This Afternoon

Samuel is out of surgery and in recovery. I haven't got to see him yet though. They are going to keep him for at least another five hours, but they are hoping to be able to release us to go home this evening.  Please pray that he meets his milestones so he can be released.  Pray for pain to be manageable and for a safe and comfortable drive home tonight.  The staff at Memorial Hermann is wonderful.  They sent me to his room and as soon as I got here, the nurses were asking how much weight Samuel has gained and wanted to know how he was doing. Then they brought a menu and said to make sure he orders plenty to eat so he gains weight while here instead of losing it.  He weighs 110 pounds now and is inching his way closer to the minimum weight for his big surgeries coming up.  

Another little bit of good news is that just a few days ago the open wound on his abdomen stopped draining and the skin closed over allowing him to have one less bag.!  I called Dr. Kozar that day because I was told by several doctors that it would never close without additional surgery. I wasn't quite sure if it was a good thing or not.  Dr. Kozar was a little puzzled too and said until it proves otherwise, we will assume this is a good thing.  At this point it seems to be going well and we are going to count that as a praise!  The fascia is still not closed and will need some sort of mesh to close it after the big surgeries, but the skin is closed now and that makes things a little easier for Samuel.  He had minor wounds from previous tubes that have never been able to heal due to all the adhesives and tape when applying the wound bag. Now those wounds will be able to heal too. 

I know these random surgeries are to be expected and part of that "two steps forward, one step back" process, but it was really hard to accept that we were headed back to the hospital again.  I am just so thankful that they were able to get things under control again and that his stay here will be short.  It has been so great to see him getting to enjoy the things he loves again.   Thank you for joining us in praying for Samuel.  God is good ALWAYS!