One Tough Kid

After a pediatric visit in February, we learned that my youngest son was going to have to undergo an orchiopexy surgery due to a hernia. I’m not too crazy about surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. I cringed at the thought of my son having to endure this procedure. It weighed heavy on my mind from the day the doctor told us what had to be done. Hence, the reason for this post. While my wife and I worried about this surgery, our son carried on like it was no big deal. He mainly wanted to know what had to be done and if he was going to feel pain. After he understood the procedure and knew that he was going to be asleep during the surgery, he was ok. I still had a worried state of mind, but seeing that he was not afraid made me feel better.

Checked In – Good Spirits

Olympus OM1, Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 – Shot at f2.8, 1/60 – Kodak Portra 400 – Developed & Scanned by the Film Box Lab

After checking in, he was still in good spirits. He was even more elated when Grams and Grandpa P showed up in the waiting room. Having family around really made things less stressful. However, I could still see the worry on my wife’s face. My mom noticed this also, and said a few words of encouragement before the nurse came.

 Mickey Mouse Wardrobe – Ready for Surgery

Olympus OM1, Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 – Shot at f2.8, 1/60 – Kodak Portra 400 – Developed & Scanned by the Film Box Lab

The nurse brought in the gown that he would wear to the surgery room. You can notice in the picture above that he appears to be getting a little nervous. Even then he still cracked a smile and was joking around with the grandparents.

Well, the doctor and nurses came to take him to surgery. We followed along with him as far as they would let us go. He got several hugs and kisses from family and even some from the hospital staff as he was wheeled off. He was all smiles and he gave us the thumbs up. The next forty minutes would be the longest forty minutes I can remember. The staff was great! They let us know when he fell asleep. They called us right when the surgery was over to let us know how every thing went. The doctor came to the waiting room and told us that the surgery was a success and that we would be able to see him in the recovery area shortly. A big sigh of relief could be felt in the waiting room. We were very thankful that everything went as planned.

Probably the toughest part of the day was seeing my son laying in the recovery room. He was in obvious pain and in a barely audible voice, he asked us to make the pain stop. We felt so helpless. All we could do was hold his hand and try to comfort him the best we could. The nurse did increase the medicine which helped a little. After the nurse made sure that he was ok to leave, we went back to the waiting room to pack up.

 After Surgery – Road to Recovery

Olympus OM1, Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 – Shot at f2.8, 1/250 – Kodak Portra 400 – Developed & Scanned by the Film Box Lab

The picture above says it all. He was really tired and he was still feeling some pain. The pain was enough that he could barely walk. I took another day off from work so I could carry him to the bathroom when he had to go. After the next couple of days, he started to gradually come back to his old self. In fact, we had to watch him so that he would not get too carried away as the doctor said that he should have no physical activity for an entire month. This proved to be a challenge about two weeks into it, but we made it without any casualties.

 Full Recovery!

Olympus OM1, Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm f1.8 – Shot at f4, 1/1000 – Kodak Portra 400 – Developed & Scanned by the Film Box Lab

Things are back to normal. We had a checkup with the doctor and everything is healing just fine. I was very proud of my son for how he handled himself through this ordeal. He really is a tough kid. I believe he is a bit tougher and smarter than I was at this age. I know in the grand scheme of things, this is a minor surgery compared to the many children in hospitals with terminal and severe illnesses, but it is always a big deal when it’s your child.