Still waiting for surgery...

Hey all, I know I haven't updated this blog for a couple of weeks. Nothing much is happening here at the moment. Maddy is growing and learning new skills. Little things mostly... like we sing songs and she does the actions, she's learning her body parts, etc... her speaking skills are still the same as they have always been but she seems to be booming in how much she understands. 

We're still waiting for the surgery to fix Maddy's cleft. It's a bit crazy... In November, I thought that the surgery would be in January, so I withdrew from my classes for that semester and planned to stay around Hong Kong. Then in January, after three frustrating days in the hospital, we learned that we may have to wait a couple more months. In mid February, we got the green light to proceed with the surgery and I was told that the surgery would be done within 1-2 months, and the two month mark is next week. I still haven't heard anything about the surgery. At a later appointment at the same hospital, the pediatrician asked me about the timing for surgery and I repeated that it would be in 1-2 months. He told me that the cleft doctor had actually written in our file THREE months - so I'm not holding my breath for surgery.

The complicated part is that, due to my understanding that surgery would be much earlier than this, we have made plans to go on a vacation with friends at the end of the month. Since we are going with friends, we can't reschedule - the hotel and flights have been booked for months anyway and are non refundable. If we wanted to change the dates this late, it would cost us 50% to do so. I'm afraid that if the hospital called us in for surgery now, we would have to choose between going ahead with the surgery, or turning them down to go on our holiday. We leave in three weeks, and I'm sure Maddy would need more recovery time than that before we put her on a plane and take her overseas...

In addition, after withdrawing from my class somewhat unnecessarily over Christmas (Australian summer session), I decided then to enroll in my February-May semester as planned. Part of my course for this semester is a five week full time student teacher placement. I am planning to do that from late May and all through June. The dates are pretty inflexible, due to the timing of my coursework and the timing of the school term. I am not able to take time off from it without withdrawing from that subject (with financial penalty, and possibly a big F on my transcript). 

SO I'm hoping and praying that Maddy's surgery will be scheduled for early May. That way, we will be back from our vacation, and I will be able to be with her at the hospital (although due to the ridiculous policies at the hospitals here in Hong Kong, I will only be "allowed" to visit her from 3-8pm while she is in PICU). Even with that, it will be difficult for me as I have final assignments that are due before my placement begins, BUT it is the only way that I see it working - unless they delay the surgery until late June or even later...

Please keep us in your thoughts/prayers about this surgery - particularly that it will be scheduled at a time that works for everyone involved... that we can still go on our vacation (actually, I think we're going regardless) and that my placement will be unaffected. Also that Maddy's health will be good and she will be physically ready for the surgery, and that the doctors will do a fantastic job (our hope is that she only needs ONE surgery to repair... some kids need multiple surgeries). 

 

Thanks guys :)