Getting Surgery Like a Champ

After many delays and issues with scheduling, SamBam finally got his spinal decompression surgery on January 22nd!  We woke up at 5am and got to Cedars for the pre-op check-in process.  Being nervous wrecks the night before and not getting the best sleep may have help us a little because Kael and I just felt like complete zombies during the whole thing.  The surgical team just did the most amazing job keeping us informed and giving us updates throughout the surgery.  My mom and stepdad Barry came for support and kept us company during the long wait.  Thanks to my mom for agreeing to speedwalk with me around the hospital hallways to keep my mind occupied and to increase my step count on my Fitbit :)  When Sammy finally came out and I got to see him for the split second before he got taken to the PICU, it felt like I was coming up for air after holding my breath under water for the last four hours.  He did remarkably well and there were no complications at all.  Here's the little guy when he first started waking up from the anesthesia:

"What is this thing on my finger?"  

Loving all the cute stuffed animals that got sent to us from friends

We had the pleasure of having Shiney (an old undergrad friend of mine from UCI...now an awesome budding pediatric neurologist) as our resident while we were there.  The nurses were amazing and fought over who gets to be Sammy's girlfriend...haha.  He did flirt with every single one of them so I can't blame them.  Kael and I made the mistake of not bring our change of clothes or pajamas...I think we were too focused on getting Sam ready.  So I pretty much lived in a blood-soaked shirt (from Sam's bandage on his head) for a few days.  When my mom came, I quickly ran across the street to Beverly Center to get a new shirt.  People probably thought I was a crazy murderer running away from the crime scene.  Not my most glamorous moment for sure.

All in all, his recovery was a breeze and he was back to himself in about a week.  He'll need a repeat MRI in 3 months and a repeat sleep study in 6 months.  Already, he seems to be getting more well-rested sleep and is more actively crawling and climbing everywhere.  Not sure if it was all from the surgery but we're just happy he's doing so great.  Here he is holding himself up to stand!!!