MOMMY COCCOON

So... we went to Shriner's 2 days ago. I hate going to Shriner's. Not because there aren't good things that come out of it, or that it's not helping. Mostly because everytime I come out of there, they drop a new bombshell on me and it always takes me time to recover from it.

The news was generally good, we talked about Eli's upcoming surgery in June and what to expect. The outlook was good, and his doctor is SUPER sweet about everything... I love Dr. James.

I guess all this time I have thought about getting him "fixed" and how it would be 2 surgeries and then he would be done... FIXED. I guess this time, when I came out, I realized that it is a lifelong commitment. And frankly, I don't really know how to handle that.

The doctor explained to us that he will have a series of 4 surgeries over the next 18 months. The first 2 will be to fix his wrists, the second 2 will be to create 2 thumbs. This is exciting cause they said they could only make one thumb, but because of his progress they have agreed to do both sides. But, the bummer is that it creates a whole new surgery. In between surgeries, there will be cast changes every 6 weeks which involve him going under anesthesia again so they can keep the pin in his hands just right. There is also a risk of him getting loose of the cast, if that's the case, it's another trip down to Sacramento to get a new cast put on.

Then, after all of the surgeries, he will have to have occupational therapy on his hands to help him when he potty trains, which sounds lengthy. And after that, there could be a possible arm-lengthening procedure done (this will ofcourse be entirely HIS decision) but that could be another few years of agony for him. On top of it all, he will always have to wear a brace on his arms at night while he sleeps (much like a retainer for braces) until he is well into his teens.

I guess just getting all of this information in one sitting is hard. It is exciting to see changes happening, but it's also the beginning of a VERY LONG marathon of things being done to my baby. And sometimes, it is just really hard to take.

When I get this information, I usually go into my MOMMY COCCOON. I don't return phone calls, or emails, or do anything involving having to share this story a million times a day and be vulnerable. I enjoy acting like I have it altogether. Which, I will, after I have been in my coccoon for about a week.