15 days to go....

[DairriensMom]

I havnt posted in a while...But Dairrien and I are becoming more anxious..There is just 15 days till his surgery..It has come so stinkin quickly...I can't believe how the time has flown by..For those who have had their surgery or who is a parent..What did you find helpful to pass the time,or what have you wished you had brought with you...As time appraoches,we are not only thinking about Christmas,but Dairriens surgery..So I am pretty tired in trying to prepare for everything..The hospital is about a 3 hour drive..What should I bring for Dairrien for the ride home? Any suugestions would be great..Thank you..

[Pooka1]

You are coming into the home stretch. This is a hard time.

We just tried to keep our normal schedule. Both girls went to school as usual. We didn't prepare as such other than not eating after midnight the night before and washing her back the morning of surgery.

Try to enjoy the holiday. There is no reason not too. Really. I suspect it will be a great distraction from worrying about the surgery.

I would bring a few pillows for the ride home. If you bring only one it may be the wrong size or firmness.

Good luck.

[Snoopy]

Our situation was similar to yours, though Jamie's surgery was a few weeks before surgery--December 7th. We kept busy by being totally prepared for Christmas. That was less thing to worry about while in the hospital and when she was discharged, I was able to concentrate on her and her recovery and nothing else. We had a small sleep-over before Jamie's surgery since she knew she wouldn't be going to any sleep-overs over her Christmas break.

I would also suggest lots of pillows for the ride home. Plan on frequent breaks to help Dairrien change position or walk around so he doesn't get stiff. Make sure he takes pain meds before you leave the hospital.

I would suggest taking the following to the hospital for yourself (Dairrien will use some of them as well): bottled water-hospitals are so dry and you need to stay hydrated; snacks, such as dried fruit, granola bars, etc.-our hospital had snacks and cereal, coffee, etc. available for parents, but sometimes Jamie didn't want me to leave; a notebook-write down every medication given, what it is for and the time given-it will be very important to keep him on scheduled once he is on oral meds. Sleep when he sleeps-both at the hospital and the first week or so at home.

Hope this helps. You will get through this.

Mary Lou

[scoliboymom]

all very good advice you have gotten. One thing I did to keep myself busy was prepare meals ahead for the freezer. The notebook is a really good idea. Mine actually turned into a hospital stay diary especially the day of surgery, it gave me a private place to express myself. Also Patrick was happy I wrote things down. He said some of the funniest things (while on strong meds) which he doesnt remember so it has become a nice keepsake for him.
Good luck, You'll be on the other side before you know it

Ramona

[DairriensMom]

That is all great advice,thank you...we are trying to just rest up and enjoy the holidays...I am still trying to keep Dairrien well with loading him up with Vitiman C ,as our Shriners will not do the surgery if he gets sick,we will have to wait another 12 weeks before they would do it...Blaw...But so far so good,he got the flu shot and the H1N1 shot,so he is protected in those aspects...
We are definatley going to make a list on things we will need and go get them.. what I hate,is that everyone is out christmas shopping and we cant get anything done,the isles are packed out..lol..But it comes with the territory.....I am completely scared about the surgery..While Dairrien I think is more calm and collected..what a kid :) I think waiting is the worst ever !! It is driving me batty...But whats nice is Christmas is right around the corner (Next week) WOW! so we have that to look forward too,all 3 of my boys are very excited..Thank you all for all the great advice...I am going to definatley do the Diary...

[ArabianFancy]

Great ideas. I had not thought of several of those but do have my notebook to write EVERYTHING down in.
We are at 29 days before surgery. Mandy is getting fitted for contact lens on Thur . She has been begging and it will keep her occupied very well I think. Now to keep Momma from losing her mind :eek: I am trying to focus on work but not having much luck.
Thanks so much!
Gina

[Snoopy]

Mandy is getting fitted for contact lens on Thur . She has been begging and it will keep her occupied very well I think.
Gina

Getting contacts is very exciting for a young lady! I would suggest that your daughter take her glasses with her to the hospital. My daughter never wore her glasses once she got contacts, but she wore them in the hospital without complaining. Glasses are just so much easier.

Mary Lou

[DairriensMom]

Well we are down to 5 days...this is coming up so stinking quick...we got into the Ronald Mcdonald house...YAY!! SO that is a true blessing..We got our final confirmation call from Shriners today..so we are good to go...
Boy this is nerve racking..I am busy packing and getting things ready for next week..anyways thought I would give an update...

[Snoopy]

Five days! :eek: These next few days will go even faster than the last few weeks. Finish your packing today, enjoy Christmas and take some time to yourself over the weekend to rest and relax.

How's Dairrien doing? No matter how well he is doing right now, be prepared for a possible change in emotions and/or behavior over the next few days especially when you get down to 1 or 2 days. As hard as it is, try to remain calm and confident around Dairrien. Kids feed off of us so if we appear calm and collected, they tend not to worry as much.

Merry Christmas!

Mary Lou

[jrnyc]

Hi Dairren's mom
what hospital are you going to for surgery for your son? how long a ride will it be coming home?

i wish you the best...smooth sailing to the healing part...it seems kids heal easier & fastest, so that is something good to look forward to!

best of luck
jess

[DairriensMom]

Hi Dairren's mom
what hospital are you going to for surgery for your son? how long a ride will it be coming home?

i wish you the best...smooth sailing to the healing part...it seems kids heal easier & fastest, so that is something good to look forward to!

best of luck
jess

we will be at shriners in Sacramento...the drive is about 2 1/2 hours one way..

thank you for the well wishes....

-Misty

[DairriensMom]

Five days! :eek: These next few days will go even faster than the last few weeks. Finish your packing today, enjoy Christmas and take some time to yourself over the weekend to rest and relax.

How's Dairrien doing? No matter how well he is doing right now, be prepared for a possible change in emotions and/or behavior over the next few days especially when you get down to 1 or 2 days. As hard as it is, try to remain calm and confident around Dairrien. Kids feed off of us so if we appear calm and collected, they tend not to worry as much.

Merry Christmas!

Mary Lou


Hi Mary Lou....I know this week has flown by...got most of the packing done,Need to do laundry to do the rest this weekend :)
I am trying to stay calm and collected even though I am scared poopless !!!I worry about complications...I worry about his recovery...I have faith..I pray all will go well...and I thank god for this group...as I would have no where else to vent my fears ,or thoughts too...

[ArabianFancy]

Misty, I am praying for you. 3 weeks from today for us...... I just want to get it done!!! I am more anxious than she is!
Gina

[LindaRacine]

Moved thread to Parents forum

[DairriensMom]

Dairrien is a tall boy,roughly 5'8 at 13 yrs old..He was towering over me just last month..Now we are seeing eye to eye..

I am wondering if his curve has increased...I guess we will find out Tuesday? when we check into Shriners...That was a little concerning to me when I was cooking dinner and he came up to me and instead of looking up,I was eye level.... :(

[Snoopy]

Hi Mary Lou....I have faith..I pray all will go well...and I thank god for this group...as I would have no where else to vent my fears ,or thoughts too...

Trust in Him and all will be fine. I struggled before Jamie's surgery--I couldn't eat; I couldn't sleep; I was losing my temper; in other words, I was miserable and making everyone else miserable. One day I decided I just couldn't handle it anymore. I knew in my heart that I had picked the best surgeon for Jamie (we had five opinions), I'd done my research, etc. so really there wasn't anything else I could do. I prayed one night and simply turned the whole thing over to God and I had the best night's sleep after I did. I simply felt at ease. And everything was fine.

My prayers are with you.

Mary Lou

[RitaR]

Hello DarriensMom, I have a son the same age as yours. My son is 6'2" tall at 13 years old. I love looking up to him and his voice has recently changed to a lower ton - it's just beautiful!!! These boys are just wonderful to us!!!
Good luck to you and your son with your surgery. I'll keep you in my thoughts.

[Pooka1]

Dairrien is a tall boy,roughly 5'8 at 13 yrs old..He was towering over me just last month..Now we are seeing eye to eye..

I am wondering if his curve has increased...I guess we will find out Tuesday? when we check into Shriners...That was a little concerning to me when I was cooking dinner and he came up to me and instead of looking up,I was eye level.... :(

My two girls are very tall also and of course immediately gained more height after surgery. It was jarring at first to see them stand for the first time but you get used to it. :)

They are about 5' 9"+ and 5' 10"+ I'd say and they like their height. Any taller I don't know if they would.

Good luck with the surgery. I think you will be amazed at how quickly Dairrien recovers!

[jrnyc]

Dear Sharon
tall girls...how lucky! they must be gorgeous...

i am so sorry for all the kids who have to go thru the surgery...but i know that once they heal (faster, as children do) they will have wonderful, healthy lives!
prayers go out for all those facing surgery this week...& a sure faith that all will go well!

happy merry everybody
jess

[Pooka1]

i am so sorry for all the kids who have to go thru the surgery...but i know that once they heal (faster, as children do) they will have wonderful, healthy lives!
prayers go out for all those facing surgery this week...& a sure faith that all will go well!

happy merry everybody
jess

Post of the month nomination. (I hope I'm not over my limit of nominations :))

Husband is almost done cooking the dinner! Delicious vegetarian options for me and turkey for the rest. :)

[DairriensMom]

I look forward to seeing Dairrien standing tall,no longer looking at the ground..being able to actually look at someones face while talking instead of looking at the floor :( I look forward to the day that Dairrien will stand straight so mean kids don;t call him "The hunch Back of Norte Dame" (This is one of the reasons he is not in school and is home schooled) Kids can be cruel..and me being a mom,watched from a distance as a young man mimiced dairrien while he was walking by..I went right up to that kid (13 yr old) and said...How dare you !! Do you realize that he has a deformity of his spine..do you realize that he can't help that? Didn't your mother tell you that you shouldnt make fun of other people who are different? You should be thanking god you don;t have to deal with the pain that he goes through everyday,just so he can come to school,and deal with punks like you..The kid was appologetic,I hope I gave him something to think about..But after that Dairrien left school once again,to be home schooled cause he couldnt handle the pain of being there all day,and the kids were not so nice :(

I Just wish people would teach their children about being nice to everyone,None of my 3 boys who are 11,13 and 16 EVER teased anyone,nor have they looked at someone else who was different,and said anything out of line..sorry,I am rambling..lol.. I will be glad when this is all over and Dairrien can start his Teenage years with a fresh new start :) Yes Happy Memories :)

[Pooka1]

Yes kids can be so cruel. It's heartbreaking.

Bullying and teasing is a bigger problem in school than many people realize. There was a huge campaign in the middle school here about it with week-long awareness raising.

My kids have been bullied. There were phone calls and emails between myself and the school psychologist. It's a frustrating problem. Some of it is parenting and some of it is just kids being kids, both of which are intractable in my opinion.

Whether through that experience or just being required to think rationally their whole life, I am grateful my kids see this as the huge problem it is. It is on their radar and it bothers them when some kid is being teased or bullied. I get frequent reports both about how others were bullied and how they and others have tried to help. It's not realistic for kids to always step in but there are a few kids who will try at least some of the time.

[DairriensMom]

well we are here at the ronald mcdonald house...we check in at 5:30 am for Dairriens surgery...He is the first surgery..so I will let everyone know how he is doing !! Please pray for a safe and quick recovery...

[jrnyc]

it is 1:45 a.m. on the east coast, & i know you are probably worried & nervous....but now is the time to let it go, trust the surgeon & excellent medical staff, & have faith that it will go well & have a positive outcome....you have done everything you could do...he will be fine.....the new year will begin with your son spending his energy on healing...so that the rest of 2010 can be his healthiest & happiest year yet!

prayers & thoughts for a successful outcome...

jess

[DairriensMom]

Thank you Jess :) although I am anxious and worried..everyone reassured me this morning that everything will be ok...He has a great team of doctors..so I have faith in them....He is in surgery now,and I am just waiting now....

[ScoliSkye2]

Praying for your peace! it's my turn next week. I know how you feel!

[JenniferG]

Hi Darriensmom. I hope surgery went well and you're both feeling more than a little relieved. Take one day at a time, you're heading for the light at the end of the tunnel now. Take care of yourself. You need sleep and good food too.

It's NYE here in Australia, so Happy New Year!