Day 1 of Surgery: Healing for Gerny
Remember this little dude?
Well his name is Gerny. He is 14 months old and was our first patient today. (I use the term “our” very loosely here as this trip has taught me that blogging is rarely a skill needed in surgery.)
Dr. John worked to connect his lip, as well as adjust his nose a little bit. The noses of kids with clefts often have weakened cartilage, which can be repaired with stitches and tissue rearrangement.
Gerny was out of surgery by noon and the post-op nurses got to work settling him down. The kiddos come out of anesthesia disoriented and need some cuddling to calm down. Well what he really needed was his mama, who soon came in to save the day.
Compared to some surgeries, the recovery is relatively easy. Gerny was already breastfeeding by this afternoon. For now, he’s just trying to get as much sleep as possible.
The rest of the day was filled with more surgery, tooth extractions, and admitting tomorrow’s patients. Here’s some more of the day’s action:
A shout out to Deb Dunkhase…so glad you were able to make the trip! Thinking of you!
Bow Dennis was really hard at it!
Boy not Bow
Boy not Bow