Home from the Hospital

Well, I am tired, but I know that some are still wondering how Gerrick is. We took him to the hospital at 11:50 to get checked in. I was a little tired because the kids kept me up all night because 3 out of 5 of them had fevers/coughs/headaches.......plus Gerrick was nervous and wouldn't sleep. So, when we got there and Gerrick told me he didn't bring the credit card, which I needed for lunch, I got pretty upset. We had parked quite a ways away and I was carrying enough food, toys, books, and other supplies to last the day with the two little ones. But, after that glitch, it was fine. It ended up that I needed to go home anyway because Keghan was home sick from school and needed more medicine..... So, after getting him checked in, shaved, and his IV in, we waited. There was a lot of that today. Around 1:30 the anesthesiologist came in and talked to Gerrick about the surgery. He talked him into getting a block of the nerve that serves the entire arm. This block would keep his entire arm numb for about 12 hours. He said that even if the doctors wouldn't tell him, he would, that this is one of the most uncomfortable surgeries you can have. That was encouraging! Gerrick had the scope plus an incision on the whole shoulder. He went into the operating room around 2:30 and was in the recovery room around 3:45. Dr. Stickland came and told me all about the surgery. It went well. The SLAP tear was big, and bleeding. He fixed it well, and it should heal in time. Gerrick is not allowed to move his arm from his sling until Friday after his doctor office. That's right, sponge bathes!!! He has a machine to keep ice water on his shoulder at all times. When I finally got to go back and see Gerrick, he was white as a ghost and looked like he was in a lot of pain. The block that was supposed to help was numbing his arm, but only from his hand up to a little past the elbow. He felt everything!!! The pain meds that the surgeon prescribed were the same ones that he is on for his neck pain, only less! So, they didn't even touch his pain. I felt so bad for him, and there was nothing I could do. We are waiting it out through the night, but his pain is really intolerable. He hasn't eaten yet, and the broth he tried to eat made him very sick to his stomach. I just pray that he will be comfortable enough to sleep for a while. He fell asleep while I was at the store buying wipes (for the bathes) and some green tea. The kids are being very good about not jumping on the couch while he's there, but 3 weeks is a long time to keep that up!!! Thank you to everyone who called today. I know Gerrick appreciates all the prayers!