Thursday, November 12, 2009

Thursday, Nov. 12

Hello to all! Sorry for the delayed post. Clay had surgery Monday of this week at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. He arrived at 11:00 a.m. and went into the operating room at 12:30. He was in the O.R. for about 2 hours and in the recovery room for another hour or so. The procedure was done to release the burn scars on his neck and chin. As we have said in the past all burn scars contract and for the past months Clay has been unable to raise his head. He really had no chin or neck to speak of. His skin had pulled his lips and chin down to the point where there was only a centimeter and a half from his chin to his trach. After the surgery there were 13 centimeters separating the trach and the chin. When they let us come into the recovery he was still asleep from the sedative. Deidra and I were shocked and thrilled to see him sleeping on the recovery bed with his head stretched out and lying flat against the bed. We have become so accustomed to him walking around with his little head down that we had forgotten what his regular head and neck position was supposed to look like. Clay had a little bit of more good luck in the operating room. Clay has had a loose tooth for quite sometime and he would not let anyone help him pull it. During surgery he lost this tooth and one of the doctors told us that the tooth fairy came to the O.R. and left him six dollars and put his tooth in a jar for him. The doctor was very pleased with the procedure and told us that the Integra product was the way to go because he was not limited by lack of skin(you can google this product sometime-it's pretty interesting). Clay is wearing a Wound Vac pump over the bandage and a C collar neck brace. The wound vac attaches through a hole in the neck brace right above where his trach comes out. The Wound Vac provides constant suction to the wound and Clay will carry this machine everywhere he goes for a month. These are quite a few contraptions for a 6 year old. On Tuesday the resident doctor told us that we could plan on going home. We anticipated discharge around noon. To make a long story short we had to wait on a portable Wound Vac pump and were not able to leave the hospital until 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday night. This made for a late night or early morning back to Olney. We are thankful to be able to spend a few days at home. Deidra and Clay are back to Dallas tomorrow (Friday) for wound care. Clay will have to be sedated and it will be like a minor day surgery to do his dressing changes. He is very uncomfortable and hopes the time goes by quickly until the next surgery when they will graft his skin over the Interga on his neck. He will have to wait for four weeks until the next procedure. We are thankful that he is progressing and we truly appreciate all of the help and prayers of family & friends.

17 comments:

  1. I have been anxiously awaiting your post! I am so happy to hear that it all went well! Yay God! Annie asked me tonight how Clay was doing,and continually wants to see his pictures. She likes to pray for him. I am happy that I can now tell her that he is doing well! We continue to pray for all of you! Love from NC! Missy and family

    ReplyDelete
  2. We, too have been anxiously and eagerly awaiting an update on Clay's surger. We are confident his discomfort will be short lived. Glad he is doing so well - and that means Mom and Dad are doing better, too! Love you guys, Dawn & Pam

    ReplyDelete
  3. I keep your family in my prayers, I read each update and I am thankful for each milestone. I know this is a long road but I am rejoicing with you for Clay's spirit. I found this saying written on a sign and copied it down;

    "God didn't promise days without pain, laughter with out sorrow, sun without rain. But He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way."

    I don't know you guys but I wish I could come to your town and walk beside you through this time in your life.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for the update! Had been wondering and worrying how the surgery had gone. So glad he was able to get relief on his neck! Thinking of you daily.
    The Stark family in NC

    ReplyDelete
  5. We along with others have wondered how Clay is doing. What good news about his little neck and head, I am so glad for him, and the rest of your family as well. Bless his heart, he has been through so much this year. We will never realize the pain and suffering he has had. He is a tough little boy.
    He may want other teeth pulled to get the tooth fairy to visit him. Prayers, love and hugs go your way. B&E

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good to hear that progress continues! Touching what Clay said about a new body when Jesus comes again. Keep strong...many prayers still going up on your behalf.

    Lyndle, Lanelle, Logan and Ethan Shelby

    ReplyDelete
  7. We are also glad like others that the surgery was a success for Clay. I sit here with my heart heavy thinking of all you have been through & if I could just have one encouraging thought to help lighten the load...
    It is good that God knows how to encourage & comfort in the way we all need it.
    We think of all 5 of you more than you know.

    PS. Tell Clay he may want to have a goal of having the tooth fairy come at his next surgery also. That tooth fairy seems to pay well! :)
    -Burgess Family

    ReplyDelete
  8. Clay will have a great time next Friday.

    Phil

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm really glad that this surgery went well. I pray that the next month flies by. We are saying extra prayers this time around. I know that this is probably one of the more miserable recoveries that he has had. Something that I've learned which has really helped me is to think about things in terms of "three months". Sometimes when the days are long and painful, you can't really count things by days. Three months is a really short time span in the course of a lifetime. I've always found that no matter how much pain that I may have been in from time to time, that I was always a lot better three months later. It seems to usually take that long for something to heal somewhat or for things to turn around for the better. If you think about the course that you all have traveled since Clay has been injured, you will see that each three months you were a lot better off than you had been prior to the previous one. I hope that Clay is feeling better real soon. I know in my heart that three months from now, Clay and all of you will be doing great. Six months from now,you all will be awesome. Later on, you will upgrade to fabulous. However Rusty wants Clay to just hurry up and get well and get to "Clay's school". Rusty starts at Olney Monday and he is disappointed that Clay won't be there, but Rusty will be looking for him everyday until he is. Rusty prays for Clay to get better every night before he thanks God for our many blessings. God Bless

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just read the past month's updates and am still in all of how brave you guys are. Keeping you in prayers!

    The Snyders'

    Gary and Jeanne'

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wonderful to hear again of progress. Please give Clay a big hug for us, and know that all of you are never very far from our thoughts and always in our prayers.

    ReplyDelete
  12. We, too, are glad to read of Progress! Glad that surgery went well for Clay! Love the Lost Tooth story! We just lost a First Tooth here last night! And it has been loose for quite awhile, too! Thinking of you all often...hope the time goes fast for this part of healing! Hugs to all of you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for keeping this post going - I love to check and see how he is doing. Aaron had the wound vac after his surgeries, too and I know what a pain it is to carry that around (and Aaron's a grown man...) I hope that Clay heals quick and he can get rid of it soon! So glad the tooth fairy is allowed in recovery!

    ReplyDelete
  14. We continue to think of Clay and you all daily! So glad the latest surgery was a success, and we're anxious for another update. I'm sure the road of recovery seems long, though we can't see beyond the moment. Tomorrow's strength comes not today, but we can trust His keeping for just the next step on the way. Hang in there! Love to you all from your friends in NH, Kent & Sharon Chappell

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear precious Fite Family. I am always standing in admiration for you all. You are such a fine family and you give so many people hope. God is so good and He is blessing in ways we do not even understand. Carson, I am so very proud of you and your stand for Christ. God bless you as you grow in the Lord. Cody, you are so precious and I love how you encourage your brothers. And Clay, I just need to find out where your tooth fairy is because I lost a tooth last week, with t little help from the dentist, and I didn't get a single solitary dime! Could I borrow one from you? Just teasing! I love you all, Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good morning Chance, DeeDee, Carson, Cody, and Clay.
    We continue to think of you all, pray and hope Clay is healing well. We check the blog different times every day, and always enjoy others comments.
    We wish your family a wonderful HAPPY THANKSGIVING. We will have 17 so the day will be good. Love and hugs to ya'll. B&E

    ReplyDelete
  17. God has granted so many prayers and given so many blessings this year. As I attempt to cook Thanksgiving dinner, I've lost track of how many times that I have set off the smoke alarm; I just wanted pause to say that our whole family is so extremely grateful to God that you and Chance are feeding three beautiful boys this year. May you all have the best Thanksgiving ever. God Bless

    ReplyDelete