The surgery that wasn't...

Henry swallowed 2 coins 3 weeks ago. We were told to check his stool to see if it passed. It never did. An x-ray last Tuesday revealed that there were 2 coins in his stomach. A referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai happened yesterday, and today we found ourselves traveling to Beverly Hills at 4:30am for a 7:30am x-ray appointment to be followed by a gi scope procedure to remove the coins. To say this was all a whirlwind would be a bit of an understatement.

Henry's x-ray happened at 8am...right on schedule. He hated the process (it took 2 tries to get a clear picture) but it went off without a hitch. Immediately after the x-ray we traveled to the 7th floor of the South Tower and found ourselves registering for Henry's next procedure. I was nervous & worried, but I knew there were many praying for us, so I took comfort in that. After registration we were ushered into the prep room where Henry was handed a kids version of a hospital gown and we changed him and set off to meet with the nurses. Once we were led into the next room Henry was given a bed and the nurse started taking his information. While all this was going on, the doctor came out to tell us that it looked as though the coins had finally made their way into the large intestine (which was quite amazing considering that the coins had been hanging out in his stomach for the last 3+ weeks!) So, after confirmation from the x-ray tech. the doctor told us that our procedure was indeed canceled. Once objects move into the large intestine they are almost 100% assured of a natural exit. So back to stool checking. If it doesn't pass by Monday he will have to have another x-ray (in Bakersfield, thankfully) and then assess our options. Hopefully the coins will pass and we will just be done with this.

So...we found ourselves in the LA area at 9:30 am with nothing to do. Henry was in good spirits (which we hadn't planned on) so we wanted to take advantage of John's day off and our canceled procedure. We first headed to downtown LA to eat at the Nickel Diner. We thought it appropriate that we eat at a place that included a common coin in it's name, since the whole reason for our trip centered around Henry's stomach and the 2 coins calling it home. The food was delicious! While there, John had the great idea to call Dodger stadium to see if they were offering any stadium tours today. Guess what, they were! So, we practically inhaled our food (it was 11 o'clock and the tour started at 11:30) and then quickly drove to the stadium to take in the tour (a dream come true for John!). So what started out to be an incredibly stressful and nerve-wracking day ended up being a late morning/early afternoon of Wiebe family fun (and all this during basketball season to boot!) What a great day...now if only those coins will make an appearance :)

Now onto the pictures:

Waiting on the 7th floor...
Henry loved looking out the windows at the cars below...


Henry in his gown, waiting for his procedure (this was before we knew it was going to be canceled)...




Once we learned the procedure was canceled, John and I relaxed and we had a grand time in the prep room. The nurses loved Henry. They asked if they could carry him around the room and introduce him to everyone. We said sure, so they took full advantage. Henry was in prime form, smiling and interacting with everyone he met. He was definitely a crowd favorite...

After we learned about the non-procedure, Henry was given lots of snacks from the nurses (he hadn't been able to eat since midnight and it was 9:30 at the time). They brought him graham crackers, oreos, orange juice, and grape juice. He even got to drink his juice from a straw which was a huge hit!



Now onto the Dodger Stadium tour...


In the Press Box...


Nancy B's organ...




Henry in the dugout (we know he is going to be upset with us when he gets older for allowing him to take a golf club onto a baseball stadium tour...but it was what we had)



Dugout water fountain...





Indoor batting tee, just down the hallway from the dugout...


Weight room...


Indoor batting cage (we were the only people on the tour, so Henry got to take batting practice off the tee with his golf ball and club :)...



Henry running onto the field from the bullpen...



Bullpen drinking fountain...


Overall we had a great day! Now we are home and are awaiting the arrival of Henry's 2 coins. Preferably sometime before Monday :)