It is done. Everything went exactly as planned. She is doing fine, and we will see her in 10 minutes. More updates later. So unbelievably relieved.
UPDATED 9:03 A.M.
Just got the update from Jen. Everything is going very well. They are going to use the Helex device, which was our preference all along. We may get an update in 30 minutes, or it may be after it's all over in about an hour.
UPDATED: 8:23 A.M.
Victoria is probably unconscious now. We waited to be admitted for about an hour. I got a little nervous because they had instructed us to arrive at the hospital two hours before the start of the procedure, and that if we were late, the procedure could be cancelled. Apparently this waiting period was built into their calculations. Once it was finally our turn, the paperwork only took ten minutes, and then we went upstairs and everything was very efficient from there. The hospital gave my girl her choice from a box of stuffed animals, and she chose a pink teddy bear. She also opened some gifts from my mom, my sister, and Dave's stepmom. She was quite pleased to receive so many thoughtful items... soft nightgowns, fuzzy socks, a chapstick, a pen and notepad, and a stuffed tiger. My two uncles are here with us to wait this out, as well as my mom. Victoria was happy to have so many visitors. At the cath lab, Dave, Victoria and I were escorted to the pre-op room, where she changed into her hospital gown, proclaimed it "embarrassing," and met a parade of medical professionals - our cardiologist, the anesthesiologist, and a couple nurses. The anesthesiologist had offered the option of giving her a sedative before she would be separated from us, but she showed no signs of being concerned at all, so we opted out of the sedative. The nurse led her away and she skipped along behind her. We remained in the pre-op area and watched her through the window - my mom was also with us at this point, and before they passed out of our line of sight, she turned and cheerfully waved. We all waved to her and then burst into tears.
Now we are in the cafeteria, where they have surprisingly good food. We'll stay here for a few more minutes and then go upstairs again to wait for the update from our nurse, Jen. She said she would come out to speak to us in about an hour. I feel pretty calm. For me, the anxiety was mostly centered around my fears and doubts that I was doing the right thing. Now that it's out of my hands, I'm finally able to place my confidence and trust in her doctors. They are all excellent.
If you're going to come by, you'll need to get a visitor badge on the first floor, then come up to the cath lab on the 4th floor. Text me if you have questions. Don't worry about bothering me. It's good to have distractions.
Here is my baby in that "embarrassing" outfit.
6:07 A.M.
We're sitting in the lobby at the hospital, waiting to go through some sort of formal check-in process. Victoria is wide awake and enjoying some Daddy time! He's letting her play with his phone, a practically unheard-of treat. I let the kids play with my phone on occasion, but Daddy's phone is strictly off-limits. Except today.
Victoria has had a great attitude this morning. I was fully prepared for her to be quite grumpy, but in fact, she's very positive about this whole process. To her it's a big adventure. She asked Dave, "This is my first time getting fixed at this hospital, right?" He told her that hopefully it would be a one and done. She then commented, "Tino's not going to get to go to the hospital," trying to hide her pleasure that she's getting to do something and he's not. Her tone of faux regret amuses me greatly. In fact, Tino is bitterly envious of the attention Victoria is getting. The hospital is not allowing visitors under the age of 13 right now, due to the prevalence of respiratory diseases and flu at this time.
So we're waiting. I'm doing okay. Remarkably, I slept soundly last night (this morning). Today is a normal day, like any other day. I'll check in when significant updates occur. If you haven't heard from me, that means nothing significant is happening. Thanks for following along.
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