The Elusive Hernia

Twenty minutes.  That's all it took once they got her back there to shove that perky intestine back in and stitch up the hole.  We first noticed her hernia mid December but it eluded multiple doctors and nurses for months.  My mother-in-law, a nurse, saw it, Brent and I saw it, her preschool teachers had noticed, but no docs.  We'd take her to an appointment and it would not present itself.  She's stand, sit, bear down, strain.  Nothing.  Not even on an ultrasound. Then we'd get home and it would pop out.  Of course. Finally, at an unrelated appointment, a developmental check of her cognitive progress, it presented itself when I took her potty.  I quickly brought Everlee back into the room and showed the doctor, to assure myself I wasn't losing my mind.  She confirmed my suspicions and gave us a surgery referral.  Went to the surgery consult, and the hernia could not be found.  Damn elusive thing.  It's like the LockNess monster.  So many sightings, no confirmation.  Graciously, the surgeon agreed to put her on the books based on our information.  I didn't even have a picture.  In 25 years, only once had he cut a patient open and find nothing.  I did not want to be the 2nd.  Thankfully, he made the cut and found the hernia sac.  The medical team sent her home without any physical limitations other than not submerging in water for two weeks.  So no tubs or pools.  I can handle that.  Brent was out of town for CE during the time of the surgery and urged me to reschedule, but everything went smoothly with helpful neighbors.  Plus, the next available surgery date was in June, and who wants to be out of water for two weeks in the blazing south then?!  I had to laugh when they said she'd set her own limitations.  I replied with, "So, there are no limitations."  According to them, she would walk hunched over for a day and be in extreme pain.  Reality: she was herself within two hours and I didn't give her pain meds except for nighttime the first night.  She was running around with friends, climbing stairs, and jumping on the trampoline that afternoon.

A local women's church group makes scrub caps for each child to keep.  

Our head nurse's scrub cap was the exact fabric of Lu's dress. Even though we'd changed into the hospital gown, I had to hold it up and get a "twin" picture.