough to come by but it's way better than a hospital room! (lol, at least for me. Chad would've had an actual bed there) Stairs are a bit of a challenge so going up and downstairs right now isn't an option.
I sincerely want to thank those of you who checked in, prayed, sent well wishes etc., It means so so so much I'm not even kidding. The past 2.5 years have been full of ups and downs and we're very blessed but also very tired. It just means so much to both of us (and our family) to have you guys supporting us through this! We love you xo
These are a couple pics of him enjoying his milkshake upon release and last night, being playful for the camera lol
I agree, he was able to do a thorough examination by making extra insertion points for the camera to have a look-see! Hope that swelling goes down quickly; it looks uncomfortable!
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