Ethan made it through pre-op just fine. He was a champ during the blood work, sat still for the EKG and cried through the chest x-ray. We met with Ethan's surgeon and the anesthesiologist and a couple of cardiac surgery nurses.
Ethan's surgeon told us that he won't know the best way to "fix" the narrowing in the aorta until he gets in there. His first option will be to cut out the narrow part and sew the two wide ends back together, but there needs to be enough elasticity in the artery to make this work. If there isn't, the second option will be to cut open the narrow part and sew in a patch. This is what the surgeon did to Ethan's aortic arch in the first surgery.
The surgeon also told us that there is a chance that the scar tissue from Ethan's previous surgery could have calcified to a point where he can't cut through it. If this happens, he won't be able to do anything right then. He will sew him back up and then we will have to schedule an open heart surgery where he will completely redo what he did the first time. (I got sick to my stomach at this point.) He doesn't think this will be the case, but they try to prepare us as best as possible.
Ethan is the first case on Monday morning, so we need to be at the hospital at 6am, which means they will probably take him from us around 7 or 7:30 for surgery. We have heard that surgery could last anywhere from 3 to 5 hours. We have been told to plan on a hospital stay of 5 to 7 days. The two main things that will determine how long Ethan has to stay in the hospital will be the chest tube drainage and his blood pressure.
Please pray for protection over Ethan's health over the next couple of days and for wisdom for the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses and everyone else involved in the surgery.
I will be updating this blog whenever I get a chance, so please check back often to see what is going on.
Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble."
Ethan's surgeon told us that he won't know the best way to "fix" the narrowing in the aorta until he gets in there. His first option will be to cut out the narrow part and sew the two wide ends back together, but there needs to be enough elasticity in the artery to make this work. If there isn't, the second option will be to cut open the narrow part and sew in a patch. This is what the surgeon did to Ethan's aortic arch in the first surgery.
The surgeon also told us that there is a chance that the scar tissue from Ethan's previous surgery could have calcified to a point where he can't cut through it. If this happens, he won't be able to do anything right then. He will sew him back up and then we will have to schedule an open heart surgery where he will completely redo what he did the first time. (I got sick to my stomach at this point.) He doesn't think this will be the case, but they try to prepare us as best as possible.
Ethan is the first case on Monday morning, so we need to be at the hospital at 6am, which means they will probably take him from us around 7 or 7:30 for surgery. We have heard that surgery could last anywhere from 3 to 5 hours. We have been told to plan on a hospital stay of 5 to 7 days. The two main things that will determine how long Ethan has to stay in the hospital will be the chest tube drainage and his blood pressure.
Please pray for protection over Ethan's health over the next couple of days and for wisdom for the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses and everyone else involved in the surgery.
I will be updating this blog whenever I get a chance, so please check back often to see what is going on.
Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in time of trouble."
5 comments:
Dearest family,
as always, you are in our thoughts and prayers. Remember that little ones tend to be more resilient (I remember surgery being almost harder on me than on Mathieu and Martine).
God is surely with you.
Hugs,
Suzanne (Byrnes) and family
Brice and Heidi,
What a sweet little cutie pie Ethan is. I will be praying for the Ethan on Monday morning and for his surgeons. And for you guys as you wait. I can only begin to imagine how that feels.
Our love to your whole family.
Jess (and the whole Mulvaney fam)
Heidi & Brice - What a darling little boy. Prayers for you Monday morning. Hang in there.
Stacy Koellner
good to hear the appointment went well. praying for continued health between now and Monday morning and for the best possible scenario during surgery. praying for rest for you and brice too!
Matthew Ringo is also having the glenn at 6 am at cmh. Maybe you guys will meet up!
Post a Comment