Connor's Checkup w/ Surgeon

Yesterday we had Connor's first checkup with his surgeon, Dr. Rustad, since his surgery on April 14th. It went very well, the doctor thinks Connor is doing fantastic. We did have to practice stimulating his anus/rectum (sorry for the TMI) just in case Connor would begin to have trouble stooling, if we notice his stomach is distended or he starts vomiting. This would mean that where the reconstruction took place, that part of the intestine might be smaller than the rest and could potentially cause a blockage, backup, etc. The doctor said based on Connor's history (dirty diaper EVERY time :)), we may NEVER have to do this, but, he wanted us to be prepared and ready if the need arose. He has another patient that had the same pull through operation Connor had, and his mom has to do it twice a day. This is just a concern for basically the first few months after the surgery, and since we haven't had any problems yet, we're pretty confident we won't. I joked about posting a picture of the probe he sent us home with...but I will spare you all that visual. We will see Dr. Rustad in another 2-3 months or so just to check in and see how things are going.

Here is a recap of our small Q&A...

Q. Will he lead a 'normal' life (eating habits, etc.)? Mom and I have heard various stories about adults that had Hirschsprungs and various concerns/issues they have.
A. Yes, 'most' cases result in a completely 'normal' life, Connor shouldn't have to worry about anything more than the rest of us, that's the plan.

Q. Will his scar grow with him or will it remain the same size?
A. It likely will grow with him, but as the doctor described, it wouldn't necessarily grow across his entire side of his abdomen, but, he does expect it to get bigger as Connor does, there probably isn't a great way of knowing how big it will get. We'll just have to come up with some really cool stories of how he got it :)

Q. How many inches of large intestine does an infant have? And how much was removed from Connor?
A. The doctor said about 12-16 inches or so would be 'normal' and he guesstimated that we took about a 1/3 of that out of Connor. So, about 4-5 inches. (originally had guessed about 7)

Q. Where exactly did the reconstruction take place?
A. The doctor made it sound like the reconstruction is basically almost immediately inside the opening. It just amazes me to think that they could get way down there through the incision in his abdomen. Miraculous :)

I think that's about it, and sorry for the TMI but I needed to document as this blog is my living scrapbook until I finally get one started for him...