Operation Day

First of all, I want to send out a HUGE 'Thank you' to everyone who has brought Azariah, Sharlene, Zemiel and myself before God over the last week - even though everything isn't over yet.
Sharlene and Azariah before surgery.

My last staff function was today. It was a staff breakfast at the Gosford Japanese Gardens. All of us who were leaving were prayed for. I handed in my key, and said good bye to everyone.  The brekky was fantastic! Afterwards, I intended to drive to Sydney post haste, but as I was driving out of the carpark I noticed the car wanting to pull to the right. Diagnosis? A flat tyre! Just what I didn't need. I wasn't sure when Azariah was going in for his op. After putting on the spare, driving around for a tyre centre, waiting for the tyre centre to patch up my flat, and getting back on the road, I had only lost about an hour. Praise God!  I still managed to get to Sydney before the operation.

Well that was today. Azariah has now had his laparoscopic surgery and it was successful. Contingency plans to do additional incisions weren't needed and Azariah has now got three neat little scars on his tummy to show that his gall bladder is now gone.

Inside the gall bladder, the surgeon found 3 more stones floating and about 17 more clinging to the walls that the ultrasound did not pick up. Azariah had passed the 4th stone and it wasn't playing pinball like a ball bearing like the surgeon feared. The tube leading out of the gall bladder had also been enlarged, which means that anytime the stones decided to go wandering and play havoc with his system, they could do so easily. (And if they've done it once it is likely they would do it again).

The operation lasted about 3 hours with an additional hour and a half in recovery before returning to the ward. Even then, Azariah was still sleeping off the anesthetic when I left. He is on a 'morphine cocktail' to combat the pain for the next little while.

Here's hoping that Sharlene will be able to get some decent sleep tonight, although Azzy will be quite hungry when he wakes up.

So peaceful.

Azariah's scars.

A closer look.