Ruth made it. After the start of her surgery was delayed by two hours, it was done two hours ahead of schedule. 

We were surprised by this. When we got the text message notification, Lauren thought it was a mistake. But it was accurate. It was a classic case of underpromising and overdelivering. God is so good!

Ruth’s surgery was delayed because the surgery before hers went long. There was nothing to be done for it, and it meant Ruth was hungry and tired by the time they came to get her. But she did marvelously well waiting. She was patient and joyful. I was even joyful! (Which was a nice change for me given how unpleasant I have been for Ruth’s previous surgeries.) While we all had nerves, the peace of God ruled over us.

This was in answer to prayer, and there were far more answers to prayer coming by the end of the day.

I had an inkling this was going to be the case through a small but definite godwink. While we were waiting for the team to come take Ruth for surgery, Martha was eating snacks. She really wanted were freeze-dried yogurt bites that were in a small jar, but Lauren couldn’t open the jar, and I couldn’t either. Taking it as an offense to my manhood, I tried and tried until I left indentations on my hands. I even tried putting the jar under warm water in case that did anything. But still nothing! Finally I prayed, “God, give me strength. Twist off lid.” (The caveman talk came out of desperation.) To my amazement, the lid twisted off with no resistance. I was stunned, which manifested in an audible, "Ha!". It was a simple yet powerful reminder that God was with us as Ruth headed back to surgery.

Ruth was an amusing sight to see on tummy time in her hair net as the team rolled her away on the bed. We all had wet eyes as we watched her go. Martha said it best, “Bye sweet Ruth. Jesus is with you! The doctors are with you, too.”

As far as we could tell from the waiting area, everything was "continuing as expected." The only thing that was unexpected was that the procedure was finishing up early. If that wasn’t Sent by mistake, it seemed like that could only be a good thing.

We soon found out from Dr. Kacmarynski that the procedure we had anticipated, the more complex Z-plasty, was scrapped for a simpler straight-line stitch. Dr. Kacmarynski admitted that it was humbling for her to change the plan, but she knew it was more important for her to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Lauren and I wouldn't want it any other way! We did a happy dance to celebrate this good news!

There are many benefits to the straight-line stitch. Beyond it being simpler and quicker, it’s also less painful because there are less incisions and cuts (recovery time is still the same). This procedure was all gain and no loss. If the stitches open—and God willing, they won't—we have a similar situation as what we had before—one that would be straightforward to fix. That would not have been the case with the Z-plasty.

Dr. Kacmarynski was also able to look around Ruth's mouth and throat and determine that she wouldn't need reflux medicine. We were glad to hear this since we were only willing to administer that medicine if she really needed it due to its side effects.

Lastly, Ruth was also given ear tubes. The better to hear us with, they say. The resident said she had angry ears. These tubes will help them drain so they can keep calm and carry on. Eventually the tubes will fall out and the muscles in the restored palate will take over and do their the job.

The wonderful thing about Dr. Kacmarynski is that she really respects the intuition, wisdom, and authority that God gives to parents regarding their children while ultimately trusting God to lead her. She’s never hurried, and she listens intently. On top of this, she knows the world’s not just stuff—as Brian Sauvé and Ben Garret would say.

In addition to all the answers to prayer mentioned above, the IV was placed successfully on the first attempt (which was a first!) as well as the intubation! The latter made it so that Ruth's airway was never compromised, and her oxygen saturations remained near 99-100% almost all night. That also meant the tongue stitch they'd placed in the OR never had to be pulled in order to open up her airway! Praise the Lord!

The anesthesiologist later told Lauren that he wouldn't consider Ruth’s airway difficult (though it also isn’t easy). We had been haunted for months by the failed intubation before the G-tube surgery, but we only just found out that had less to do with Ruth’s airway and more to do with them having the wrong sized tube. That brought a lot of peace to Lauren’s heart and even freed her from bitterness she held toward that team.

As William Cowper’s hymn God Moves in a Mysterious Way sings:

We made it home Wednesday afternoon (8/13), and we’re now in full recovery mode. We’re not yet sure if this recovery will be a grueling marathon like her G-tube surgery recovery or a quick sprint like her frontalis flap surgery recovery.

It will take roughly three weeks for this surgery to heal fully, during which we will have a somewhat heavier load as we keep up with her cares, but that doesn’t mean that Ruth will experience discomfort during this entire time. She’s a tough cookie, just like her mama. (Did I mention that I love cookies?)

Unfortunately, Ruth has continued struggling with vomiting. While this isn’t completely unexpected—due to the side effects of anesthesia, the length of time she went without eating, or the drainage her body is rerouting—it is still nerve-wracking. We don’t want these sutures coming out! Thankfully, Dr. Kacmarynski had this in mind and put in much more reinforcement than usual.

However, Ruth’s vomiting has been notably different. It’s not coming out of her nose, and it seems like she’s not losing entire feeds as a result of gagging. She’s keeping most everything down and gagging less. This is an improvement!

Along with this, her airway has remained clear. She is already sleeping with her mouth closed and breathing through her nose. She’s also sleeping almost all night while I hold her in the chair.

Two days post-surgery, Ruth is doing marvelously well. She’s tolerating partial feeds, which we’re slowly working to increase back to normal. She seems to be in minimal pain, and she’s enjoying her sleep. When she’s awake, her smiles are back, and she’s her chill and cheery self. She’s better than new!

We’re all thankful to be home and resting. It’s needed. Thank you all for your prayers, meals, and other ways you’ve served us. We are filled to overflowing with gratitude and love in the Lord Christ. God bless.