First 24 Hours Post Op

Ruthie is peacefully sleeping right now. I wish I could have forced my self a glimps of this picture last night. It was a very difficult night. Something went really wrong about dinner time. Ruthie became inconsolable. Our hearts were breaking because there was nothing we could do. You could feel her bottom tighten up and then she would let out a scream. Ruthie weighs 21 lbs without casts, but with casts she is very heavy. Skip and I took turns passing her back and forth. He noticed her back was wet and then we discovered her epidural was out and had been leaking down her back into her diaper. This was my biggest fear: not being able to identify pain. I do believe looking back she may have had more anxiety and fear and anger then she had pain. Her little heart was beating in the 190 to 200 and she was determined to rip all her little attachments off, including her IV line. The nurse called for new orders and then the real meds began. She calmed down very quickly. She continued to cry, but it was not frantic. Her favorite position thru the night was being held swaying back and forth while standing. She did sleep a little in the bed with me next to her. At 6:30 am Skip had me go back to the Ronald McDonald House to sleep. After 3 hours of a deep and restful sleep, I received a text from skip saying, NEW CHILD with a picture of ruthie in a wonderful big plastic Radio Flyer wagon. When I arrived back to the hospital ruthie's little eyes were sparkling again and she gave us a smile. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Proverbs 30:5