May 16 was the day we couldn't wait for but also didn't think would happen. With all the infections, antibiotic troubles and leaky ports I wasn't sure we would make it to surgery day. But we did! Yay!!! I was super excited for no more tissue expanders!
Charlie was third on the calendar so we didn't have to arrive until 10:00am for a 12:20 surgery. We arrived, got checked in and then had to wait. So instead of hanging around the waiting room we headed outside and the waiting room would all us when it was time. Kelly and I were starving and wished we could eat but since Charlie couldn't eat we didn't want to torture him. So we found a nice little rooftop garden where you had great views of the city including the Golden Gate Bridge. Charlie only cared about the birds and this was a nice distraction from his hunger. We watched the pigeons fly back and forth from the rooftops and this was fun for him. He also only wanted to play ball. We tossed the ball around and tried to kill time. We went back and checked in around 11:30 and they still weren't ready. So then we headed to the library across the street, which turned out to be a big mistake with a tired and hungry 1 year old. We quickly left and instead hung out in front of the library.
Around 12:30 we still hadn't received a call so we went back to check and as we walked in they were ready for us. So we headed up to the pre-op room. Charlie was changed into his gown and he watched Octo-Nauts on the tv. We met with the nurses, the anesthesia team and Dr. Hoffman and his team. When it was time to go back (around 1pm) I held him while they put him under. It's always so hard for me but I know it's the least stressful option for him. Within minutes he was asleep and I left in tears. Kelly and I gathered our things and decided to leave the hospital for a bit since we knew the surgery would take 4-6 hours.
We decided to try a new restaurant called Burma Superstar. It felt weird to enjoy a nice meal alone while our son was having surgery but sitting in a hospital waiting room for 6 hours seemed torturous. We also knew we were in for a very long night and needed a good meal. The food ended up being AMAZING! We strolled along the street and looked in some random shops. I spent a good deal of time in an Asian restaurant supply store where they had hundreds of dishes and things. I also spent a lot of time in the aquarium store that was filled with various fish and things.
By this time we knew surgery actually began at 2:20 and we just had to wait. We were tired but again didn't feel like sleeping in the hospital. So we ended up going to Golden Gate park where we found a nice sunny spot in the grass by the Botanical Gardens. I wanted to find a place where I could see the hospital and we had found the perfect place. I dozed on and off until 5:30 when we got the call that they were "close to finishing".
We headed back to the hospital and ended up having to wait at least another hour in the waiting room. Around 7pm we finally got called up to see him. Here are some pics pre-surgery and I'll continue the post-op in my next post.
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