More postsurgery fun..

Amy and Sadie.  Before the sleep study we met up with one of my high school friends from Albany, Oregon, who has been living in St. George since she got married in 1979!  Sadie and Amy bonded right away and we had a fantastic visit.  It was soo good to see Pam after all these years.  It's like our friendship just took off where it was years ago.  I believe we shall be making it a point to visit more often.   Pam was actually able to meet us at the Temple my first time back in 7 years on August 10th.  It was an amazing experience.

 Sadie and I on our front steps one evening after we were home from surgery.

 Sadie with ice cream everywhere on our swing I had bought when we were in Logan before Sadie's surgery. We had a couple friends who came over and put it together for us.. and Sadie loves it. She swings and says.. "wee... weeee"... We love it.

 My first night back at the Temple I was frantically looking for sitters for Sadie, as I hadn't ever really left Sadie while living here.  My friend Sandi's daughters, Stacia and Katie (who both sat at the hospital with their mom, me, my dad and Cassie the 5+ hours in the waiting room during Sadie's surgery) volunteered to drive up from Salt Lake and spend the night with us and watch her.  Sadie loved her slumber party with the big girls. And I know these two lovely girls earned some angelic points in heaven!  Bless their sweet, sweet hearts to provide such a service for me and Sadie Mae.   I'm so blessed.

Sadie's first night wearing the CPAP mask.   Broke my heart putting it on her and hooking her up and watching her throughout the night. She did great.  I was a wreck!



Holy smokes, where did the last month go?  I'll tell you where!!  Sadie had her sleep study in St. George the last week in July, which was a total nightmare.  I expected it to be sleepless, but it was traumatic. They had 21 wired leads on her hooked to a machine, several of which were on her headed, put in place with plaster.  It took 3 hours to get them all on her. They were coming off as fast as they put them on after her tolerance level died 2 hours into the process.  A few never did get hooked up. She had about 12 inches of wire from her to the machine, and her oxygen tubing kept coming loose through out the night as it never got taped down... so the whole night was wrestling match trying to keep things attached and her moving around too much to disconnect it all.

We then had her followup on August 4th with the cardiothoracic docs.  Her heart is doing so well they didn't even hear her murmur at ALL.  Before surgery you could hear it with your ear near her chest!.  They said the right side of her heart is working awesome and they didn't put her back on any hypertension meds. The only medicine she is on now is her thyroid medicine.  A total miracle!!  All those hundreds and thousands of prayers in her behalf were answered.  I was so thrilled.   Suddenly, I felt a change in the wind, that we were being truly blessed and good things were coming our way.

On August 12th I took her back to St. George for the results of the sleep study, which wasn't so wonderful news.  Sadie has severe obstructive sleep apnea, with her breathing stopping about 116 times an hour, soo since I didn't want to even discuss surgery at this point, the doctor told us the preferred option would be CPAP and if she wouldn't tolerate that then it would be the oxygen still at nighttime.  I just wanted to cry.  So, we had to try on masks and fit her for one.. In the meantime her stomach has been sour, so she kinda cut loose on their bed.. it was soo embarrassing. I had to run out to the van for a 3rd diaper and wipes.   5 weeks after surgery and still can't get her bowels regulated!! 

Surprisingly, Sadie has done very well with the CPAP and wearing the mask at night.  We've had one bad night.  Her skin doesn't care for the mask and her face is breaking out with eczema.

The last two weeks have been....crazy.. amazing.. mind rushing... heavenly.. and yet ahhhhhhhh... I'm truly, truly blessed.

Sadie has bounced back to her normal very active, strong-willed Sadie.... and we are both looking forward to her going back to preschool on the 30th.  I have to take her to the school Tuesday for her IEPs with the teacher and therapists.  :D

Also next week she is cleared pretty much to play on playground equipment again, so we will be making our evening walks to the school again to play on the slides and such.

I love summer... and it's hard to see it end.   But, what a rush it has been. Buying my home in the spring, trying to get settled and surgeries set up and done, and rush, rush,, rush.... so sad it's gone without more fun...but good to be done with surgery for awhile now.