Hello.As I've already posted,Paige,my 4 year old daughter is scheduled for th edirect bypass on Sept.7.I am trying to prepare her,her 8 & 10 year old sisters,and myself and her father as to what to expect after her surgery.Her doctor told me that her incision will probably be about 6 inches long and that the swelling will peak around the 2nd or 3rd day after surgery and subside over the next 2-3 weeks.My question to all of you who have already experienced this is...how long will it take her to feel like herself again as far as energy and stuff like that.Right now she is full of energy but the heat really gets to her more than it used to.She has had minor surgeries before and is back to normal that night so I really don't know what to expect for something major like this type of surgery.I know that everyone reacts differently but I would really appreciate everyone's input.All of the info I have gotten from this website so far has been extremely helpful.Thank you all and please keep Paige in your prayers as she gets ready for surgery.
Jennifer

Jennifer -

Kids are resilient!  I have to tell you that there is not much pain, that I experienced anyway.  There are no nerve-endings in the brain.  After my second surgery - I only asked for Tylenol if I felt pulling from the stiches or something like that.  After my first surgery, they had me on morphine, which I didn't tolerate very well.  That and the recovery from the anesthesia is the only thing I struggled with.  I will keep Paige in my prayers as she goes through her surgery!  Sending wishes for a speedy recovery!

-Shari

I am so sorry to hear about your daughter - but don't worry - the surgery should help her tremendously.  

My son had his operation almost 3 years ago when he was 9.  What scared me the most after his surgery is the fact that he didn't talk much.  He would only speak if I asked him a direct question, and his answers consisted of only a single word or two.  Sometimes he wouldn't answer at all.  This, of course, scared me.  I was worried about brain damage and a host of other things.

However, his speech returned in a couple of days, and he was fine.  The moral of the story here is -- don't worry if this happens to your daughter.  I have read about this happening to other children as well, but they too, recovered.

May God bless you and yours.

Jennifer,

Of course it is different for everyone, but Daphne really handled the surgeries well.  Yes, she looked a bit odd for awhile with the incisions (we called her baby-frankenstien --- lovingly, and with humor, of course!)   but things really went very smoothly.  The first was a breeze, and I couldn't believe how easily it went -- less time than I expected in the OR, woke up right afterward, didn't cry much (Daphne was 18 months old at the time).   In fact, even though it was a very serious surgery, it was her least problematic surgery.  She'd had surgery to put in a g-tube before, as well as heart surgery, and she seemed to have a lot more pain during both of those surgeries.

The second bypass - a week later -  was a little more difficult, but still not bad.  She was longer in surgery, didn't wake up right away, and had to get pain medicine for a couple of days.   Still, by the fourth day, she was ready to be discharged.  

By the time we got her home about a week after discharge, she was a different baby.  Better than before the surgeries.  Happier, less migrains, less light sensitivity.   Daphne was really bad off before her surgeries, and she has been so much better ever since.  Having the surgeries was the easiest decision I ever made, and I never once regretted or questioned it during the surgery or recovery process.

Jenny

Hi My daughter Lydia had her 1st surgery nearly 4 weeks ago. She revovered so quickly, within 10 days she was swimming in the sea...We only stayed in hospital for 4 days, She was feeling really well, and allready I notice an improvement in her, less headaches and more alert, due for op on right side in 3 weeks and i feel so much more relaxed this time...Def no regrets and recovery was so much smoother than I thought...goodluck..xxxxx from UK moyamoya s