Bennett was finally discharged at 4:30pm this afternoon. He was so very excited.
Of course, the very last (but painful) step of being discharged is having the IV taken out.
It's both scary and a bit painful to Bennett. But he did very well. Bennett currently has a lot of edema (swelling) in his belly, scrotum, legs and toes. But the surgeon feels like it's just normal edema from the surgery and will go away with time (in fact, he's likely to pee it out). The surgeon kept us at the hospital all day to make sure the bruising around his anus is healing fine. Apparently, the sugar injection they used, called Dexa 50 or Dexatrose, put a lot of sugar to the bowel but the sugar spread out to other tissues (which was somewhat expected) so that he had bruising and ran the risk of an infection under the skin. We will continue to monitor him but the surgeon believes his wound is going to get only better from here.
Upon arriving at home, Bennett found a gift waiting for him at the front door: a balloon bouquet with a bag of yummy candy. Bennett was thrilled! It was a gift from his preschool teachers and classmates. It was incredibly thoughtful to receive and wasn't just a gift for Bennett but a gift for all of us. Getting to see Bennett get so excited over receiving a fun treat - after after watched Bennett have to suffer so much in the last few days - was a gift in itself.
In fact, tonight, after receiving the gift, Bennett said, "I like the happ-spittle!" (translation: "I like the hospital!") I'm so glad he associated this gift with his time in the hospital. Good feelings towards doctors and medical intervention is important for Bennett. For Bennett, going to the hospital isn't a sprint but a marathon. We are so thankful for the love we received from his little preschool class. His teacher, Mrs. Missie, has been particularly involved in his care at school as well as keeping updated with how he is doing.
I have so many more things I'd like to write about tonight...like thanking people for prayers and well wishes...like the conversation Brian, Oliver and I had tonight about life not being fair...and like the adorable comment Bennett made to me on the way home from the hospital.
However, after 1.5 hours of sleep last night, my eyes simply will not stay open long enough for my fingers to type my thoughts. So, I am off to sleep. But I will share tomorrow a few lingering thoughts from our time at the hospital tomorrow.
Until then, I'm going to enjoy a good night's rest,

Of course, the very last (but painful) step of being discharged is having the IV taken out.
It's both scary and a bit painful to Bennett. But he did very well. Bennett currently has a lot of edema (swelling) in his belly, scrotum, legs and toes. But the surgeon feels like it's just normal edema from the surgery and will go away with time (in fact, he's likely to pee it out). The surgeon kept us at the hospital all day to make sure the bruising around his anus is healing fine. Apparently, the sugar injection they used, called Dexa 50 or Dexatrose, put a lot of sugar to the bowel but the sugar spread out to other tissues (which was somewhat expected) so that he had bruising and ran the risk of an infection under the skin. We will continue to monitor him but the surgeon believes his wound is going to get only better from here.
Upon arriving at home, Bennett found a gift waiting for him at the front door: a balloon bouquet with a bag of yummy candy. Bennett was thrilled! It was a gift from his preschool teachers and classmates. It was incredibly thoughtful to receive and wasn't just a gift for Bennett but a gift for all of us. Getting to see Bennett get so excited over receiving a fun treat - after after watched Bennett have to suffer so much in the last few days - was a gift in itself.
In fact, tonight, after receiving the gift, Bennett said, "I like the happ-spittle!" (translation: "I like the hospital!") I'm so glad he associated this gift with his time in the hospital. Good feelings towards doctors and medical intervention is important for Bennett. For Bennett, going to the hospital isn't a sprint but a marathon. We are so thankful for the love we received from his little preschool class. His teacher, Mrs. Missie, has been particularly involved in his care at school as well as keeping updated with how he is doing.
However, after 1.5 hours of sleep last night, my eyes simply will not stay open long enough for my fingers to type my thoughts. So, I am off to sleep. But I will share tomorrow a few lingering thoughts from our time at the hospital tomorrow.
Until then, I'm going to enjoy a good night's rest,
