After Lucy's last surgery I noticed her chin still had a dip in it. I had mentioned to Dr. Siebert in pre-op that we should maybe do that during the surgery, but he said it looked ok. After the surgery we could see that we should have done the chin. I think he felt bad and told me that it was something simple that he could do in office if we wanted to come up sometime. I wish I would have been more persistent with him doing it during the surgery. It's hard to not sound like a perfectionist when discussing things in pre-op. Lucy at first was not on board with an in-office appointment. Being awake during the procedure was terrifying for her. I told her that another surgery was not an option, and I even asked Dr. Seibert about that. After a few days of thinking about it Lucy agreed to do the in-office procedure. I called and got everything scheduled. I was surprised that when I called it was put in as a no-charge appointment. We made arrangements to go up, it was going to be a quick visit. I was thankful JJ was going to be able to come with us. I have gone up the last few times with myself and wasn't sure I was up for it again. I made arrangements for the boys to go spend time with my dad. I took them over in the afternoon. They had a fun day planned with Jordan and his family. We left that evening as soon as JJ got home. We made good time and got to Madison before midnight. We were thankful for Ronald Mcdonald house for helping us with a hotel that evening. It was a very nice hotel! We got some good sleep and woke up ready to go. Lucy was extremely nervous. I said so many prayers that everything would go ok, and she would be able to endure this. We got back to the room, and I was surprised they let JJ and I stay for the procedure. The needles and syringes they used to numb Lucys butt where they would take the fat from were so big. I know it was so painful for her. She cried and thankfully the nurse let her squeeze her hand. I was hoping that once she was numb things would be easier. I could tell as things went on that she could still feel things and it was painful. He worked on Lucy for probably 1 1/2 hours. She cried through a lot of it and kept her eyes closed. He took some fat from her butt and then put it in syringes and used it to fill in spots on her face. There were some areas that I am not sure were completely numb. He used some numbing cream to help. I was so thankful for the medical assistant Darcy who held her hand the whole time. She would tap her hand and rub her arm to calm her down and distract her. Every once and a while I would get up and rub her leg and tell her she was doing a good job. Dr. Siebert was fascinating to watch work. He truly has a gift, and I could see that once he starts things he gets in a zone. He worked a lot on her chin. He released a lot of scar tissue around her lower lip which he said will be really helpful. He filled her lips, in between her eyebrows and up by her hairline as well. She was a trooper! Dr. Siebert said several times that this was worth the trip and these little things make a big difference. We know they do! We could tell towards the end she was done. She had reached her limit. Once everything was over and everyone left the room I went over and helped her sit up. I hugged her and rubbed her back. She started to cry pretty hard, it kind of all let loose. I told her she was so brave! It was a hard appointment to watch. There were several times JJ and I cringed and looked at each other. We knew Lucy was in pain and that this was hard for her. I felt so bad for her and felt so bad that this is part of her life. Dr. Siebert mentioned that he would like for us to come back and do some work on her nose. I laughed and said maybe next summer, it might take a while to recover from this. He told us anytime! I know for me being able to see a piece of what Lucy endures was helpful for me. It gave me a new sense of empathy. I am thankful that as hard as it was that we were able to watch. If I would have been sitting in the waiting room and then had Dr. Siebert come talk to me and tell me he would like us to come back, I would have wanted to schedule something sooner than later. Knowing all that will go into coming back and the mental and physical limits this placed on Lucy I will wait for her to tell me when she wants to go back. After the appointment we headed to lunch at our favorite place downtown, "The old fashioned". While we drove there, I think Lucy started to go into a little bit of shock. She got pale and nauseous. Being hungry combined with all she had gone through started to hit her. We got seated quickly and ordered he favorite, cheese curds. Once she started to eat, she started to feel better. I think sitting outside and getting some fresh air helped. While we were eating lunch Dr. Siebert texted and asked if Lucy was mad at him. I laughed and told him no. I thought that was sweet. He could tell that he beat her up pretty good and wanted to make sure she was ok. We had a nice lunch and then started heading home. This visit reminded me just how brave Lucy is. This was not an easy trip. None of her trips to Madison have been easy. The things she endures and goes through I will never understand. I don't think I could have gone through that appointment that she did. We stopped on our way to see Lauren. We got there just as the Olympic opening ceremonies were starting. Lauren had made a treat that we enjoyed and watched a little before getting back on the road.
The boys were having a blast with Grandpa and Jordan. I could see that they were still gone as we pulled into town. I told them to spend the night at Grandpas and we would come get them in the morning. They had the best time playing at Sutton Bluff. They played in the creek, jumped off the rope swing, drove the 4-wheeler and roasted hot dogs for dinner. I am glad they were able to have a fun time while we were gone. We thought about trying to take the boys with us but knew they would spend so much time sitting in the car and the waiting room. They had way more fun staying home.
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