NICU Diary Day 73

Monday, December 18, 2000

G-Tube Surgery

I had a pretty rough day. I didn’t get any food after 2:00 a.m. because my g-tube surgery was this afternoon, and I had an i.v. put in my head! At least they didn't shave off my pretty hair. I'm gonna put up with it for now because the morphine & Tylenol are making me feel pretty good.

The surgery went very well. Surgeons tried the “closed” method first and it worked, so they didn’t have to make an extra incision in my stomach for the “open” method. For the closed method, the doctors put a scope down my mouth to my stomach. A light on the scope shows them where to create the g-tube site. Mommy and Daddy were grateful the first option easily worked. I was also circumcised during the surgery. Gee whiz, can’t a guy get a break around here?!

I was recovering back in the NICU about an hour after I left for the surgery. Mommy and Daddy were there to hold my hand as soon as they spoke with the doctor. On of my favorite nurses got me all tucked back into bed and made sure that I was comfortable. Mommy schemed to make sure I got my favorite nurses today. Her and Daddy left after I was comfortable and stabilized. They wanted to hold me and give me hugs, but I needed to rest and recover. They thought my g-tube site looked good. I was already making Mommy nervous though because I decided it's a good place to rest my hand!

I'm not getting any nutrition through the g-tube today, but I'll have formula through it tomorrow morning. I'm getting plenty of fluids through my i.v. to stay hydrated, and the ventilator is helping me breathe. I was on oxygen right after the surgery but I was able to go off the oxygen this evening.

We are all glad that my g-tube surgery is done. In about six weeks, after my site heals, the doctors will remove this tube and replace it with a Mic-key button. It kind of looks like a plug on an inflatable raft that you blow up. It's nicer than the tube from surgery, which is about 6” long.

The good news is that I shouldn’t need anymore surgeries for about a year. My next surgery will probably be my palate repair around 12-18 months.

Holidays in the NICU

At least I got some good presents today. It seems that Christmas is the season to be in the NICU. Lots of parents of NICU graduates donate gifts to all the babies. Today I got a new beanie baby dog from another graduate family and a gingerbread house from the Swiss Colony Company.

Last week I got a really pretty Christmas tree made out of beads. It's a very special gift made by a Mom in honor of her angel baby who spent about a month in the NICU before she gained her angel wings. (Update: This photo was taken 12/18/18. The U of M Angel Tree Peter received in the NICU continues to shine bright 18 years later.)