Liveblogging Elbow Surgery at Westchester Medical Center

The surgeons are operating on my son’s shattered elbow today. It was badly damaged in a skiing accident over the weekend. I will be liveblogging the events of the day. You can read more here and here.

5:02 AM – A doctor from the trauma team comes into the room, wakes Collins and tells him “today’s the day, the surgery is on”. He asks Collins to move his fingers, where it hurts, then leaves.

5:14 AM – The chief resident goes through similar exercises with Collins, says the entire trauma team will be in the OR “for this one”, a sign of the severity of the injury, an all hands operation and a learning opportunity for some of the doctors.

6:16 AM – Nurse says orderly is ready to take Collins to surgery.

6:28 AM – Collins is wheeled down to OR Staging.

7:21 AM – Surgeon who will be leading the trauma team and doing the actual surgery examines Collins and gives “the speech” about the risks. He tells Collins that part of his rehab will be to play XBOX for an hour a day. Collins smiles for first time in about 2 days. Doctor says surgery will take about 4 hours but maybe longer. A typical elbow surgery is about 1.5 hours.

7:34 AM – Anesthesiologist examines Collins, explains what he will be doing.

7:51 AM – Anesthesiologist wheels Collins out of OR Staging.

8:00 AM – Realizing it’s going to be a long day, Mom and Dad walk to the coffee shop. Along the way we see the surgeon walking towards surgery drinking a coffee.

9:23 AM – hanging out at the Au Bon Pain at the hospital, checking email, making calls. Lots of friends, family and readers send their best wishes and prayers. Thank you to all.

11:15 AM – moved back to Surgery Family Waiting Area. No word at all. Getting a bit anxious, tired, stressed. They have the TV blaring The Price is Right making this a nice, well-apportioned but unpleasant place to sit and wait.

11:44 AM – My wife looked up a web page describing my son’s condition: Medial Humeral Condyle Fracture

12:01 PM – still waiting around.

12:11 PM – Holy Name sent out a nice note to Collins fellow Altar Servers. “Dear Altar Servers! Please keep in your prayers today one of our fine Altar Servers – A Collins Cox. He was in a skiing accident and is being operated on this morning at Westchester Medical Center. Collins shattered his left elbow and has the entire Trauma Team working to restore it. Pray he will be back Serving at Mass soon. Thanks for all you do for Holy Name as an Altar Server. Deacon Bob”

1:36 PM – Surgeon just came out and spoke to us. He said it was worse than they thought. There was a third section that was fractured in several places. The good news is they were able to put all of the pieces together, closer to 10 not 5, except one small piece so there will be a small hole in the bone which they except to scar over. Collins is in the recovery room, slowly coming out of the anesthesia. We can see him in about a half hour.

2:22 PM – They let us in the recovery room. Collins just woke up. He is tired and in pain. They are giving him morphine. He wants a drink but gets ice.

4:12 PM – They are moving Collins back to his room in the pediatric wing. He gets a ginger ale for the road.

4:22 PM Back in the room. Collins watching Tom & Jerry on the TV.

7:30 PM – Collins has slept most of the afternoon. There is nice Au Bon Pain here, got him some Chicken Noodle soup. Mom fed him a little but he was not able to eat much. My turn to stay overnight at the hospital. Looks like today is a wrap. Thanks for reading.