A new ballgame...nursing at home

Dear friends and family,      

     We have seen lots of answers to your prayers!  Thank you for being a part of this journey.  

     John had a terrible night on Wed. night at the hospital.  He couldn't keep anything down, including his medication until the proper nausea medication was ordered in the wee hours of the morning.  This enable him (all of us) to sleep for several hours in a row.  YEA!!!  

      Thursday was a better day. He actually asked to go to the play room.  He and his Grandma Menefee spent a happy hour playing with puzzels, etc.   Early afternoon, John kept his formula down given through his feeding tube.    And since he has a feeding tube, we did not have to wait in the hospital until he was able to drink enough liquid with his sore mouth.  This is a good thing since he is over-protective of his mouth currently and is hardly even taking sips of water.  So, we were home on Thursday evening by 9:00 pm.  Not only were we grateful to sleep in our own beds, but we are happy to be released from the expense of another night's hospital stay. 

      At home, his pain has been reasonably controlled by the regiment of medication they prescribed for him.   Yet he is generally miserable.  His lips are still swollen and he is drooling constantly as he is afraid that if he swallows, he will feel pain.  He is low energy and will hardly talk due to the tape on his  upper lip.  

     Today, Saturday, his friend Sophie came over to cheer him up.  He is still not himself - almost no smiles throughout the day.    So playing outside in the water with Sophie was a treat for all of us.   

     A huge answer to prayer and a surprise to us has been his self-control to leave his fingers out of his mouth.  We told him honestly that if he did put his fingers in his mouth that he would hurt what the surgeon had done and have to go through it all again.  The nickel dropped for him.  In the big picture this means that the arm constraints that keep him from being able to bend his arm are only needed during his nap and at night.  John has been super cooperative when we need to put these on, for which we are grateful.  

     Thank you for your prayers.  We have a follow-up Dr. appointment in Denver on Monday, June 3rd.  We will know more about the overall result of the surgery then.  In the meantime, please pray that there will be no injuries to the mouth and lips; that they will heal perfectly and that we can make the time for John as comfortable as possible.  

Recovering in hospital on May 24th.  

Home with tape mustache, which serve as sutures on May 25th.