Hand Surgery #2 Day 1

Bilateral syndactyly release and bilateral toenail bed surgery. That's what awaited Team Jake today.

We started bright and early today arriving at the surgery waiting area at 6am. After a few quick vitals we settled into the waiting room before they led us upstairs. Once there we sat in a temporary bed/surgery waiting area. Soon the Dr.'s arrived and we discussed the strategy. Dr. Upton thought Jake looked great and was very pleased with how his hands looked from the last surgery. We discussed the plan and soon we realized that the correction to his toenails was more complex than we thought but worth doing while in the OR. After this surgery the Dr. let us know we would just have to take photos of his hands and xrays once a year to keep him updated but Jake probably won't have to come back to boston till he's around 4 or 5. Jake was in great spirits smiling at the Dr. and giggling. We felt awful knowing what he was about to face. Aunt Stacey made it up to kiss Jake goodbye and I brought him into the OR. I held him as they adminstered the anesthesia and then left my sweet boy in the good hands of Boston's most qualified.

Long day of waiting and finally around 2pm we met with the Dr. They released his fingers to give him 5 fingers while also increasing the webspacing between his hands. That was more than we thought they were doing but helpful for longer term hand function. They used skin from the previous donor site in his groin to finish the fingers. The toenail procedure was also done to alleviate ingrown toenail pain that many had informed us is a major issue with the Apert childrens' feet. The surgery went great but the Dr. had to put Jake in 4 casts yes both his hands and feet are in camoflauge color casts (Jake's choice) This is going to lead to a great deal of discomfort for him even as the pain subsides. Jake was pretty sad and cried hard so a decent amount of morphine has been administered to handle the pain. I just left Sam to stay with him tonight and he was resting peacefully. I am sure a tough night awaits Jake and Mom and I will be at the hospital early to relieve her. It is so sad to see our boy in so much pain and hear him whimper but the only thing that gets us through is knowing this is it for awhile. The last of 3 first year surgeries and then a break will await us. We hope tomorrow brings the healing process for Jake and we can alleviate his discomfort the best we can.
Think soothing thoughts for our lil guy, he once again is fighting and needs our collective strength.

Love,
L&S