This is day four post-op. Things are progressing well but slowly from our perspective. I think it feels that way because we are so anxious to be done with all this.
Braden ran a temp last night so the doctor had the nurses draw blood to run cultures on. Infection can sometimes be an issue with chest closure (surgery in general!); it is not unusual. His temp was down later in the morning so it (infection) appears to not be the case. The cultures are monitored for 3 days so please pray that nothing "grows".
The bandages were off the chest closure. We were able to get a good look at his scar. Impressive. It will look better with time but is really intimidating now. Braden was awake more today than we have seen since surgery. He is still on lots of pain meds so his awareness of us is hazy. It was still so great to see those beautiful blue eyes!
His breathing and oxygen saturation levels are still being closely monitored. As soon as more progess is made to breathe independently we will see the breathing tube disappear. We are continuing to pray that the lungs will be clear and function efficiently and independently. There was progress in this area today.
Braden has started being given some breastmilk, very small amounts, but it is a step in the right direction. Please continue to pray for the heart to kick in and function properly without the pacemaker. Surgery was just days ago and the heart has been tramatized; we are encouraged that this is likely a temporary need.
As this time draws on we are trying to take care of ourselves, our emotions are all over the place with each report and we are physically exhausted. We have to keep our focus on the Lord and not react to every little thing. The medical personnel report the facts and our job is to take it to God. Darth and I spend a lot of time over Braden's bed just praying. We feel so helpless, yet are grateful for the peace that comes when we release our concerns to Him.
We have met so many families with very sick children. Two kids to pray for are Meka (heart surgery tomorrow: infant baby girl) and Tyler (5 year old with leukemia) and their families.
More updates soon.
-Darth and Jenni
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2 comments:
I'm so glad to hear Braden is doing well. Braden's journey reminds me so much of Luke's. Luke also had problems with his heart stopping and had to have compressions to bring him back. He also had the pace maker wires a little longer because of the large VSD they closed during his arterial switch operation and his chest was also left open to allow the swelling to go down.
We were in your shoes not long ago and I know how difficult this journey is... I hope knowing Luke is doing extremely well will provide some comfort to you since our boys experiences have been very similar. I know I find strength and hope in hearing stories of others who have shared similar experiences and are doing well.
In our case, it seemed like after Luke was extubated and breathing on his own, the wires and IVs started disappearing very quickly. It won't be long until you see Braden's sweet little face and smile again. Your faith in God through this difficult time is inspiring. He is the ultimate physician.
If you have any questions I might be able to help you with, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Warmest regards,
Wendi Hundley
Mom to Luke (TGA, VSD)
http://babyluke.wordpress.com
I always had problems the third day after surgery - if there was anything going to go wrong, that's when it happened. I'd spike a fever or get strange beats for about 24 hours and then everything would become normal again. One of my doctors said he had seen that happen before; his theory was that on the third day your body started reacting to being sliced open.
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