Seiden's procedure was scheduled for 10:00 the morning of June 22nd. We had to be at check in at Cook's by 8:00 so that they could get her up to a waiting room and get all her pre-op stuff done. We drove down to Ft. Worth (Keller actually) on Sunday night to stay with Sandra and LaDell so that we didn't have to get up and on the road so early on Monday morning. Plus, she couldn't eat anything past 3:00 am or drink anything past 7:00 am. So, I wanted to get up with her at about 2:00 am so that I could give her a snack (I set out a buffet of every single one of her favorite foods!) and get some fluids in her and then put her back to bed for a few more hours so she would get something in her tummy and not be so hungry. When I woke her up, she ate about half a banana, a granola bar, half a container of yogurt, a couple of bites of a powdered donut, She drank a few sips of milk and then it was time to clean it all up and put her back to bed. The system worked out flawlessly and we were both able to fall asleep until it was time to get up in the morning. I got up at 5:00, Cody got up at 5:30, and I got Seiden up at 6:00. I had to give her a bath before her procedure (she had had one the night before...but we still went ahead and bathed her again that morning). We wanted to be out of Sandra and LaDell's house by 6:30 just in case the traffic was crazy from Keller to Ft. Worth. So, we loaded Seiden up along with some coloring books, her baby doll, and a couple of stuffed animals and headed to Cook's. The traffic wasn't bad and we were pulling into the hospital by 7:15. Because we had some time to kill, Cody stopped so I could grab some coffee (we didn't want to eat in front of her), and then we went and checked in at the main registration area.
My parent's arrived a little after 8:00 and we all went up to the surgery waiting area until they called us back to our own room to begn pre-op. In between her having all her vitals taken, having doctors and nurses come in and check on her and ask us all sorts of questions, and being informed about expectations of the procedure and recovery, Seiden was having a ball playing with all the toys and making friends with all the nurses. She was completely enjoying herself! Which, was so good to see knowing that she was about to undergo a surgery. However, that all came to an end when the anesthesia team came in and gave her a nose spray that sedated her so that she wouldn't remember leaving us, and then it was time for her to go back to surgery. Dr. Mac told us it would be about an hour. So, we decided to go ahead and go eat lunch since it was past 11:00 at that point.
While we were eating, one of the many service dogs walked by us. She was a golden retriever named, "Kitty." She stopped by our table and we talked to her handler for a little bit. While she was there, she leaned up against my legs and just nuzzled her head into my lap. She didn't leave my side until the handler called for her. She knew I was worried and could sense my fear. She gave me just what I needed while my sweet princess was having tests run to see what decisions we would make about future surgeries and procedures she would have. It was the most comforting thing all day and it completely eased and calmed my nerves. God knew that Kitty needed to be right there with me during that time and He sure provided just what I needed in that very moment. Shortly after Kitty left and we finished lunch, I got a phone call from Stephanie (Dr. Mac's nurse) that Seiden was out of surgery and had done great. Praise Jesus! Now...it was just time to go sit and hold her while she woke up from anesthesia.
It took her awhile to wake up from anesthesia, but once she did, she at two bomb pop popsicles and was asking to go home. We got her changed, signed the discharge papers, and then we all headed back to Mimi and Pow Pow's. But, before mom and dad came to their house, they went and built a Build A Bear in the Cook's shop before heading over. When they walked in the door, they handed me a Starbuck's (bless them) and a BAB box for Seiden. I opened it up and was immediately emotional. They had built Kitty, a golden retriever that so resembled the precious service dog I will forever remember.
For the next few days, we stayed at Mimi and Pow Pow's while Seiden recovered. We wanted to be close in case we needed to get back to the hospital for any reason. So, my mom stayed with me from Sunday night to Tuesday night while Cody and my dad headed back home. And then Cody came back up on Tuesday night and he and I stayed in Keller with Seiden until Thursday. Seiden was recovering beautifully. Her face we really, really swollen on the right side. Dr. Mac had only gotten to three of the cysts in her cheek, but they were the three biggest cysts. He could only inject 10mL of the medicine because of how strong it is. The medicine he is injecting into her is one of the drugs that goes into a chemotherapy cocktail. So, it's unbelievably strong and he can only inject small amounts at a time safely. But, other than her swelling, she was having no complications. She just tired out incredibly fast while her body was trying to heal and she was trying to get the anesthesia out of her system. We got out and about several times while we were there. She was getting antsy just being in the house all day. So, we went to Cabela's, Hobby Lobby, Carter's, and a fro yo shop during our stay. We could only go to one place, then come home so S could nap and rest. But, we tried to make the most of it and let her have some fun and get out and about while she was recovering. We headed home on Thursday and spent the next few weeks monitoring her. She had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Mac on July 6th to see how the procedure had worked and to see when and if we would schedule another procedure. We were just so happy that everything had gone as flawlessly as it had and we were past the first treatment. God is so good and He just continues to show us His mighty hand in all of this!
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