On Friday (Jan. 6, 2012) Elliot went back to the University of Michigan to have his 4th laser treatment. Typically our appointment time is scheduled in the afternoon but this time they had us checking in at 7. Given that we have an hour and a half drive we decided to drive up to Ann Arbor on Thursday night and stay in a hotel. We were in a rush to get things packed, big kids delivered to their aunts, and hit the road to make it there at a decent time. I do wish they would call before Thursday afternoon to tell us the time we need to check in. *Sigh*
Since Elliot's last treatment the U of M has completely changed the Mott's Children's hospital center. I do like it a lot more now. The rooms, waiting areas and operating room are in one location which makes it so much more user friendly.
A little before 8 an anesthesiologist came into the room to talk to us. He told us he really wanted to avoid the "amnesia cocktail" since his procedure is so short. After discussing the fact that I wasn't handing my baby over to them because he'd loose his mind, they told me I could take him back to the OR and stay with him until he was asleep. I had to wear a "bunny suit" as they call it (see photo below, haha). At about 8:20 they took us down to the OR and had me lay him down on the bed. They held him down while they put the mask on and he began to cry. I'm a pretty strong person emotionally but this is where I about lost it. They warned me that he could thrash around (which he didn't do) and his eyes would roll back in his head. Which they did. It was awful to witness that and I hate to ever have to do it again, but I will never hand my baby over to a stranger and have him cry and feel abandoned.
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| Elliot and mama in our OR clothes |
The entire procedure only took about 10 minutes. He was back in my arms within 20 minutes of entering the OR. As soon as he laid eyes on me he said "mom" and reached out. We nursed for the next half an hour while they did the discharge papers. The doctor came in and spoke with us and told us how amazing he is doing with the treatments. With as much lightening as he has had after just the 3 he said he is way above schedule as to how much it's breaking up. I love positive news! He said once they get a few more done they'll switch to a larger laser in order to blend the road map looking areas.
We were back on the road heading for home by 9:30 am. This was a big bonus of going in early. Generally we leave home around 10 am and don't get back until about 5-6pm. Elliot slept most of the way home, and so did Rob. LoL. As soon as his feet hit the floor he was running around, eating and playing like normal. He doesn't even seem to notice that his face is swollen or that he just got in a fight with Buzz Light Year (and Buzz won). :)
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| Playing in the waiting room | | | |
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| Getting in the car to leave the U of M |
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| Snuggles in the ring sling while brushing his teeth |
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| This is today (the day after the tx) Happy as can be. :):) |
Thanks for following along on our journey. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I won't be offended and I'd rather people have facts. :)
