Journeys With Joshua: I Survived #5!

It has been almost a year to the day since I started this adventure of trips to Chicago, tissue expansion and surgery. This past Thursday, December 8, I went through my fifth surgery. Looking back on it, this year has been eye-opening, life-changing, and wondrous... in both good and bad ways.

While mom and dad looked forward to getting back in the game, they were both very apprehensive about this surgery. The plan was for me to get 4 expanders -- 2 in the back and one in each leg. Although I have recovered ok from the last 2 surgeries, they feared that this one would be much harder on me. Subsequent expander insertions can sometimes be manageable, but when new areas are "lifted," it is just as uncomfortable as the first time. Additionally, when Dr. Bauer did get in there, he had some trouble maneuvering around the scar tissue, and they all thought that might cause some recovery trouble. So, we approached with a bit more caution than usual.


Yes, this is me being cautious too -- even refused my hospital gown and my cape! But that didn't stop me from being my happy self!

We had many surprises on this trip. The first came came when we arrived at the hospital for surgery. When the consent form was handed to mom and dad, they saw that Dr. Bauer had changed his mind and was planning to insert 3 expanders, instead of 4. Dr. B later came in to explain. He had re-evaluated the photos we sent over last month, and decided that there isn't enough nevus on the left side to require a thigh expander. So, he ended up placing two 750 cc expanders in my back, vertical and side by side, and one 350 cc expander in my left posterior thigh. During surgery, the right back was filled with 110 cc, the left with 120 cc, and the thigh with 50, so they are all basically 1/6 full already!

Surprise #2 came after the operation, when my recovery started out so well that we left the hospital just 6 hours after I came out of surgery. Of course, I was very uncomfortable, which was expected. But I was handling it well, which is the important part. While mom and dad were afraid I would start out in a lot of pain, I showed them what a champ I am as a veteran of this process.

Getting some rest on mama's lap.

Having some milk!

Cuddling with my lion and new doggie and watching my favorite video.

I gave mom and dad yet another surprise two days later, when I became extremely uncomfortable, was difficult to console, and had gone 72 hours without eating anything solid. At this point, I still wanted to be held constantly, and clutched on. Thinking back to my first surgery and how I handled that recovery (when I had an infection that no one realized), mom began to worry something was wrong. But then, my fourth and final surprise of this trip, by Saturday evening, I was suddenly almost my regular self. I began to eat, started walking, was laughing and playing, and was going around the hotel room in search of my big sis!

So, here is where I stand... I have 4 incisions, with two of them being in new areas. The expander in my thigh is difficult to adjust to, and 2 of my ports are in the other thigh, making both legs uncomfortable. It is somewhat hard to stand and walk, but I am working on that.

We will begin expansions in about 10 days, but will take it slowly. Our experience from the last round has definitely instilled in us that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to fills. We have 12 weeks to work on these new "bubbles," and if all goes well, we will return to Chicago in the spring for their removal on March 1. Then, we will find out if I am done with expansion. So, this is very exciting, but we are also a bit anxious.

I am definitely off to a good start. Not just from the amount of saline Dr. Bauer has started me with, but also because my incisions look great. We pray that they keep looking good and heal nicely, and that I have a successful and infection-free expansion. Please pray with us.