The Second CT Scan

Ben had his CT scan this morning and it went so much better than I had anticipated. Ben had to fast to be ready for anesthesiology, so he was a little cranky. As the nurse came into the room to start the IV, I was reminded of the hours it took during the day of surgery to get Ben's IVs started. He had bruises on his wrists, ankles, arms and knees after the whole thing was said and done. I hated for him to go through that again, for a five minute scan.

We discussed our options with the doctor, and we were told we had three. 1) Start and IV and medication to put Ben to sleep and quickly wake Ben up after. This was the doctor's favored option. 2) Give Ben something to drink that will knock him out. It may take several hours for him to wake up and we can't leave until he's awake and eating. 3) Try to get Ben to sleep or lay still through the five minute scan. The biggest risk is radiation. A CT scan is as much radiation as 300 chest x-rays. If Ben were to wake up, then he would have double the radiation as they had to do the scan again.

While all of this was explained, I wrapped Ben in a blanket and began rocking him, and hoping. I handed him off to Josh, and just as the nurse came into the room, Josh's magic touch put Ben to sleep. She called downstairs and told everyone we are coming right now to scan because the baby fell asleep. We rushed downstairs, they put warm blankets down to keep Ben from waking up, and scanned him in total silence. He stayed sleeping and still through the entire scan. It was amazing.

Later that day, we had our appointment with the plastic surgeon, Dr. Shah. He seemed incredibly confident, friendly, and we feel very positive about he and Dr. Sami performing Ben's surgery. Dr. Shah showed us some video footage about their procedure. He discussed what a positive working relationship he and Dr. Sami have, and because they have performed this surgery so many times together, they have a definite routine down in the operating room. Dr. Shah also mentioned the hospital stay would only be about 72 hours most of the time. I thought that was pretty unbelievable.

We scheduled Ben's surgery for November 12th (a Thursday), and we'll have to be there at 5:30 in the morning. That would put us going home Sunday evening or possibly Monday, depending on how things go. Dr. Shah re-emphasized the importance of a helmet and seemed very put-out upon hearing that our insurance company refuses to pay for it due to it's "experimental" nature. However, we will be getting a helmet within the two weeks following surgery and he concurred that the sooner the better not only for head shaping, but for Ben's protection considering his mobility.

After our appointments going so well that day, we dropped Ben off at the grandparents and went downtown for a dinner and a movie. We ate at South Avenue Pizza Company (not their best night), and saw The Invention of Lying (we thought it was hilarious, but it's not for everyone).

It was an exhausting day, and in the middle of it, we both got our flu shots. So we feel a little puny this morning, but much more positive overall, now that we have a surgery date in place. Our next appointment is with Dr. Sami on Monday.

*The photos today are of my dad and Ben, and my grandpa (on dad's side) and Ben.