Surgery #11- June 19, 2012

          On June 19th I went in for my 11th surgery! The usual team of my dad, mom and I left Salem at about 9:45am we had to be there at 11 to check in 2 hours prior to my scheduled surgery at 1pm. We got a call saying that I got to be in the new Randalls Children's Hospital at Legacy! They built a new section for youth ages 0-18. Originally it was 0-13 then 13+ was in the adult section. I got to
experience both since I had gone through 10 previous surgeries since I was 2. I
was pretty excited to be in a new building! We got there right on time! The
building was amazing! So colorful and inviting. It wasnt like most hospitals
where it smells and looks sterile, this was very clean but almost a home away
from home feel. We went down to the lower floor where I was to be checked in and
we went through everything and I got taken into my room with my mom. It was so
cool! They had this touch screen that was used to watch tv, movies or play on
the Internet!

Welcome booth!

          Served to be pretty great once we heard my surgery got pushed back
to 3:30pm. My doctor had an emergency surgery that took precedent over mine so I
got pushed back to 3:30. We also heard that he blocked out 4 hours for my
surgery! So estimating the time we guessed I wouldn't be out of recovery till
around 8:30ish that night! Long day at the hospital! My mom and dad switched out
taking turns of waiting with me and taking breaks and doing things outside of
the hospital.

Before surgery!

The team, we all got our matching wrist bands!

           It finally came time to do the one thing I feared the most, the IV. The nurses
are supposed to try atleast 2 times before getting a trained nurse to put it in
or to have the IV put in while the patient is asleep. So the nurse tried to find
a good vain,  thought she found and one and put the needle in. She got it in but
wasn't able to thread it into my vain all the way.  That's when the anxiety
kicked in. She tried to pull it out a little and try again but it was causing
pain and I phsyched myself out. I started crying and gettin really anxious.
That's when my mom told the nurse to call it quits. She told her not to try
again and just to have me get the IV in once I was out. I had hit my max.
I then sat there for another hour or so.
           I met a couple residents studying under my doctor, Dr.Dierks. He talked over the procedure with me, he said that if there wasn't enough bone in my first hip they take out of then they may have to take from both. He initialed my hips and went on. My mom came back and swapped
with my dad and my mom and I took a walk around the hospital floor. It ended up
being 3 when some nurses came in and said my doctor was finished and that they
were going to take me earlier than planned to the pre-op room. There I met with
my anasthetiologist, Dr.Hughes, and he was awesome! He was probably the youngest
anasthetiologists I have had, and he was very interactive with us! I request an anti-nausea patch to be put on behind my ear before surgeries because in the past I have thrown up from the anastethia. So he got one for me but dropped it while trying to get it out and he says "and that is why I am not the surgeon" :) He was fun but most certainly knew what he was doing later as it proved that the dozes he did was just the right amount! I met with my doctor, more residents and OR nurses! My doctor
decided to add in another piece to my surgery, if necessary he was going to take
out 2 pieces of my lower jaw bone the size pf his thumb nail and add that to the
bond graft as well! Finally at about 4 it was time to be taken to the OR. Since
           I didn't have my IV in yet they had to put me out with gas. They used this
laughing gas as they call it that was said to smell like Barbie plastic but it
really didn't haha it just smelt bad! Then they used this heavy stuff that smelt
like acrylic nails and then I was out!
          I woke up a few hours later in the post-op. I woke up really easily and came out of everything really smoothly! Probably one of the best recoveries I have gone through out of 11 surgeries!

Me right after my surgery! We were amazed at how little swelling I had coming out

My hip right after my surgery!

          Since my surgery was pushed back later they scheduled me to stay over night at the hospital, but they said we had the choice whether to stay or not. I was taken to the 8th floor of the new hospital building, one nurse called it the "pent house suite" of the hospital haha. The room was big, open, and welcoming, they had a couch that pulled out into a bed for someone to stay over with the patient. The doors were made from bamboo and the private bathroom was so nice!

           My surgery only ended up being 2 and a half hours long rather than 4 hours! Dr.Dierks told my parents that the surgery went great! They ended up only needing to take bone from my right hip since I had a lot of really good bone in there. He didn't need to graft bone from my lower jaw either! Praise God for making this surgery be as easy as possible! I was determined not to stay over night at the hospital, I love waking up in my own bed and in my own room the next day after a surgery! So the nurses checked my vital signs a couple times and I made it the goal that the next vital signs check at 9:20 would be my last and we would get ready to go! Around 9:45 or so I was set to head home! The nurses sent me off with an anti-nausea patch, anti-nausea med, morphine, an anti-inflammatory med, and oxycodone all so I was well covered for the ride home! I was pretty out of it once I hit my bed later that night!
          My recovery from there was incredibly fast! I was told that this surgery would cause me to have a lot of swelling for 1-2 weeks and that my hip would be sore but not as bad as my last hip bone graft. Well, I was only swollen for about 4 days, and I was off crutches by the 5 day! Today is day 8 and I got my retainer back in, my swelling is completely gone, and I'm walking mostly like a normal person with a few aches and pains depending on what I am doing! Remarkable recovery!

My hip a week later once we removed all the stuff covering it

             I saw my doctor today for a follow up, unfortunately the power had just gone out when we got there so we had to take the stairs up to the 3rd floor! That wasn't exactly what you call fun after a bone graft from the hip but it wasn't impossible! Dr. Dierks looked into my mouth and said everything looked how it was supposed to. We were going to do an xray of my mouth but since the power was out we were not able to do so. The next step is looking at a surgery sometime in December or January to do the next step of putting the actual dental implant bases into the new bone! Last year the set back was that the bone didn't grow enough, but it's a new year and anything is possible!!
           Thank you to all who have been supporting me and praying for me through this surgery! The power of prayer is incredible and every prayer has helped! I only have one prayer request and that is if you think of me on some random day if you could remember to pray for the bone to grow in my jaw, so that in a few months when we go back in we aren't looking at another failed bone growth! I'd love to moving on and finishing up with all these surgeries! I've still got a few more to go :)
Thanks for all your support and I will update again in a few months!

1 Chronicles 29:13
"Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name"
-Katie Scheel

Fear...Surgery #11, 3 days away!

Fear: (n) an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
Fear: (v) be afraid or scared of

Fear or afraid...that's how I've felt the past couple weeks in anticipation for my upcoming surgery in 3 days! When people would ask me how I am feeling about an upcoming surgery usually I would say just "great" or "excited to get it over with" or "it's just one of those things I have to do". Though all of those statements are completely accurate there's something about admitting to be afraid of something like this that almost makes me feel weak or that I have little faith in the great God I serve. 

This surgery is going to be #11 and it's going to be another bigger one. You see a year ago I was looking at a surgery similar to this thinking we are on our way! Making great strides! Little did we know that a year later we would be facing this surgery once again but with a little twist to it since the last one didn't work. As I wrote in my last post this surgery is using cadaver bone powder, my own hip bone, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) to create another "bone pudding" to be put into another titanium mesh screen and screwed back into my up jaw for the next 4-5 months! So I look at this surgery and the steps involved and I think to myself "great, it's another surgery I gotta get through! It's good to be back on track again and making progress" 
I got asked by an adult last week "How do you feel about this upcoming surgery?" I simply replied "good, just another one of those things I got to get through" Like many who have heard my story and journey they tell me I am a brave girl but this strength and bravery to get through it is all coming from "Christ who strengthens me", God equips me with what I need and only gives me as much as he knows that I can handle. 
But despite what I know in my heart and what I have been taught there's the human emotions and feelings that come through, fear. 
I have this guy in my life who is my absolute best friend and who's been able to walk through this stuff with me in the past 2 years. He's kinda new on board compared to the rest of my family and the friends that have grown up with me personally through this all but hes one of those guys who is always so encouraging, uplifting and positive. He's the one who made me realize through talking out the failures of the last surgery with him that I am truly afraid of this next one. But it took me a while to finally come out and admit that I am afraid.
I am afraid of this surgery failing again.
I am afraid of my body not accepting new bone.
I am afraid of the IV
I am afraid of waking up in the middle of the surgery 
I am afraid of the pain of my hip after the last hip bone graft I had.
I am afraid of what could happen if something goes wrong.
I am afraid of how much money could essentially be wasted if this doesn't work again 
I am afraid. 

I always felt that if I admit that I am afraid for a surgery it portrays me as weak or that I am no longer strong about this. That the minute I say I am afraid I lost the strength and courage for everyone else who is here to support me. I felt that I couldn't be afraid of these surgeries since I've gone through them since I was a young girl and it's just always been apart of my journey and story. I have to be the strength and pillar to hold this up, but I was wrong. I can't be the strength and courage for myself, I'm human and with that comes fear and weakness but the great thing is is that I have a God on my side who will be there for me through everything!  If I give him my fears and worries he will become my strength and my courage to get through it all. I can't do it on my own :) 

So fear I believe is ok to admit. It's a response to a situations in life but how we deal with it I think is important. So when I got asked the other night by another adult about how I am feeling about this next surgery I said with no hesitation that I  am afraid but that I am excited to move forward. 

On June 19th at 1pm I will be going into my 11th surgery with strength and bravery that God has equipped me with and I will no longer need to be afraid because I will be at peace since I know that God is with me.

So what are you afraid of today? And how will you over come this fear?

Fear: Psalm 91:5&9- "You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day...If you say, "The lord is my refuge," and you make the Most High your dwelling"