1 week post-op

While I was searching for information on open heart surgery and how children recover and how they are effected I found tons of pictures of Babies.  Even the book the doctor gave me about the surgery showed babies!  So I wanted to know how older children do with this kind of surgery and well what little information I got was on the negative side.  Usually this kind of operation is done while the child is very young.
     Our cardiac surgeon commented that her heart was more enlarged than she had seen but it was because it had been working hard for 10 years to compensate for the defect.  Her heart muscle will go back to a normal size now that it is efficiently pumping.  So not to gross any one out but I will be posting weekly pictures of the healing process. 
      Today is one week post op.  She is eating and drinking the same amounts as before surgery.  She is playing and walking around as usual. She is giggling more. Her hands and feet STILL turn blue and she did it the whole time we were in the hospital blue to peach, peach to red, red to blue...  The nurses kept commenting that her feet were cold but they aren't cold to touch just blue.  The doctor noted it...  I plan to ask about it when we go to the ds clinic at Cincy Childrens Hospital.  Until then as long as her tongue stays pink we are good.  She does not appear to be in pain.  She is sleeping a little more than usual but its a deep healthy sleep.  She is eliminating like a pro.  If you didn't know she had just had surgery you wouldn't guess it. She is not touching her incision or picking at the stitches...  She DID pull her IV out while we were in the hospital though.  I was not there at the time because I had run home to see the rest of the kids and when I got back I found the blood on the sheets and saw that the IV was in her other arm.  The thing that bugged her the most right after surgery was the nasal cannula.  She hated it! She would do all kinds if contortions to get it out.  She did it several times until the nurses just said forget it and positioned the mask with 02 near her face.  She seems to feel really good.  This Summer will be super fun with Tallie feeling good and up and about!