September 11, 2009

The Third Night Begins

Last night was a little rough. There is only one chair that folds out into a bed so I slept in that while Luke tried to sleep in the rocking chair. About 4am we switched so Luke could get a few hours of better sleep. Alayna had a few rough spots too. But for most of the night she slept pretty good.

A little before 9am, Dr. Siddiqi came to check on Alayna and was surprised to see that her eyes weren't more swollen. He then took off her head bandages.

I wasn't quite prepared to see the size of her head from the swelling or that her whole head was shaved. (sniff) I miss her long, wispy dark hair.



You can see her right eye was a bit more swollen but thankfully it never swelled shut. The doctor told us to hold her upright and it would encourage the swelling to go down. It was a bit hard on her at first but through out the day it got better and she liked sitting up.
When Luke first picked her up her head was this really funny shape.

The doctor said it was just loose fluid and since she had been laying on her back for so long the fluid just went with the pull of gravity, to the back of her head. After she sat up for a while, much of the swelling went down. That tube behind her ear is the drainage tube that helps drain the fluid from her head. It will probably come out tomorrow which will probably make her swell up a bit more.


She only had morphine twice today. Her biggest problem was that she kept throwing up everything we gave her. Poor girl, it hurt to throw up and cough. It put a lot of pressure on her head. But about the middle of the day they gave her something to help her poop and also gave her some medication for acid reflex which seemed to settle her stomach really well. So her afternoon went pretty smooth. She even tried out the Bumbo chair... isn't that what's its called?



By the end of the day the swelling had gone down from her eyes and a little from her head. We are so proud of her. She has been a tough little girl and we are so proud of how she has been doing. And we feel very blessed that things have gone so well for her.


Even though right now she doesn't look anything like the little girl from before the surgery, there is no mistaking those beautiful dark brown eyes.

10 super cool people speak:

Svedi Pie said...

Oh, she is so strong, and so beautiful. Even in these pictures with her being so miserable you can see her little personality and strength coming through. You have one amazing little girl there. Hope the healing process continues to go well.

Anonymous said...

What an amazing little princess!! She will have some thick locks when it grows back!

For all of you to find the good and count your blessings through all of this shows your true character-amazing & wonderful!

You have and will bless many...and your blessing will continue to abound.

Thanks for all of the blogs, pictures, and video.

Maria

ldsjaneite said...

Some of those pictures are truly heart-wrenching. But you all are doing so well, and her recovery looks amazing from what I am seeing and you are telling. She does look different without her hair and from the swelling, but in spite of that the last picture really does look so much like her pre-surgery.

And who knows--maybe her hair will grow back curly! (I'm a fan of it! ha ha)

Sara Lyn said...

She looks beautiful. Way to go, little Alayna!

Darryl said...

We find out how strong we are when we undergo trials like these. The hair will grow back and she will be the Alayna of old.

Glad to see that things went so well and that all our prayers were answered.

Jami West said...

Oh Serene!! She is such a little trooper! What a beautiful and strong girl. I'm so glad things went well. You've been so strong through all of this. Thank you for the updates.

Garvin Smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mama Smith said...

My darling daughter...You and Luke will not be quite the same, again...What you have learned about "other" families...what you two have experienced...gave you insights and wisdom...that is only learned through "challenges"....Alayna will not even remember her experience...but, who knows...what all this will mean to her in the future...Your FAMILY is, also, learning...in other ways...Father has blessed you...incredibly well...LOVE YOU dearly...

the Gardners said...

We are glad everything is going well. We have been thinking about you and keeping you guys in our prayers. Kids are so strong and I am always reminded of this when I see them in the hospital. If we as adults were going through the same thing I don't think we would be as tough! =) Alayna is lucky to have such great parents!

The Hulls said...

The poor little darling! I cannot imagine what you must be feeling as parents. She is a strong one! Give her a hug for us. I'm so grateful things are going as well as they are.

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