Friday October 7, 2005

Friday October 7, 2005 Zack was awake at 7:30 and was happy that I brought him some real clothes to wear. He was moved late last night to the 9th floor in a private room. His nurse came in and wanted to know if he wanted to clean up. He headed for the bathroom and before we knew it he was in the shower. I told him not to get his head wet so he finished quickly. 9:30 Kim Meyers (nurse practitioner for the neuro surgeons) came to remove his drain. She had a difficult time and decides to call for Dr. Janjua. Unfortunately he is in surgery and we have to wait an hour. Rick Thompson comes in to keep us company and we play cards. 3:30 Dr. Janjua finally arrives and attempts to remove the drain. He tugs but it won’t come out and Zack is in pain and starting to tear up. He tells me that they are going to have to go back into surgery to remove it. He leaves and I am left standing there with no explanation and a little concerned that we are going back into the operating room. 3:50 Dr Janjua comes back with Dr Meyers (attending Neuro surgeon) and they attempt to remove it again. More pain for Zack but no better luck. They check for an operating room and inform me that they will take him in about 2 hours. I start making phone calls to tell Scott, Rita and Donna what is going on. I am not comfortable with the whole surgery thing so I go looking for Kim Meyers to get some questions answered. To my good fortune I see Dr Meyers and ask him to explain things further. The piece of tube is stuck just beneath the scalp (it is not under the skull). He says 4 things need to be in place for this surgery: a patient, a doctor, an operating room and an anesthesiologist. Right now we have the doctor and patient. We are waiting on an operating room. Zack cannot be put to sleep because it hasn’t been 8 hours since he has eaten. If an operating room becomes available before the 8 hours they will try the surgery with just a general to numb the area. Then it will be up to Zack and what he can tolerate. If he is too uncomfortable and distressed they will stop, wait the 8 hours and try again to have all 4 pieces in place. As we wait I hear a helicopter land and know that 6:00 surgery will not happen. Zack is getting hungry and thirsty but I explain why he can’t have anything and he patiently complies. I receive a phone call from Jude Thompson (Anthem president) and his son goes to Christian Academy with Zack, played on his basketball team and Jude was actually his basketball coach years ago. Jude explains that he had reviewed Zack’s case with the Anthem medical director and wanted to do the best thing for our family. He believed the best thing was to keep Zack here, so that our family would be together, and get him the therapy days he needs at Frazier East.
He knew that Zack didn’t want to go to Dallas. He told me not to worry, that Zack would get what he needed. And he is right. I am so overwhelmed and thankful that we had Jude in the right place, with his wisdom, making this decision for our family. As I walk downstairs to see if I can find out anything on a new surgery time I am thinking about all the people that God has put in just the right place for us. This accident has happened for many reasons but today a new reason hits me. God needs to show us how he intended his church to work. As Christians we are all members of His family and He wants us to love one another as He loves us. We have experienced that first hand and are honored that 9God is using our tragedy to glorify His church. He sits on His throne and whispers “watch my people”. We finally get taken down for surgery at 9:30. Dr. Janjua says they will put him completely out and the procedure from start to finish should take about an hour. I wait alone in the 2nd floor waiting room, which is eerily quiet. No others waiting.
It is almost 11:30 before Dr. Janjua comes out to tell me they are finished. He had to open the incision up from the front to half way back because there were several pieces.
Because the surgery was so late in the day he does not want him to go home tomorrow. He said he will still be groggy from the anesthetic and it would be late before he could release him. He felt safer just keeping him overnight. I tell him we want to leave early Sunday so we can take him to church. He asked if 7:00 AM was early enough. We intend to have him at the 11:15 service at Southeast Christian Church on Sunday and I can’t think of a better homecoming than to take him to God’s house and give praise. It will be an emotional service for us regardless of the sermon. In recovery Zack tells me he is going home tomorrow. I tell him it is already very early on Saturday so yes he is going home tomorrow. He thinks about it and asks, “Is it Saturday already? Then I am going home today”. I tell him because his surgery was so late he can’t go home until Sunday. He looks at me very apologetic and says, “Mom if I don’t get to go home today I am going to be pissed off”. I tell him I am sorry and promise that all his friends would be here on Saturday to keep him company. I know Saturday he will keep asking me to take him home and I want to so badly. It is 1:30 AM when he is back in his room and I am very tired. Only one more day and this chapter will be over. I can’t wait until Sunday morning…leaving here with Zack and taking him to church for the first time in 3 months. Please continue to pray for his complete recovery for the glory of God!