Mommy prayed today would go well - after all it was the first time she would be driving to Palo Alto, and it would just be her and Lucille. She was very nervous but there was no need to be. I was as Mommy said, "the best baby ever".
I took a little nap right before it was time to leave. Then, I played quietly for the two hours it took to get to Palo Alto. Mommy was an hour early (never know how traffic is going to be) so we sat in the waiting room. I was an extra happy girl today. I waved at adults and children alike and was smiling and laughing. The last several weeks I have been so unhappy all the time that Mommy was so relieved to see me back to my normal self. Everyone commented on how cute I was!
Then they led us back to the exam room. Mommy sat me on the table with a piece of paper, a gum wrapper and my little plastic Elmo and I entertained myself for an hour while we waited for the doctor. It had been four hours without a nap by this point but you never would have known it. I flirted with the nurse and the doctor when they finally came in - that is until they gave me a shot with a really long needle at my screw site to help with the pain. Then, the doctor used the screwdriver to break the head off the screw. He took scissors to pull off the plastic sheath covering the screw and then it was time to break the screw off from the distractor. The first one was a bugger and he was working it all around in my head before it finally broke free. Mommy and the nurse were holding me down and I was crying pretty good. Then it was on to the other side. Within five minutes both screws were removed and the nurse put some salve on the open wounds. She said they should close up within a few days. They also removed the tape over my incisions and cut back the stitches - the rest will be absorbed.
Mommy had lots of questions for the doctor. He said that he hasn't yet tried to "loosen" my TM joint but will do so when he removes the distractors. I will probably be able to get off all pain meds within the next 48 hours because I will be feeling much better. Although the swelling should go down, it will take 4-5 months for it to go away completely. I have to go back in 6 weeks for a follow up appointment. Then, it was time for some post op pictures and we were on our way. I fell asleep almost immeadiately and slept pretty much the entire way home - 3 hours!
Once I was home I played for several hours - smiling and happy. When Daddy came home from work he was thrilled to see me in such a good mood.
The only bummer part of the day is that at the tail end of all of my feedings today (6 am, noon, 6 pm) I started having reflux issues again. Although not much actually came out, I had all the signs and symptoms that I used to have before I started my continuous feeds. The nurse said that many parents have noticed an increase in reflux following a jaw distraction but she wasn't sure why. Mommy is going to give me some time to get back to a normal routine and if it is not any better she will follow up with my GI at our appointment on the 30th.
Mommy talked to the anesthesiology department at Shriner's today. Tuesday of next week I will go in to be examined by the anesthesiologist - and then we will find out if I am cleared for surgery. Lots of excitement!
Peyton Nicole Smith
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