MRI

Cora's MRI got moved from Wednesday to Friday. During the pre-surgical screening I had them make sure they double checked with her cardiologist about the anesthesia procedures because it could have differing effects on her heart defects. I'm glad I checked, they wanted to change procedures which they had to reschedule for Friday.

Of course I was on pins and needles all week about this MRI and there was no calming me down. I was mostly worried about how the anesthesia would affect her. We were at the hospital for 6 hours! Unbelievable, 6 hours?! We checked into the pediatric surgery wing, several people asked a lot of different health history questions, and we were sent to a room to wait some more. And wait and wait. During this time, Cora had to fast at least 6 hours prior to checking in and she was currently at hour 13 with no food so needless to say, she was hungry! But she's a champ and hardly cried at all, I was very surprised at that. In this room while we waited and in between sleep and awake times, Cora became very smiley and happy. I caught a series of these pictures.

The nurses put Cora on a portable little crib and wheeled her down. I kissed and said good bye to her at the double doors and watched her roll away from view. I felt helpless and cried and really wanted to be with her but they wouldn't let me. They then put her IV in, gave her anesthesia, and intubated her. She had all kinds of tubes and wires, the cardiologist wanted to make sure they had complete control of her entire system while she was asleep. They started the scan at 1:16 pm and in the meantime I found the cafeteria. I was famished!

After lunch I went back up to the pediatric surgery waiting room and waited for them to call me back. I paced the floor. I saw in a private room to the left was about 15 people wearing matching red t shirts that had an eagle and some scenery behind it with the words "Eden's Eagles" on it. They were all chatting away, I have no idea how long they had been waiting. I was finally called back to the recovery room to be with Cora and this is how I found her.

She was very calm and had a big red scratch by her right eye. I immediately starting crying, so relieved that she pulled through the anesthesia and did wonderfully well. I was just so overcome with gratitude! I greeted her with lots of kisses and hugs and smiles and nurse Gavin gave me an update on how she did.

After a while I was able to giver her some glucose water and then formula which she tolerated wonderfully, meaning we could go home. As I was feeding her, more patients were transported from operating rooms into the same large recovery room we were in. We heard wheels squeaking as they wheeled in Cora's neighbor, about five feet from her. Gavin starting asking her all sorts of questions and explaining where she was and how she doing. This little patient was moaning and looked so sad. It broke my heart. She was probably seven years old and I could see little bits of hair growing in so I assumed she had some type of cancer. A few minutes later a young couple came in to see her and I immediately noted the red "Eden's Eagles" t-shirts they were wearing. This little girl was Eden. I could tell she had been through more than any little girl should ever have to. I could tell she was a fighter and she had her own cheering section out in the waiting room. She's obviously a very loved little girl and I pray with all my heart that whatever surgery she just endured was successful and that she will be home soon.

I decided right then and there that I could never work in pediatrics. The recovery room was just lined with beds and beds of children and babies who were moaning in pain and crying of fear. It was the saddest thing I'd ever seen, it ripped my heart out. Of course I was curious as to each of their stories but I just prayed that they, along with my Cora, will be healthy and live a normal life.

While Cora was being discharged, nurse Jackie was chatting with me about her baby's digestion issues. She said a pediatric GI doctor in Seattle recommends Gerber Soothe formula for all his patients, she swears it's the first thing that has helped her baby. She also recommended I try switching bottles to one designed to help air flow and prevent bubbles.

I was grateful to finally be home after 6 hours in the hospital, and grateful to be surrounded by my own little loving family. I wanted nothing more than to sleep but I went to the store to buy new bottles and formula in hopes of giving Cora some kind of abdominal relief. I haven't heard when we'll be getting the MRI results back, I'm hoping sometime this week.