Another successful surgery!

Saturday, August 18, 2015 - 1:57 PM



Jonathan's surgery took about two hours. I was expecting it to be a little less, but cest la vie! All in all, no complications of any kind, and we were not expecting any. We are all, including Jonathan, "experts" in this now. His scar from the surgery is a bit longer, and I forgot that there is always nerve damage whenever this type of procedure is done. Jonathan experiences some numbness whenever certain parts around that area is touched, but luckily, nothing worse happens as there is always a possibility.

This picture was captured in the (post-op) recovery room. Jonathan just woke up from anesthesia, and part of the "recovery" process is to drink some fluid or eat / suck on one of those frozen lollipops. Here you can see the scar from the surgery on his neck, and also the scars from the exit point of his central line, when he has had chemo in the past. His scars are truly his badges of honor. When he met a very young Neuroblastma boy (less than 5 years old) at Camp Okizu's Oncology Family Camp, I was suggesting to Jonathan to show the scar from his surgery when he was five and the incision went from his button, to the side of his chest, and then up towards just under his arm! What an emotional time, and I still remember it like it was (almost) yesterday :).

Looking forward to the results and next steps!

Waiting in Pre-Op

The day that we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived! We’ve been looking forward to Jonathan having his surgery for quite some time now, as everything else was being “held up” until it happens. We can finally get pathology examining his tumor, learning and discussing his treatment plan, and on a more minor level, hopefully some discomfort relief for Jonathan for his arm, shoulder and back areas.

I decided to take Jonathan for his appointment and Gabby was going to meet us after dropping the other kids to school. Luckily, our next door neighbor took the day off so she could babysit Dakota and also keep Niko so he could have his potty breaks. For some reason, it was important to Gabby, to be present in the recovery room after Jonathan’s surgery, and since only two adults or kids over 18 (?) are the only ones allowed, it means that if Dakota was here, someone would have to be in the waiting room with her.

Although I think it was unnecessary for Gabby to extend herself, I respect it. Her friend and neighbor, also made it possible for this to be an option as well. I think path of Gabby’s drive is that she is in a dark but realistic place. We’ve come to a realization, earlier this year, that Jonathan’s disease is a chronic one, i.e. persisting for a long time or constantly recurring, and is the better path for us mentally, rather than getting disappointed every time he has a relapse. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few months, and (hopefully) get some confirmation on whether his tumor is still a slow growing one or is following the more “traditional” path of being more aggressive.