Let's keep the laughter down, shall we?

It's the third day since my nephew Nathan had his surgery. A (most likely neuroblastoma) tumor removed from his abdomen. Thank heaven the surgery went well. They were able to remove it all, and without any complications. Lab results are still forthcoming. In the meantime, Nathan is in recovery. Most of the time he has been sleeping. The medication to numb the pain makes him very tired. He hasn't been able to have any liquids, much less solid food, since the day before his surgery. His mouth is dry. His lips chapped. But he doesn't much complain.

Today we went to visit him. He was sleeping. However, earlier in the day he had been much more alert, and actually made a trip to the toy room to play for a while. A very encouraging step in his path to wellness.

After we visited with my sister and family a while, Nathan awoke. I was attempting to entertain him with a hand puppet. Big mistake. I made him smile. That was good. I made him laugh. Ooh, that was NOT good. The laughter made his body hurt. Laughter turned to tears. I felt so bad. His mother comforted him. Eventually he calmed down. But any little cough, bump of the belly, hurts him. And it breaks your heart. This is a major boo-boo. Yes, time should heal. He is better than yesterday. And signs point toward a less painful tomorrow.

Hopefully he will be able to have fluids soon. Hopefully the test results will come back and will show the best possible outcome. Hopefully I'll be able to make him laugh again without causing any discomfort. In the meantime, I think my "silly hat" will go on hiatus.