Welcome to Surgery!

This post is dedicated to the beloved doctor in our life :)



 The other night, we went out for an adventure in the dark.

To visit St. Cloud Hospital's new surgical center.

 It has been completely renovated and was very impressive!

 There were some hands-on hip sockets to examine.

There were also new rooms to look at.  I had heard of the daVinci robot, but didn't realize there was one in central Minnesota.

We're so hip (har!) and advanced here in the midwest.

 You could even manipulate the daVinci yourself . . .

. . . If you could get through the door.  The room was so packed with people, we had to move on.  The only one who could get a look at anything in there was Nate, and that is only because his legs are actually part stilt (true story).

The sinks for handwashing were so big, Elin could take a bath in them.

The kids' room was nearly empty, so we headed in there.

The first thing we saw was candy.  Is this normal surgical protocol?

The nurse in there demonstated how a tube was put into an airway to help the patient breathe.  (Sorry, no technical terms here.)

It was pretty cool.

I'm not sure what Svea was thinking.

She was game to put a little thing on her finger that monitored her heart rate and oxygen levels though.

The screen showed a 98 out of 100 oxygen level (see it near the bottom right of the screen)  We applauded Svea for having such excellent lungs.

Viggo couldn't help but want to know what his heart rate and oxygen levels were too.

First he had a 96/100 for oxygen.  Then that stinker then took several deep breaths so his oxygen level was at 100.  So he could beat Svea at breathing.

Yes, our children even compete for who is the better breather.

Then Viggo got suited up to preform surgery.

This headgear keeps all the germs contained.

Viggo got such a kick out of that.

Then there was water to spray.  Viggo wanted to bring this contraption home.

 Elin squirted the water too.  This was the only activity she wanted to participate in (besides helping herself to a piece of candy).

Okay, I know we live in the heart of Jell-O country, but these were not refreshements for the tour.  These things are placed under the patient's body, anywhere that needs to be cushioned to help them feel more comfortable on the operating table.

And they were lemon flavored.

Just kidding!  Moving on to Laparoscopic Cholecstectomy!

 Viggo started taking pictures.  I was glad, because this room was a little creepy, and I was busy keeping an eye on Svea, who was looking a little wary about being in this room.

I did not take this photo, and I'm not sure what is happening in this video, and I am not really even wanting to know.

We had a great time.  It was really nice to see the new surgery rooms and meet some of the staff.  I hope we never have to see them again.

When I was putting the girls to bed that night, Svea told me she never wanted to go there again (she meant the laparoscopic room specifically).  I told her that we need to be thankful that God has blessed us with healthy bodies, and that even though we haven't needed to have surgery, isn't it nice to know there is a wonderful place full of nice doctors like Grandpa Zeke who can take good care of people who do need surgery, blah blah blah.  Well, my little speech went in one ear and out the other because she just said, "Mommy, I never want to be in that dark room again!" 

So then we prayed.  And then she fell asleep - thank goodness!