Kaden/Cab/Surgery

Preface--We have always been told Kaden has retractile testicles. At his 5yr exam in Feb his doctor had a hard time examining him and referred us to Dr. Irish, a pediatric surgeon at Blank. We saw him on March 24th, and he had a hard time examining Kaden, so we decided to put him under anesthesia and have another exam done to be on the safe side. That brings you to this week...

To say that yesterday was an eventful day for the Baxter family would be an understatement. We left the house around 815am to be at the hospital at 845am to check in for Kade's exam under anesthesia and possible surgery. We were about 5miles from the hospital when the van stopped accelerating...in the middle of the left lane. Josh whipped it over into the parking lot of a light shop on 2nd Ave. We ended up calling a taxi to take us to the hospital. Kade, of course, thought this was pretty cool. :)

We finally get to the hospital and had to run all over the place to find where we were really supposed to be. Fortunately, I'd called ahead so they knew we would be running late. We ended up being about 30mins late. We checked in, sat in the waiting room for a few, went and registered, and moved to another waiting room w/a big ship that Kaden thought was cool. Not long after they moved us to a pre-op room.

Kaden changed into his "doctor" clothes, and we started calling him Dr. Baxter. :) During this time, Kaden played with toys and games he got to bring into the room. Lots of people came in and out while we were in this room. A Child Life Specialist (a job I think Meg would be perfect for!!!) came in to show Kaden the mask he'd get the "sleepy medicine" from. They were scented and he took his time choosing which one he wanted, but not before he had Josh and I smell them too. :) He ended up choosing bubblegum and couldn't stop smelling it. LOL They even let him keep it, so he's been showing it to everyone! She also showed him the IV they'd put in when he was asleep and let him touch it, along w/pictures of the operating room and his recovery room. She was pretty much the only person he acknowledged. LOL It was like he thought if he didn't look at or speak to anyone it wasn't happening. Poor guy.

When it was time to get started, he rode down the hall in a little red wagon. We moved back out to the waiting room thinking that in 5mins we'd hear that the exam was done and they were waking him up. Well, about 2mins later we got an update. The nurse calls out to a lady at the front desk who keeps you posted on how things are going. So, the lady comes over and says they are getting ready to operate on his right side. I was more than a little surprised. Not only did we think they wouldn't have to operate, but if they did we were sure it'd be the left side. At his appt last week, the doctor felt pretty certain the right side was retractile, but was really unsure about the left side. Hence the exam.

I commented on this and she said all she knew was the nurse called out and said right side. I was nervous, but had confidence in this doctor. So, we sat and nervously waited. Around 11:40am we got word that he was out of surgery and doing well. Shortly after we met with the doctor. He said the left testicle is definitely retractile, and he is very confident that by puberty it will take care of itself. As for the right side, he said that testicle basically really liked where it was and was not going to continue to move down into the scrotum on its own…hence the Orchioplexy.

We went back to the waiting room and a short time later they moved us to his recovery room. When I saw him coming down the hall on that big hospital bed, he looked soooo tiny and vulnerable. It made my heart ache. He was holding his blankie and teddy bear, Jesus. Jesus had been prepped for surgery too—he had a cap and mask and a band around his ankle. :) I held Kaden (and blankie and Jesus…) in the chair in the recovery room. He had a sip of juice and went to sleep again for about 30mins. Then he woke up, talked a bit, drank more juice, and was out again. This time he slept for about an hour. By 1:30pm he was awake and talking—mainly to ask when we could go home. LOL Josh helped him use the bathroom, and Kaden started to freak. He has 2 incisions—one on his lower belly, the other on his scrotum. He saw the one on his tummy and said, “What’s that red thing on me?!” Josh said he almost started to cry. :( Poor guy! He calmed down and came back to the room where he got dressed. He drank more juice and ate a pudding cup and several crackers. I think he was pretty happy to be able to eat and drink again! :)

We hung out in the recovery room until Megan (my fabulous sister) was able to come pick us up. No vehicle, remember? LOL When we got home Kaden chilled out on the couch and relaxed while we waited on him. :) We had instructions to keep ahead of the pain by giving him Tylenol every 4hrs. We had a heck of a time waking him up the first time! He was dead to the world, and didn’t want to wake up for anything! I woke him up again at 2am and had a hard time, but not quite as bad. Then at 6am he woke up right away…and didn’t go back to sleep. LOL

He seems to be doing really well (this morning he actually asked Josh when he could go back to the hospital!LOL), and the pain hasn’t been much of an issue either. We decided to give him a day at home, and he’s been doing well today! He did take a good nap, which he’s been doing less and less lately. He’ll head back to school tomorrow, and is taking all of his surgery “trophies” to share with his friends at school. :)

We go back to the doctor on Thursday, to have him checked out and stitches removed. I’m sure Kade will be excited to have another day off. LOL Thank you to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and help. While this wasn’t major surgery, it was still stressful. You can’t help but worry when it’s your baby! :)