Miracle Max: Pre-Admission Day

Hello All,

Before I spend the rest of this long blog post bragging about how amazing Max was today, I need to take a moment to recognize how incredible Abbie is. For those who aren't aware, she is going through all of this while 7 months pregnant which must be hard enough, but this doesn't slow her down or prevent her from going the extra mile for her sweet boy...

Abbie has decorated Max's stroller with a few special Christmas stickers, much the same way that she decorates his highchair at home with various stickers as the season's change. Such a special little touch to put a smile on Max's face and make him feel more like home. Abbie also had a backpack full of new and exciting treats, toys and books to motivate Max throughout the chaos of today and give him something to look forward to after each appointment/test. But the biggest preparations for today began over a month ago when we first learned about the potential of a second surgery. Abbie got Max a little doctor's kit and began helping Max to learn about getting his blood pressure taken, among other procedures. This quickly turned into Max taking blood pressures on Dad, Mom and any stuffed animal he could find. Let me tell you that this extra effort by Abbie went a LONG way as blood pressures have notoriously been torturous for Max but Abbie's idea paid of beautifully as you can see in these 2 pictures:

Taking Bunny's blood pressure at the PAC!

Max sitting like a champ while getting his blood pressure taken!

Now, on with the rest of today's details. We were up at 6:00 am after having very poor sleep. We were able to walk from our hotel to the Pre-Admission Clinic known as PAC from now on! Starting at 7:00 am and ending at 2:00 pm, we endured 7 hours of tests and appointments. These included:

Meeting the PAC nurse (Cindy) who was the same nurse as last time
Taking Max's vital signs and measurements (height, weight, temperature, blood pressures on all 4 limbs, and oxygen levels)
Taking a patient history of Max
Meeting with Dr. Ross's fellow to answer a few questions
Meeting with the surgeon, Dr. Ross, to discuss the details of the surgery and ask the tough questions
ECG to check the electrical activity in the heart
Echocardiogram to take more pictures of Max's heart. This did not have to be a sedated procedure this time which was very nice compared to last time.
Then more pictures were taken after the first echocardiogram was reviewed by a cardiologist
Chest x-ray, however the insane torture device that they used last time was not required! I was able to hold Max's arms above his head instead of squishing him in the plastic tube! Yay.
Visit with a physiotherapist to discuss post-operative care
Blood work taken after having numbing cream placed on Max's arms for 30 minutes
Visit with a social worker to discuss the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and any needs that we have
Visit with the anaesthesiologist to discuss the procedure of putting Max to sleep before surgery

Max did so AMAZING throughout the 7 hour marathon. He was kind and gentle and easily entertained by the iPad, toys, books, walks, and of course... snacks!!! What a gift this boy truly is. It is so sad to us that he has to endure this but he is being so strong and courageous about it.

The Highlight of the Day: No x-ray torture device!

The Saddest Moment of the Day: After each procedure, Max would say "HOME" and we wished so badly that we could just take him home.

Cutest Moment of the Day: Hugging his teddy bear and telling him that everything will be ok (see pic below).

Adorable!

I think I will end this post on that note because it is so sweet! I will write another post shortly to fill you all in on some of the more specific details that the surgeon told us today. But first, a few more pictures to enjoy!!!