Today, Bernard got a call from Maddy's surgeon. He was calling to say that the only date possible for Maddy's surgery would be April 30. While it was wonderful to have a date, that was a date we specifically told them was not acceptable since we would be out of Hong Kong at the time.
When Bernard told him that it wouldn't work, the surgeon replied "Well that is the only date available because such and such a doctor will be going on leave for three months. Would it be acceptable for you to wait for the surgery until August?"
Bernard told him, apparently in no uncertain terms, that it was most definitely NOT acceptable for us - that we have been waiting for months already and would not accept an additional three month wait just to facilitate them. The surgeon offered that another alternative might be to split the surgery up, instead of doing the cleft repair AND the grommets AND the hearing test, they could do multiple procedures. Bernard was unsure of what I would think of that idea so he asked the doctor to call me to ask me instead. Bernard then called me and relayed the entire conversation to me so that I would be prepared for the call.
I'm so grateful that the surgeon called Bernard instead of me - I would almost definitely have gotten emotional (either teary, or angry) and possibly irrational and may have felt pressured that waiting until August was our only option. Bernard, on the other hand, is far more level-headed in those situations and calmly but firmly told the doctor that what he was proposing was unacceptable and that we have been flexible for months already, and now we expect them to work around our schedule.
I waited an hour to hear back from the surgeon, but when he called me, he had booked Maddy in for surgery on May 10. They will be able to do all three procedures in the one surgery (the cleft repair, ear tubes and hearing test) and I am so thankful for that. That all said, I know that anything could come up - Maddy could be sick at the last minute, the PICU could be unexpectedly full and unable to accommodate Maddy post-surgery, an irreplaceable doctor could be sick...
Am I happy? Well I'm relieved that we are moving forward, that there are definite plans. I'm also glad that I know about them this far in advance. We were expecting to not find out until a week, or even three days, in advance. I'm glad that we can move past this - this has been our next "hurdle" for so long, just looming there, seemingly so close - but always just out of reach. I will be glad when it is behind us.
But all that said my daughter is having surgery, and that's never anything to rejoice about...
I'm so glad you finally got a date...August would just be ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteSurgery is always scary we will be thinking about your family and little Maddy. Hoping that all is done with percision and expertise and we are sending many positive vibes for May 10th.
ReplyDeletePS to answer your question about Max being interested in your girl's the answer is yes yes and yes. He loves the ladies such a little womanizer he kisses one girl in the day care all day long, which has me a bit worried, but he is only 14 months old so I tell him to go for it!
Anyway that isn't the most important...most important is that little Maddy gets the best care possible under the best circumtances so that you can feel relief and she can be pain free and I am sure the hearing tubes are going to be a huge relief! You are in our thoughts and prayers.