the wait begins......

It's the big day today - Carys has her surgery to remove the tumour. I've given her a big kiss and cuddle and left her in the hands of the surgeons. It's going to be at least 3 hours, and so the waiting begins...... Gung Gung (Carys's grandpa) drove us to the hospital today and we arrived at 7am. We saw a series of nurses, anesthetists and Michael the surgeon, all asking the same questions. Although it's a bit of a pain, it is also reassuring to have all those checks and double checks. It's hard to remain calm and composed when I know what's about to happen to her, but i need to so that Carys doesn't pick up on my anxiety. Carys was her usual happy self this morning, toddling around the waiting area, visiting the other families. There weren't many people in our waiting area, so she kept pulling me down the corridor to the other one which was full as if to say "this one's much more fun mum. Let's wait here!" They had to do some blood tests before the surgery, so that meant a bit more waiting, but it wasn't too bad. Not like the CT day!
Por Por (Carys's grandma) will bring Ian and Tane to the hospital later today. We told Tane last night that Carys was having her operation today and he was quite concerned. Once when she woke during the night, Tane came out of his room and said he wanted to see if Carys was ok. Usually he sleeps like a log and doesn't bother coming out. If we had let him, he would have slept next to her cot. But we thought none of us will sleep much with Tane tossing and turning on the floor! But it was a very sweet thought!
We will be at the hospital for at least 6 days. For the initial 2-3 days post op, she'll be on very heavy pain meds so she should be comfortable.
Carys sends her love to everyone who has been wishing her well. She's a strong little fighter and will come through this with flying colours.