Day two post-op...

As Dr. Pilcher predicted, today was not one of Michael's best days. He got very little sleep last night. He was very uncomfortable, irritable and inconsolable. It didn't get much better with daybreak. He got his appetite back and actually ate a good breakfast then they told us he was having an MRI under general anesthesia this afternoon and couldn't eat anymore.

Around 1:30 pm Michael was begging to eat and asking us why we were letting him starve to death. It wasn't a pretty scene and tensions were pretty high. They finally took him down around 2:20 pm and he was gone until 5 pm. When he came back up his bandages were gone and Jeff & I almost didn't recognize him. His mood was a lot better and we actually saw quite a bit of "our" Michael.

They shaved his entire head, which is actually better than them just shaving a patch. The incision is a LOT bigger than we expected and the right side of his face and his is swollen terribly. I talked to Michael's nurse and she told me to expect the swelling to get worse before it gets better.

Michael can feel the ends of the threads of his stitches and keeps trying to pull at them. We told him tonight (in very simple terms) what the doctor did to fix him. He cried a little. He hasn't seen himself in the mirror yet and we want to keep it that way as long as we can. We're hoping he will be better able to handle what he will see when he is feeling better.

Tomorrow we hope to take him out on the playdeck as he asked to go outside all day today. We should also find out the results of the MRI. We don't expect there to be much news since it was done mostly as a base for future MRI's.

Michael has been sleeping quite peacefully for about an hour. A good nights sleep will be good for him. Thanks to everybody that has posted comments or emailed. The support of our family and friends has really made a difference. I'll post again tomorrow. JoAnne