Itinerary

I guess we call it many things (day surgery, LP-ITC, spinal tap), but anyway, here's what we did on Friday:

6:45 AM - Wake Sleeping Beauty with a kiss. Dress in warm, comfy clothes, and apply numbing cream to port site for pain-free access. Cover cream with Glad Press 'n Seal (really!) to keep it off of warm, comfy clothes.

7:45 AM - Arrive at clinic, take vitals, and wait.

8:03 AM - Access port, draw blood for counts, and wait. Thankful for a fully-charged Kindle and a very patient patient.

8:47 AM - Get counts back (ANC 940), get Vincristine push, and visit with Dr. Harrod (Dr. Neff was covering the hospital this week, so no goofy note to write on Georgia's back. And no monkey walk.) (Ask him about it.)

9:30 AM - Check out of clinic and take super cool, super secret underground tunnel to hospital. Daddy is a reckless wheelchair "driver" and nearly runs Mommy over. Twice.

9:37 AM - Arrive at PANDA (surgery) unit, greeted by cheers of "Georgia! Georgia!" from our friends, the most awesome PANDA nurses.

Fellow South Austin girl, Ms. Laura

Some of the usual suspects, including Ms. Anne and Ms. Carla (in front).
We love that every time Ms. Carla checks Georgia's pulse ox levels,
she says, "100 percent. Can't get no better than that!"

9:42 AM - Get to pre-op room, take vitals, and wait.

10:17 AM - Put on hospital-issued get-up, plus Miss Matched socks (Georgia's trademark), and wait.

10:30 AM - Visit with various nurses and doctors who will play a part in the procedure. Find out we are #6 in a line of 6 patients, and #1 has just gone in. Oh, and wait.

12:00 PM - Have I mentioned that Georgia has been fasting since 8 pm the night before? And if Georgia fasts, Mommy and Daddy fast, too. Lots of stomach growling. And waiting.

12:50 PM - Time to go! Walk Georgia back to Procedure Room 1 and stay with her until she goes to sleep. Having done this a few (or 22) times, she can tell us right when she's about to drift off. It usually goes something like this, "OK. I'm going to sleeeeep nooooowww..." Another quick kiss, and we're off to the waiting room.


1:20 PM - Dr. Harrod comes to tell us everything went very well. Prayers of gratitude.

1:50 PM - Georgia's awake, out of recovery, and having her second popsicle.


2:30 PM - Check out of hospital and go visit the coolest kinetic sculpture you'd ever want to see.

2:41 PM - Celebrate another successful day surgery with the traditional yogurt of champions - pumpkin with cookie dough bites.

Tonight: Tell all Friends of Georgia how much their prayers and well-wishes mean on days like Friday, and how much we SO appreciate them continuing to keep our special girl on their minds.