Still.....

As we surrounded ourselves with family this week, it has occurred to me that I'm yet again behind on the Z-man's latest update! I think we can all agree that this will never change so I'm just going to stop apologizing for it!!! Suck it up, Buttercup...and all that...but, yea, no...sorry about that.

When we last met our hero, we were finished with the cranking process and simply waiting to remove the metal arm from his neck. Daddy actually made the trip back up to the U this time...the constant trips have definitely taken a toll on the one who shall not be named. I instructed the hubs that he was responsible for pictures, all the info, all the pertinent questions, all the things. He passed...but not without mocking me for even WANTING pictures! Who is this man you've given me, Lord?!?

The removal went without a hitch, but we did have a couple surprises. Here ya go:

*Still on soft foods. For the LOVE. Until his next checkup on Dec. 11th. Zane was less than thrilled, poor guy. He's already got his meal list rolling for Dec. 12th, if all goes well. (This means, of course, that we even brought "Zane's food" to Indiana for the holidays!)

*Still on very low activity restrictions...again, until his appointment on Dec. 11th. This is the trickiest stage, as you've guessed. No metal arm protruding from the neck. No painful cranking to remind him he just had surgery. Feels fantastic. Except that whole...your jaw is SUPER fragile right now and could, ya know, basically SHATTER if it's gets hit in any way. Well, there's that.  So, we continue to watch him like a hawk and pray for that bone to grow quickly and grow strongly. 

Zane's next surgery is in April to remove the plate and screws. This will be an in-and-out kind of deal and won't require much, if any, recovery or restrictions!!! YAY for that! 

His next dr appointment will be Dec. 4th or 5th to follow up with Dr. K on the tubes she put in the right ear. Hoping for "uneventful" on that one.

Something to note...I mentioned his followup is Dec. 11th. On Dec. 15th, we meet with his ear doc to come up with that surgical plan. Zane will want this without delay. I'm hoping they'll decide to do it next summer, but we shall see!! Crossing all my fingers and toes and whatever else I can find! :) 

Happy Thanksgiving to all and, to all, a good night!

It's the Sleep Deprivation

How did I lose track of the past 2 weeks?!? It's just kind of a blur so I'm claiming lack of sleep...that's basically what I blame most of my issues on. 

*Writes that as she begins this post at midnight. Hmmm...*

Regardless, I wanted to update everyone on Mr. Zane, post-surgery #2! He's actually been doing fantastic, both at school and at home. He's has been a trooper to eat tomato soup or mashed potatoes for every meal, and has still been doing a great job taking it easy in his spare time, and has had some great HS helpers for less-structured times as school. Short of the time Zane took advantage of his student helper when he started jerking his head up and down while saying, "I'm not supposed to do this!" :/ Yea. No need to enroll in Punk 101. 

Other than that, he's been the perfect patient. The daily cranking has been incredibly painful, as opposed to the original assurance of pain-free activity. Chris made the trip up to the U this past Monday for Zane's final checkup...so naturally, there's not as much meaty info to share...just the bare bones with this guy. All was well but, unfortunately, the jaw had not moved enough in the 2 week process. SO...we had 3 more days of cranking, much to Zane's dismay. 

However, to his joy, we are now officially done!!! We will go back up to the U on Monday...again...to remove the metal arm that sticks out of his neck! The hole will close up on its own soon after. Then we just try to continue on with Operation Keep Him Down! I'm anticipating the difficulty increasing once he is able to move more freely. 

He has now graduated to soft food...as opposed to liquid-only...so he's been happy to enjoy some eggs, mac n cheese, etc. We will still have the diet restrictions for another week or so, and the activity restrictions will still stand for another month or so. 

Still very thankful for the continued prayers and special gifts for Zane in his down-time! He can't believe how much people care for him! We agree.