day 3

Ish proudly modeling his bright yellow socks, waiting to be taken to the operating room.

Ish was in surgery for six and a half hours today, a time longer than the given estimate because the second surgeon was never able to join the first, meaning that good ole Dr. H. did both legs.  He came out to speak to us while Ish was still in the OR to let us know that he felt that the surgery went very well - referred to the new foot/leg alignment as "perfect" - and then proceeded to tell us that Ish would be taken to recovery as soon as the casts were finished.  Casts, PLURAL.  Relief.

The Ishman, in recovery.

 Ish did much better coming out of anesthesia this time - no anger, just chill. As the evening progressed, though, he did lose a bit of the chill, mostly due to (a) hunger and (b) pain.  He vomited a little while after surgery, so that significantly slowed his entry into regular meal plans, and he was not finding the nurse-offered ice chips as a sufficient breakfast/lunch/dinner.  He did progress to 4 saltines before falling asleep tonight, so a nurse did actually tell him that pancakes are an option for tomorrow.

He was wiggling his toes soon after surgery and intently watching his beloved Charlotte's Web movie, but as the evening progressed, so did his discomfort.  His right leg seems to be bothering him the most right now.  He is still getting full strength pain meds through an epidural, but after some heartwrenching thrashing and crying tonight, he is now also getting morphine.  He is also quite frustrated as a side sleeper who is forced to sleep a bit like someone stuck in a half-closed recliner.

Thanks to everyone for praying, caring.  We are thankful for a successful surgery, and we cannot wait until the Ishy we saw pre-surgery is the one hanging around again.