Day One - Post-Op

I was escorted to the family waiting room to wait with Brett and Sydney. The surgeon came to meet with us and told us that he expected that from start to finish - falling asleep, procedure, waking up - would be approximately 2 hours. I think it was close to an hour and half by the time he returned.

They have a 'consultation' room in the waiting area. The surgeon entered the room as well as Ryan's Bone Marrow Dr that we have seen for the past 15 years. The surgery went as planned. They were surprised at the size of the cyst. They said there were also 3 smaller cysts that they removed as well. The surgeon made a circle with his hands to show how big the cyst was and said it was about 6cm in diameter. The size would later be described as the size of a small peach/lacrosse ball, and the three smaller cysts the size of small cherries. As we were leaving our consultation we were told that it would likely be an hour and a half before Ry began to wake up enough for us to see him.

I lost track of time. Ryan was alive and peace surrounded me. I was overwhelmed by the blessings we had received. As we were waiting for them to call us back we were watching the local news. The mountain pass that we had driven just 12 hours prior was now covered with 1-2 feet of snow. Our miracles were already beginning to happen.

It was decided early on that I would be the parent to go back with Ryan. When he had his last surgery, Brett struggled and ended up passing out and ultimately throwing up a couple of times. We needed someone who could see the gore without being queasy. That person is me. I was finally taken back by a hospital volunteer to see Ryan. He asked me where we were from and I told him UT. He asked me if we were of the LDS. I told him yes. He then told me how he volunteered once a week at the Family History Center. He said that he was Presbyterian, but that the LDS allowed him to work at their center. We discussed how it was our hope that no matter what your religion or beliefs, perhaps we could all love each other. He thanked me and then left me to see my son.

Ry was pretty groggy when I first saw him, and he stayed that way for the rest of the day. I wrote the following update for our family and friends who have been following his story.

Day 1 update - Ryan has been in significant pain today. So much so that he struggles to speak. They used a special type of tubing to intubate him as they collapsed only his right lung and kept his left lung inflated. His throat is very sore and his Adams apple is visibly swollen. This is to be expected. He should feel relief from that within the next day or two. Ryan has a chest tube and it is still draining a fair amount of fluid. He has a bubbling leak in his lung that they are monitoring very closely.

Just as we were getting ready to transfer to a room Ryan's oxygen levels started to drop. 

They placed a nasal cannula and began supplemental oxygen at 2 liters. They began to wean him off the oxygen just before shift change, but so far they have not been able to get him completely off of the supplement. They need him to take deep breaths, but his pain is so high that he struggles to do so. I am ok with the cannula as it is helping him relax for now.

He has been asleep since about 7:30 local time, although he has spent very little time being coherent today as they do their best to manage his pain. This afternoon he spiked a fever which is extremely rare for him but it has resolved itself as of this post.

Ry was not started on IV fluids right away, but the need for them became apparent and they began a bag of saline fluid just after 8pm.

One miracle that we witnessed today - we were sitting in the family waiting room and the local news was on. The mountain pass we drove through on the way to CA had 1-2 feet of snow. We missed the storm by 12 hours. We truly have been watched over.

I never would wish a situation on someone that would constitute the need for so many people to pray for one's self, but I would wish that everyone could feel so much love. We have felt the love of all of you. Your faith is tangible. The arms of our Heavenly Father have been wrapped around each of us and we feel it.

The staff here have been amazing. We have spent a fair amount of time in hospitals and I cannot recall another time that we have been treated so well. We waited quite some time for a room today and the staff felt so bad that we were gifted $40 for the gift shop for Syd and $20 for the cafeteria. Who does that? Another tender mercy." 

Ryan's Chest Tube - Day One