What a long day

We were woken up at about 6:15 to begin prep for surgery.  This includes a wipe down with special wipes, and disconnection from all those wires.  Poor little lady has been tethered to a computer for fifteen days.  Now she's free!

They brought us downstairs at about 7:15 and after explanations, consent forms and sleepy juice, they took her from me at about 8:30.  Dr. B explained that he didn't actually need to physically remove the bad tissue.  He just needed to disconnect it from the good tissue.  Disconnecting it stops the seizures and leaving it there allows blood and brain fluid to continue to flow through it.  It's better for Elsie and he said, "easier for me."  So that was good news.   

The morning wait wasn't too hard.  I took a walk, had a shower and breakfast with my dear friend.  Then I had some time alone to reflect and journal.  At about noon I got to conference briefly with the main epilepsy doctor.  She said that after the motor mapping they could see that the bad tissue was clearly in front of the motor cortex and not on it.  So, as long as Dr. B has steady hands, and we trust he does, her motor function should not be affected.  What a relief this news was!  

Mom and Emma joined me for the afternoon wait.  It was a bit longer, but with that good news and the eager anticipation of Mark's arrival, it wasn't too bad.  Emma was even able to rest in the middle of a busy lobby. 

Mark and my dad got here about 5 and we got to see Elsie at about 6.  

She's puffy from all the fluids they've given her.  She's on all kinds of medications tonight to keep her comfortable.  We actually haven't been able to talk with the surgeon or anyone from the epilepsy team post surgery.  So we're looking forward to a report from them tomorrow.  

Pray she rests comfortably tonight and doesn't have all the vomiting that she had after the other two surgeries.