Brennan's Surgery

I know this is the post everyone has really been waiting for, and finally, 4 weeks post-op, I'm getting around to writing it.

SURGERY DAY:
After getting only an hour of sleep, my mom and I got Brennan to the hospital by about 6 a.m on January 6th.  We found out that the OR had the wrong surgery scheduled, causing us anxiety.  I was afraid they might want to reschedule again due to not enough time, like we had already done so we would supposedly have more time.  We knew the doctors knew what they were supposed to be doing.  It got worked out and we sent him to the OR with the anesthesiologist around 7:45.  Mom and I played the waiting game for about 6 1/2 hours.
We got occasional updates.  The neurosurgeon came and talked to us halfway through.  He drilled holes into Brennan's skull, so he could separate the dura (leathery membrane covering the brain) from the skull.  They're attached in infants and old people.  1 in 5 cases the dura tears and they have to fix it, but luckily, Brennan's did not, but his skull oozed more than usual.  Then the neurosurgeon cut the skull into band-like pieces to remove it. He was done after that, and it goes to the plastic surgeon.
The plastic surgeon reshaped Brennan's skull.  He found out that Brennan's metopic suture (the one down the middle of your forehead) was starting to fuse early as well.  So he removed the sagittal and metopic sutures, made some barrel stave cuts, did some stuff with the orbital bones (around the eyes), shortened the length of his head and who knows what else.  Brennan's skull is put together with about 15 plates and 45-60 screws that are all absorbable and should be gone within a year.  We are very glad that the plastic surgeon is a perfectionist, because Brennan's head looks great now and the incision is very nicely sewn together.  Another little thing: this surgery usually entails a transfusion with up to 2 pints of blood, but Brennan only went through part of one.
I did okay until I was finally able to see him and that was pretty hard with all the cords and tubes.  Plus, his whole body was swollen.

His flotilla of machines.

There was an intubation tube sutured into his nose, an IV sutured into his jugular, IVs in both wrists and an ankle, a catheter, electrodes on his chest, a blood oxygenation device on a foot or hand and a tube that drained blood coming from his turban.  He didn't get to eat until the intubation tube was removed around 11 p.m.

HOSPITAL STAY:
I stayed with Brennan the entire time he was in the hospital.  The day after his surgery, they cut the turban a little bit.  His eyes swelled shut a little after that.  I had the music from his mobile to try to calm him.  We also talked to him a lot.  He wasn't eating very well and he was on and off pain meds.

As he lost various tubes, it was easier to hold him.

His eyes were swollen shut for 2 days.  He was having harder nights and his crying would send his heart rate over 200.  On Sunday, the 9th, they cut the turban the rest of the way off.  Except for a little fussing, Brennan was very calm for the turban removal.  The doctor had never seen a baby so calm for that; usually they scream the entire time.  He was such a little trooper through all of this.  His eyes opened a little after the turban was removed.  For this surgery, they usually stay another day, but he was apparently doing better than a lot of those babies already, so they released him.  I had myself an emotional breakdown and slept a couple hours in the hospital room after the discharge.  It scared me to have to take care of him at home.

His head came to something of a point at the crown, so we were a little worried about the final shape of his head.   Plus, it was even longer in back than how it was to start with.

RECOVERY:
Physically, Brennan is recovering beautifully.  However, he is now scared of the dark.  His crib mattress is on the floor on my side of the bed and we initially had to have a desk lamp on for him.  Now we're down to a night light.  Also, he is now rather locked on to me, so I am tethered to him for the time being.  For the first 2-3 weeks after surgery, the only way to keep him quiet at night was to nurse him the entire time.  None of us have been getting much sleep.  He is doing better at sleeping at night, though when he does wake up, he often cries, seeming frantic.   We're all gradually adjusting.  Here's the before and after pictures.  The after pictures are from 8 days after the surgery.