24 Hours From Now...

It's almost surgery time. Ugh. So not looking forward to this. But, who would?

If you want a refresher on why Marissa is having surgery, read this post.

We have to be at the hospital at 8:15 tomorrow morning and then surgery is at 10:15 (MST). It is a standard in-patient surgery with the standard 3-5 day hospital stay and 6-8 week recovery.
In addition to the general prayer of her being alright through the whole ordeal, I have a few specific prayer requests:

Anesthesia:
She has gone under general anesthesia several times with a problem only one time. She spiked a fever, flushed bright red all over her body and started breathing really hard and fast. This came on all of a sudden and was very scary. It turns out she had a histamine reaction to the anesthesia and we got it under control pretty quickly. Please pray that she has no adverse affects from the anesthesia.

PICU vs Peds Floor:
We are not sure where she is going to be admitted after surgery. Most trach kids go to the PICU after surgery, but we just don't know. Please pray that she will go to PICU as we feel it is best suited to her needs.

Manageable pain:
Marissa is one tough cookie, but she has not had surgery since her trach and g-tube were placed. She was only two months old at that time and they kept her paralyzed and very sedated for a long time afterward. We don't know how she will react to surgery pain this time. Please pray that it never gets out of control for her. I don't want my baby in pain. :(

Discharge:
Marissa is also a mover and a shaker. She does not like to sit still for long at all. When she was in the hospital for pneumonia last May, the third through the fifth day were hell because she was feeling better and navigating her way around the crib a lot. She was constantly getting tangled in her millions of tubes and wires and I literally only sat down when she slept. And she was only 14 months old at that point! Please pray that discharge comes quickly after she is feeling well enough to move around a lot.

Recovery:
Marissa tends to regress a little in her development and therapies after she is sick. Please pray that she will recover quickly and get back to her normal spunky self soon.

I was talking with my sister Michelle on the phone this morning and Marissa was getting into everything she is not supposed to, like usual. I could not finish a sentence without having to interrupt myself and discipline her. I told my sister "please remind me that I am going to miss this!" :)

I will try to update the blog as often as I can tomorrow and the days following. The hospital has internet access and I have been able to access blogs in the past, in a certain part of the hospital. Other times, I have had trouble accessing blogs and sites like Facebook. So if you don't hear from me, don't assume the worst. At the very least, I will have Michelle update the blog when she gets off work. For those of you who have my phone number, feel free to call and leave a message if I don't answer. I will try to return your call as soon as I can.

We are so blessed to have found such a supportive network of friends in addition to our long-time IRL friends and family. You all have always come through for us when we needed you and it gives me great comfort to know that we have so many angels surrounding us.

Thank you.