Six Days after Surgery

The issue of swelling was one that I was very worried about. We were told that the swelling could get so bad that his eyes would swell shut. It never got that bad, and we are very thankful for that! Here's a kind of progression of Benjamin's head. Tomorrow, which will be one week since surgery, I'm hoping to post some before and after pictures. We'll also get to remove all the bandages, and give him his first hair washing since surgery!

Night before surgery.
A few hours after surgery, in the PICU.
Tuesday morning, almost 24 hours after surgery. Notice the left side of his face is more swollen. He slept with his head tilted to the left and the swelling "migrated".
Getting ready to leave the PICU, just over 24 hours after surgery. This is about when his swelling peaked.
Wednesday afternoon, over 48 hours after surgery.
This morning, six days after surgery.

Benjamin is doing great! I am amazed at how gracious God has been to him, and to us. I'm not surprised, just amazed. How undeserving we are of all that he has given us, and how good He is!

Here are a couple answers to some FAQ.

We go back to the doctor on Wednesday. At that point, the neuro surgeon will determine if a helmet is needed. Before we left the hospital, she said that she is so pleased with the progress his little head is already making that we might not even need to do a helmet. That would just be the icing on the cake!

If Benjamin does need a helmet, she will write a prescription, and we will take it from there. We don't even know where we will be going for the whole helmet fitting. It might be back to Austin, or it might be in Houston. I don't think we'll be able to stay here. We'll have to wait and see where our insurance sends us. It's so comforting to know that we can trust in God, and know that he will lead us just where we need to be.

Tomorrow, when I wash his hair, his stitches will just come out. They are absorbable, and will have absorbed as much as they need to. So you may get your first peak at his scar tomorrow!

Even though Benjamin's doing better than we could have imagined, we are keeping him out of any nursery type environment. It's easy for me to forget that he had major surgery and a blood transfusion, since he's doing so well. So please don't take offense if you come to visit and I ask you to wash your hands. I really don't think you're dirty! :-)

Things at home seem to be going as smoothly as expected. The older kids are being very loving to Benjamin! Elizabeth is retesting every boundary at the moment, so we are praying for more grace and patience to show to her.

Again, thank you all so much for your prayers! I can't tell you how many times this past week I stopped and thought to myself, "Why am I not freaking out yet?" Only by your prayers, and the grace of God!