A Jonathan Update

This post is long overdue.  I was a bit overwhelmed with what I needed to get done after we were home from Jonathan's surgery, and blogging moved to the back burner.     

Jim, Jonathan and I traveled to Bismarck the day before the surgery.  I was thankful we did that, since we were in the midst of a cold snap and it would have been foolish to try to drive 3-1/2 hours to make a 7:00 a.m. appointment.  That also gave me time to set up what I thought we would need for Jonathan's recovery after we got him back to the hotel room.

Jonathan was in surgery by 8:00 a.m., into recovery about 10:30, and we were brought to his recovery area at 1:00 p.m.  Shortly after that we took him back to the hotel.

I thought for sure Jonathan would want to sleep the day away, but he surprised me by getting right to work in writing an entry for his blog.  He wasn't able to talk very well, but managed to read all afternoon and into the evening.  His appetite hadn't been quenched by surgery, either, and I was thankful for the soups I had cooked up ahead of time and blended into a soothing liquid for him to drink.  We spent the day using ice -- 20 minutes on, 10 minutes off -- until midnight, when Jonathan was ready to sleep.  He was amazing.

 In the morning we went back to the surgeon's office for a check before leaving for home. 

The surgeon said how surprised he was at how dense Jonathan's bone was.  I guess normally bone in that area is rather thin, but not in Jonathan's case.  That was a real blessing. 

Another CT scan was done of Jonathan's head ... It was very interesting to take a look at his "before" and "after" scans, and see what the surgeons had done.  The 2nd scan showed the cuts in his bone and the titanium plates that were used to reposition the jaw.

We had been told ahead of time they no longer wire jaws shut after surgery.  Well, Jonathan's jaws weren't wired shut -- they were rubber banded shut!  Tiny little bands were placed from top to bottom to hold things in place while things are healing.  It was quite a challenge for Jonathan to try to get the tip of a spoon into the 1/4 inch space the bands allowed between his jaws.  He became quite good at it though, and when we went back to see the doctor 5 days later he was told he could remove the front bands for eating, then replace them after he cleaned his teeth.  The bands will stay in place for at least 6 weeks.

During the follow-up 5 days after surgery both surgeons came in to check on Jonathan.  It was interesting to hear them talk about how strong Jonathan's bone structure was; Jonathan proceeded to tell them he has been drinking raw milk for over a year, and attributes his wealth of calcium in his bones to that fact.  Of course, that was not something they wanted to hear.  We appreciate them just the same.

One thing that has amazed me is the fact that there has been no bruising, and swelling was limited.  We are so thankful for everyone's prayers.  Everything has gone so smoothly.

The Sunday before Jonathan's scheduled surgery date the boys decided we needed a family photo. And yes, it was VERY cold outside. Andrew set up the camera on a tripod, we ran outside and did what we had to, and then ran back inside. I think at that point I decided wearing long underwear was a wise thing to do.

The photo:  Andrew (14), Peter (17), Lynn, Jim, David (11), and Jonathan (19).