Post Op: Day 1

Nothing major to say today. Riley had some issues with pain control overnight and this morning, which put us in a medication dilemma. Do we give him the super motrin drug, that has a potential risk of GI bleeding, but will make him feel much better, or hope that Morphine/Tylenol can get it under control soon? We chose to not take the risk, and it SEEMS that his pain is better controlled overall, but its hard to tell with him. This is the kiddo that was sitting up on his own, playing with toys with a ruptured inside a few months ago. Something that should have had him in agony, and he showed NO signs of pain whatsoever. Sometimes we can tell he is very much in pain, and call for morphine right away, other times we aren't so sure.

Right now, there is no rumbling in his belly at all, and his replogle tube has sucked quite a bit out today. This is expected, and not worrisome right now. Although they have begun to ask if we have heard him pass gas (we haven't), but without bowel sounds, that's unlikely right now anyway.

So the plan right now is wait and watch and listen (for gas). He is getting tylenol every 4 hours around the clock and then morphine as needed. He will keep his replogle tube at the very minimum, until he passes some gas. Likely until something poops out. He is getting IV fluids for hydration, IV antacids for his reflux. He cannot take his Prevacid by mouth until the replogle comes out, because it would just suck it right back out of his belly. So far, his IV is hanging in there, and our hope is it will continue to do so for a few more days, and then he will be able to hydrate himself by mouth.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try and sponge bathe him a little. We were having such trouble with his ostomy bags the few days prior to surgery that we didn't chance bathing him the night before. He has a "surgery" smell that I hate about him, and his hair needs cleaning. A new hospital gown will be nice too afterwards.

So I think that is about all for tonight. Oh he did stand up in the crib this morning which scared us, but the surgeon said if he seems like he wants to be active to let him. He didn't try after that one time though so I think he realized on his own, that it was not a good idea for now.

Here are a few pictures I snapped this afternoon.

He loves balloons, and this was when he first became more awake

It was a bad hairday

Aaaahhhh paci

This angle makes him look SO big. Which he has grown alot, but I think this angle skews his size quite a bit!

Two paci's and a bear