Surgery

“I love you so much, mommy,” while rubbing my arm up and down is what Jake said right before heading out to our ENT appointment.  My sweet boy who out of nowhere tells me that with a huge smile on his face.  Now, as I walk outside of the ENT office, I have to explain to my sweet baby that he will have to have surgery.  How do you start to begin to explain this to a sweet innocent boy who did no wrong.  Joel is right, his spirit is not broken, he still has that sweet smile and is full of joy.  Meanwhile, our hearts are breaking for him with anger, fear, shock, and the list goes on.  

I first want to say, “thank you,”  to those of you who check this blog continuously, call, email, and text to see how we are all doing!  It means so much to us that we can’t even explain.  

As we were on our way to the CT scan a couple of weeks ago, I was digging in my purse and came across my camera.  I told myself that I should take a picture of Jake by the CT scan because this is a journey that he is having to go through and I want him to see how brave and strong he was when he is older.  So I decided that I am taking pictures of everything that Jake is having to endure so that everyone can see for themselves and understand his journey.  

The ENT appointment in a short form went like this:  The hole is still there and needs surgery to be repaired.  His hearing is the same as last time.  As far as the CT scan goes, one of the bones in his ear has been separated and the doctor will not know what to do with this bone until he goes in there.  The surgery is set for Tuesday, August 2nd.

At the beginning of all this, I was trying to figure out a way to make this a positive experience for Jake instead of it being a negative one.  So I decided to use ABA therapy, something that I was taught when I was a Behavioral Resource Therapist.  This involves getting a treat for everything that he is having to go through so that he can remain strong through some painful things.  Here are some of the treats that he has gotten for being one of the strongest boys I know!  Right now at this moment you cannot put a price on just making him smile for what he is having to go through.  

I continue to pray that this will not break his spirit.  This journey is not over yet, and I just pray that we will soon be able to put this whole experience behind us!  We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for all the support, words of encouragement, and prayers out there.  Please keep them coming for Jake’s upcoming surgery.  

Hearing test every time we visit ENT.

Lots of Love from the Garcia's!

Ear plug that we have to put in for every bath.

CT Scan

So we went in for Jake's CT Scan this morning.  Man, he's a champ.  Before we got there, we were explaining to him that the doctor needed to get some pictures of his ear.  And of course he asks why, and then follows up with, "He's gonna take pictures to fix my ear?".  And of course, our answer is yes.  So we proceed to explain to him the importance of staying still and that if he follows through he'll be rewarded with a prize.  We tell him that he needs to stay as still as a statue...........frozen.  "Frozen, like ice!" he yells at me.  LOL.  Yes Jakey, frozen like ice.  So we get to the hospital and he's all smiles.  He sits on the table, the technician goes through the motions of how it's going to all play out, and he's ready to go.  Puts his head back in the harness and away we go.  Annette and I are suited with the radiation vests that I'm sure everyone is aware of and we stand over Jake while the machine whistles and spins.  Jake is motionless, except for the smiles as he watches his favorite movie on the portable DVD............Garfield's Halloween Adventure.  And no, I did not force my child to select this movie as his favorite.  He just happens to love Halloween.

What seemed like an eternity was more like 4-5 minutes.  Jakey remained motionless.  The technician comes in and says, "Perfect Jake.  You were perfect."  Thank God!  They had warned us on Friday that if Jake couldn't hold his position, they were going to have to reschedule and have him sedated for the procedure.  The inner ear bones are so small that the person getting the images done has to remain motionless through the entire process.  Jake did it!  So no sedation!  Woohoo!  I know, I know, it doesn't seem like a major feat but you try to get a 4.5 year old to sit still for more than 1 minute, much less 5!

So, they finish up and the technician is asking Jake questions, and he's stiff.  No movement.  She finally says, you can move.  LOL.  So Jake relaxes and starts to move around, jumps off the table, and says, "Where's my prize?"  LOL.  Momma didn't raise no fool!

More of a waiting game still.  We get the results of the CT Scan hopefully in the next few days.  If the bones are where they should be then we focus on the hole in the eardrum.  If the bones are misplaced or cracked, then we deal with it when go back in two weeks.  Either way, in two weeks we'll know if Jake has to have surgery or if his ear has miraculously mended itself.  Stranger things have happened!  I envision him to be bionic, that his little body is working feverishly to close that gap.  I try to think of him as a starfish because starfish are capable of regrowing appendages that have been severed.  So, when you're praying, ask that he be a bionic starfish!