Saturday - Post op day 2 update (6pm)

Daniel and I had a reasonable night, considering what we expected. He could not tolerate being on his back but managed about 2 hours at a time on each side before he became sore and needed to be turned. He was in pain with every turn, but then settled again relatively quickly. We did have the usual regular interruptions for his vitals to be taken, medication given, machines beeping and so on. However, he overall did well and woke up pretty cheerful this morning. He chose some breakfast from the menu, but by the time it arrived about half an hour later, he couldn't manage it, and just needed a nap. Unfortunately, late morning both his anti-spasm and general pain meds seemed to run low and he was in a lot of pain in his back, and unable to do anything at all.  Once the new meds were given through the IV they took nearly an hour to take effect, an hour which was pretty distressing for everyone.

However, once they did work, he improved rapidly and we decided to seize the moment. We turned the TV on to a kids channel, which he can't see when laying down. Then, while he was distracted we popped him on to his back and raised the head of the bed to about 30 degrees. Hooray! There was a bit of complaint but once up he relaxed. On a roll (and again while he was watching TV so distracted)  we fed him the breakfast he hadn't eaten for his lunch. He managed some strawberries and some banana, which was better than nothing!

Propped up AND managing a bit of lunch - result!!

Soon after that Lucy came to visit with Mum and Dad. They had been last night to the turning on of the Macy's Christmas lights and fireworks, which Lucy had loved, and this morning had done a second Zoo visit (the big advantage of it being free - we can pop back as often as we choose).

Lucy enjoyed sitting on the bed with Dan and watching rubbishy children's TV with him (we can't get much children's TV in the apartment so they were riveted).

Maths Bingo on the ipad with Grandma

Dr Park also did his ward rounds and declared that the movement in Daniel's feet is 'very promising for future improvement', which were words we wanted to hear!

After watching TV for the ENTIRE afternoon, Daniel managed a small amount of burger for tea and a yoghurt, and is now about to settle down for the night. Tomorrow morning he will have his IV drip, catheter and all his leads removed first thing, and will go on to oral medications. Mid-morning he will be sat up on the edge of his bed, and if he can tolerate it, transferred to sit in his wheelchair for half an hour. I understand from other parents that this is not an enjoyable experience for anyone concerned, but at least it marks the beginning of the next phase of our journey, and the start of therapy. I'll let you know how he gets on.....