RunFitMama: Thankful

A year ago today, we were having a sleepover at Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen. Jack was recovering from surgery to repair UPJ obstruction.

We first found out there was a problem with his kidney at my 20 week prenatal appointment. It was such an exciting appointment, because we found out we were having a boy. The ultrasound showed the right kidney was significantly larger than the left. After countless ultrasounds throughout my pregnancy to monitor it, countless more on Jack after he was born, and awful other tests the poor baby had to go through, surgery was scheduled.

In my heart I always knew it would have to be done. But still at every appointment, every time they waved the wand over his little belly I held out hope that they would say it got better on it's own. I just wanted to keep putting it off, until later, later.. and then maybe it would get better.

This was not life or death, I know, and there are millions of children going through much worse scenarios. As a mother though, I was unbelievably scared. I cried the entire week leading up to it. I think I was most nervous about the anesthesia. He was so little and I was so afraid something would go wrong.

The day before the surgery, Liz and I ran the relay portion of a half marathon. I cried through my entire seven miles. Do you know how exhausting it is to cry and run at the same time?

I don't know how I got through pre-op. I think I was in shock. When the anesthesiologist took Jack out of my arms I fell apart.

The surgery started late because of a problem getting an IV in- Jack's got a funky artery around his heart which makes it impossible to have an IV on his right side. You would think that info would have been in his charts.

After several grueling hours pacing the hospital, we got the call that the surgery was over and was successful. We met with Dr. Mingin, the surgeon and finally got to see Jack. He was still asleep from the anesthesia and had an epidural for pain. It was the longest couple of hours waiting for him to wake up. When he finally opened his eyes he just cried and cried. You could tell he was in so much pain.

We settled into our room on the pediatric floor and had visits from Grandma and Grandpa Tom, who waited with Adam and I during surgery. By morning our old Jack was coming back and we got to go home.
I cry now, thinking about that day and how scared we all were. After a follow up visit and ultrasound with Dr. Mingin last fall, his kidney looks to be completely repaired.