A Wee Little Surgery for Our Wee Little Guy

Isn't this the cutest little patient you've ever seen? The week before Thanksgiving, McRae had surgery to correct his hypospadias. His was a rather minor case, thankfully, but painful nonetheless. The surgery lasted about 2 hours. Thankfully, our Skinner Grandparents were there to keep mom and dad occupied--that could've been a really long 2 hours. The surgeon said the surgery went great and 30 minutes later, we were on our way home! (Well, really, just to Dan and Louise's. There aren't any pediatric urologists in our city, so we had to seek out a surgeon in the valley. Plus, we wanted to stay close to the Dr. and hospital in case of any complication(s).)

After seeing my baby in this gown, I'm almost certain that the reason all gowns are made with an opening in the back is because they modeled them on babies first. Too bad the whole split tail thing isn't very cute as the patient ages. Trust me...I know! (Too many stories about that!)

I wish I had more pictures of him after the surgery. But this picture, taken just before surgery, is a pretty good example. I'm telling you, I birthed an angel! The kid was amazing. Just minutes after returning home, he wanted to eat and play with his cousins. He wasn't supposed to be able to walk for a few hours because he received a spinal block (similar to an epidural) during surgery and his legs were limp noodles. But, that kid was determined and he wanted to be on the go! A good indicator of what a little, busy body he is--even when he's sick! When he's healthy...look out!

This is the cutest patient this nurse has ever cared for! Post-surgery he had a catheter which drained his urine. It stayed in for 5 days. We used a double diaper technique to keep things hygienic, as it was an open system. The first diaper caught the bulkier bodily rejects. We cut a small hole in the front of it and placed the catheter and his bandaged goods through it. The urine then drained into the second diaper. It actually worked really well.

His recovery would have been pretty smooth sailing, but he ended up with a nasty cold just two days post-op (his very first URI--pretty amazing that we made it that long). And, to add insult to injury and kick a boy while he's down, all four molars decided to make their debut. I longed for my sweet, happy boy to return--two weeks later, I got my wish!

We've since had our follow-up with the MD, and he says everything's looking great and doesn't think he'll need another surgery. Three cheers for getting it done right the first time!