When your surgeon says...

When you email your normal surgeon the events of the day, and he replies

"What a day!"...

Probably not a good sign.   Micah's chin swelled an insane amount in 24 hours.  By bedtime, it was about the size of a golf ball.  Seriously. And then.... it exploded.  Well, that's probably not the technical term, but it did.  AWFUL.  Disgusting, and i've seen pretty disgusting things with him.  i'll spare you the details, because i want to throw up even remembering them.   This was of course, when he was half asleep at bedtime.  Poor child was in SO much pain, but we tried to drain it as best as we could.  Eventually we quit because he was miserable.  The good news was he slept better and had a lower heart rate since he was more comfortable.  The question was whether to show up for surgery anyway... And because we have the most awesome Cincy surgeon, he replied to my email at 9pm and said that we might as well get it cleaned out well, since this infection has been so persistent.  We scheduled it for Friday AM at Lutheran... our first surgery NOT at Cincinnati Childrens.

The surgery went fine, and he's doing fine, but i was NOT impressed. At all.  Cincinnati has made me a SNOB when it comes to how things are done.  The surgery was scheduled at 10:30, which no one could even tell us til 9:30.  We showed up at 8:30, and went up to the surgery check in desk, behind another lady.  One of the staff asked if i was with her, "no" and she sent me to the window around the corner. Cool.  The lady at the desk asked if i was here to check in, and i said yes, and she snappily told me to sit down and they would call me... How do they have any clue who i am to call me?  i said the other lady sent me over here, and she told me again to have a seat.  Super. Love the snappy attitude, because, of course, there's nowhere i'd rather be today. So we sit.

They call me, at 9:00am, to register.  Really?  We register... and sit.  They call us to pre-op at 9:30.  For real?   We go to pre-op where they tell me, after requesting, when surgery is.  10:30, but the surgeon hasn't gotten to his 9:00am case yet, so he's obviously behind.  So we sit.  We get the normal run around of pre-op, but no one mentions ANYthing about the trach... Sort of an important detail.  No, "What type of trach does he have?" No, "Do you have spare trachs to send with him" No, "What do you suction with and how far?"  Not impressed.  So, i volunteer the info, and when asked if i need to send trachs with him (i do, of course), she says she doesn't now, and will ask the surgeon.  (which she never does, i do).  We meet w/ the anesthesiologist, and the doc and sign papers.  We've put his trachs, stuffed animal, etc on his crib so they'll go w/ him. They come to get him, and don't use the crib.  And don't pick up the trachs. So, Travis gives them the trachs (they don't even have this brand at this hospital, sort of important!)  and they leave w/ him.

 That's the first half. Gets better.... (worse)...