Thomas continued to have heme (blood) positive stools overnight, and there was thickening of the bowel wall on X-ray. No free air though, which is good. They are calling it NEC today for sure. Hopefully it remains medical NEC and not surgical. It is frustrating because we have an entirely new team of doctors because of the holiday. Yesterday the ICU doc and peds surgeon thought the X-ray looked good, but today's ICU doc said he saw pneumatosis on the film from yesterday. WBC is improved, and crp is basically the same. Still a lot of room for improvement with renal function and urine output.
Yesterday they were talking about closing the chest in the next few days, but today's crew said we weren't close to chest closure. I don't want to rush anything, but I wish we had some consistency with plans, etc.
Today Thomas's condition was described as tenuous....a big change from terrific! Yikes!
Here are today's prayer requests:
NEC- please pray for quick resolution, no progression, and that no surgical intervention is not necessary
- pray that kidney function will improve significantly
- pray that urine output would increase so swelling can improve
- pray he is stable enough for chest closure soon because open chest is portal for infection
- pray for TJ...he feels he is getting a cold. It would be devastating if thomas got any kind of cold or infection..and so TJ needs to get better quickly and keep his cooties to himself!
Happy thanksgiving to everyone! We are so thankful for everyone's support and prayers. We are so thankful for our precious Thomas and how God has kept him safe so far!
Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.
His faithful love endures forever. (Psalm 136:4 NLT)
Showing posts with label norwood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label norwood. Show all posts
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Wait...WHAT did you just say?
I never thought I would hear words like "terrific, fantastic, and great" so soon in regards to Thomas's progress....but that is what the CT surgeon said this morning! I almost cried I was so happy!
Thomas had a good night. Several prayers have been answered and we are so grateful!
-He has not had any episodes of SVT in over 24hours!
-He is waking up more, opening his eyes, chewing on his tube, and moving his arms and legs :)
-He is weaning off of the Epi and maintaining his blood pressure
-His ventilator settings have come down
-He is on Fentanyl now and the Precedex has been stopped
-He is exceeding everyone's expectations so far.....that was one of our specific prayers....not that he would just do "ok"
There are still a few issues that need prayers:
1) His kidney function- urine output is good, but has room for improvement. Also, the lab values used to measure kidney function are too high....hopefully they will improve!
2) His white blood cell count and CRP were very elevated this morning compared to yesterday. This could be just inflammation from steroids and major surgery, but it could be a sign of a brewing infection...which could be devastating. Please pray that he will remain free from any infections!
3) Pray that he will continue to diurese so the swelling will go down enough for his chest to be closed in the next few days
This whole pregnancy and experience with Thomas has changed our perspective forever! We are learning to see everything with new eyes, and are so grateful for the little things and baby steps along the way. We are so humbled by the many prayers and blessings we have received so far....God is so good.
This is a really pretty version of the doxology.....and the video is thought provoking....enjoy
Thomas had a good night. Several prayers have been answered and we are so grateful!
-He has not had any episodes of SVT in over 24hours!
-He is waking up more, opening his eyes, chewing on his tube, and moving his arms and legs :)
-He is weaning off of the Epi and maintaining his blood pressure
-His ventilator settings have come down
-He is on Fentanyl now and the Precedex has been stopped
-He is exceeding everyone's expectations so far.....that was one of our specific prayers....not that he would just do "ok"
There are still a few issues that need prayers:
1) His kidney function- urine output is good, but has room for improvement. Also, the lab values used to measure kidney function are too high....hopefully they will improve!
2) His white blood cell count and CRP were very elevated this morning compared to yesterday. This could be just inflammation from steroids and major surgery, but it could be a sign of a brewing infection...which could be devastating. Please pray that he will remain free from any infections!
3) Pray that he will continue to diurese so the swelling will go down enough for his chest to be closed in the next few days
This whole pregnancy and experience with Thomas has changed our perspective forever! We are learning to see everything with new eyes, and are so grateful for the little things and baby steps along the way. We are so humbled by the many prayers and blessings we have received so far....God is so good.
This is a really pretty version of the doxology.....and the video is thought provoking....enjoy
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
1 Corinthians 2:5
"Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." 1Cor 2:5
Today was a good, quiet day. Thomas is exceeding the expectations of the surgeons and the cardiologists, and for that we are so thankful! TJ and I know the only explanation for this is all of the prayers for Thomas!
The complications he is having are to be expected after the Norwood.....but as I have said before, we still have a long way to go!
He only had one episode of SVT today, and was able to get out of it on his own (kind of....he's on two medications to prevent it!) His urine output is improving, and the bleeding is under control. We still need to watch these things carefully though!
He is still on Dopamine, Epi, and Milrinone to help his blood pressure and heart.
He hasn't really woken up yet, and that makes me a little nervous. He will move his toes, twitch a little, and will move his mouth. As I was leaving tonight he moved his head a little and you could see him squeeze his eyes shut. I'm hoping he will wake up more tomorrow. There is nothing to do but wait and see at this point!
Thanks again for all of the prayers! They are working!
Today was a good, quiet day. Thomas is exceeding the expectations of the surgeons and the cardiologists, and for that we are so thankful! TJ and I know the only explanation for this is all of the prayers for Thomas!
The complications he is having are to be expected after the Norwood.....but as I have said before, we still have a long way to go!
He only had one episode of SVT today, and was able to get out of it on his own (kind of....he's on two medications to prevent it!) His urine output is improving, and the bleeding is under control. We still need to watch these things carefully though!
He is still on Dopamine, Epi, and Milrinone to help his blood pressure and heart.
He hasn't really woken up yet, and that makes me a little nervous. He will move his toes, twitch a little, and will move his mouth. As I was leaving tonight he moved his head a little and you could see him squeeze his eyes shut. I'm hoping he will wake up more tomorrow. There is nothing to do but wait and see at this point!
Thanks again for all of the prayers! They are working!
Post-op Day 1
Thomas did well overnight (considering he just had extremely complicated surgery yesterday) and for that we are grateful!
Overnight he had several episodes of SVT (supraventricular tachycardia = very fast heart rate). This can be dangerous because when the heart is beating this fast, it isn't able to pump well enough to provide blood where it needs to go. This can cause decreases in blood pressure and other signs of decompensation. Luckily, Thomas's blood pressure didn't drop during these episodes, and the SVT responded quickly to a medication called Adenosine. He is also Digoxin and Precedex to help keep this under control. It is probably caused from irritability and stretching of the heart muscle from yesterday, and may be caused by some "tickling" from some of the wires in his heart.
He is on Milrinone, Dopamine, and Epi, and has weaned some on these meds.
Thomas also has significant chest wall edema (swelling). When you look at his chest xray from yesterday, you see about 1/2 inch of soft tissue (skin, fat, etc) on either side of his ribs. This morning he had about 2inches of soft tissue (mostly swelling this time) on each side of his ribs. Swelling is a known complication, which is why his chest was left open after surgery to allow room for this. We need his kidneys to get back into action so he can get rid of some of this fluid. Sometimes the kidneys can be slow to wake back up after being on heart-lung bypass, so he is on Lasix and Diuril (diuretics) to help with this.
Because he isn't urinating well, his body held on to the anesthesia longer. It usually takes 6-12h for kids to wake up after surgery. He isn't waking up much, but his toes and feet were responsive this morning, which was good. Also, the Precedex that he is on for his heart is a sedative, so it is hard to tell. Once he really wakes up he will be on Fentanyl.
He is on the ventilator, of course, and his settings have come way down. Yay!
His lactic acid level is monitored to follow his perfusion, and has come down from 98 (after surgery) to 24. We are happy about that!
He is on Vancomycin and Gentamicin to prevent infection since his chest is open (its covered, but still a huge risk for infection). He is on Heparin to protect his new Sano shunt in his heart.
He still won't be able to eat for a while, and they are resuming his TPN (nutrition through his IV).
The next goals for Thomas are for the swelling to decrease enough that they can close his chest, and the step after that is to get off the ventilator. Baby steps!!!
We are so thankful and grateful for everyone's prayers. They have sustained us and brought Thomas through this first surgery!
Here are our prayer requests for now:
1) Kidney function- pray that urine output will increase
2) SVT/arrhythmia- pray it will stop and be easily controlled with medication
3) Pray that his chest wall swelling will go down enough for his chest to be closed in the next few days
4) Pray that his overall fluid/swelling will go down so that he can be taken off the ventilator successfully after his chest is closed
5) Pray that he will wake up quickly to look at us :)
6) Pray that he won't have any issues with infection or bleeding
7) Please continue to pray for the nurses and doctors caring for Thomas.....they are amazing and we are so thankful!
Sorry for all of the medical jargon...but I have alot of nerdy buddies who like all the details. I say that in love, because I'm a nerd too :)
Overnight he had several episodes of SVT (supraventricular tachycardia = very fast heart rate). This can be dangerous because when the heart is beating this fast, it isn't able to pump well enough to provide blood where it needs to go. This can cause decreases in blood pressure and other signs of decompensation. Luckily, Thomas's blood pressure didn't drop during these episodes, and the SVT responded quickly to a medication called Adenosine. He is also Digoxin and Precedex to help keep this under control. It is probably caused from irritability and stretching of the heart muscle from yesterday, and may be caused by some "tickling" from some of the wires in his heart.
He is on Milrinone, Dopamine, and Epi, and has weaned some on these meds.
Thomas also has significant chest wall edema (swelling). When you look at his chest xray from yesterday, you see about 1/2 inch of soft tissue (skin, fat, etc) on either side of his ribs. This morning he had about 2inches of soft tissue (mostly swelling this time) on each side of his ribs. Swelling is a known complication, which is why his chest was left open after surgery to allow room for this. We need his kidneys to get back into action so he can get rid of some of this fluid. Sometimes the kidneys can be slow to wake back up after being on heart-lung bypass, so he is on Lasix and Diuril (diuretics) to help with this.
Because he isn't urinating well, his body held on to the anesthesia longer. It usually takes 6-12h for kids to wake up after surgery. He isn't waking up much, but his toes and feet were responsive this morning, which was good. Also, the Precedex that he is on for his heart is a sedative, so it is hard to tell. Once he really wakes up he will be on Fentanyl.
He is on the ventilator, of course, and his settings have come way down. Yay!
His lactic acid level is monitored to follow his perfusion, and has come down from 98 (after surgery) to 24. We are happy about that!
He is on Vancomycin and Gentamicin to prevent infection since his chest is open (its covered, but still a huge risk for infection). He is on Heparin to protect his new Sano shunt in his heart.
He still won't be able to eat for a while, and they are resuming his TPN (nutrition through his IV).
The next goals for Thomas are for the swelling to decrease enough that they can close his chest, and the step after that is to get off the ventilator. Baby steps!!!
We are so thankful and grateful for everyone's prayers. They have sustained us and brought Thomas through this first surgery!
Here are our prayer requests for now:
1) Kidney function- pray that urine output will increase
2) SVT/arrhythmia- pray it will stop and be easily controlled with medication
3) Pray that his chest wall swelling will go down enough for his chest to be closed in the next few days
4) Pray that his overall fluid/swelling will go down so that he can be taken off the ventilator successfully after his chest is closed
5) Pray that he will wake up quickly to look at us :)
6) Pray that he won't have any issues with infection or bleeding
7) Please continue to pray for the nurses and doctors caring for Thomas.....they are amazing and we are so thankful!
Sorry for all of the medical jargon...but I have alot of nerdy buddies who like all the details. I say that in love, because I'm a nerd too :)
The Norwood....aka What they did yesterday!
Here is a link that describes Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome well, for anyone who is interested:
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/h/hlhs
Thomas had the Norwood procedure yesterday with the Sano modification (Sano shunt instead of BT shunt).
He is stable this morning and did ok overnight. We ended up being too exhausted to stay at the hospital overnight and came back to the RMH to sleep! I called every 3h to check on Thomas while pumping. He had a few issues overnight that I will go into more detail on after we get back from rounds in a little while.
We can go to "family rounds" on Thomas. We sign in between 645-7am, then hang around the hospital until they are rounding on him. After that we are kicked out of the unit until 10 when rounds are over (or later if they are doing any procedures, etc).
Anyway, I want to see if there were any other issues besides the ones I'm aware of before I post an update.
He is pretty stable though, considering all he went through, and we are so thankful!!!
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:23 NLT)
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/h/hlhs
Thomas had the Norwood procedure yesterday with the Sano modification (Sano shunt instead of BT shunt).
He is stable this morning and did ok overnight. We ended up being too exhausted to stay at the hospital overnight and came back to the RMH to sleep! I called every 3h to check on Thomas while pumping. He had a few issues overnight that I will go into more detail on after we get back from rounds in a little while.
We can go to "family rounds" on Thomas. We sign in between 645-7am, then hang around the hospital until they are rounding on him. After that we are kicked out of the unit until 10 when rounds are over (or later if they are doing any procedures, etc).
Anyway, I want to see if there were any other issues besides the ones I'm aware of before I post an update.
He is pretty stable though, considering all he went through, and we are so thankful!!!
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:23 NLT)
Monday, November 21, 2011
Surgery is over!
We just met with Thomas's surgeon, Dr. Kogon.....the surgery is over and he said the repair went beautifully! The main issue was bleeding...they finished the actual repair about three hours ago but it took all of this time for the bleeding to stop. He was oozing from hundreds of needle holes in his heart and vessels, and they had to slowly give him blood, clotting factors, and platelets. He only needed two sutures to help with bleeding, which is remarkable!
The surgeon has several concerns which are our new prayer requests:
1) bleeding....pray that it will stop and they wont have to go back into his chest to stop bleeding
2) his kidney function....he is third spacing a lot of fluid (getting puffy instead of keeping inside his vessels) and not making much urine. Hopefully this will improve with medication and time.
3) His atria are "twitchy"....pray that he won't have any abnormal rhythms
4) He is on alot of inotropic support (medicines that support his heart function)...pray that they can wean his meds and he can hold his own
This is the first hurdle of the next 48h....which will be critical. Please pray for Thomas whenever you think of him. Pray that he will be stable, and that any complications that arise will be easily managed.
His chest will remain open for the next few days, so his heart will be visible through a goretex mesh patch. It is pretty remarkable.
Hopefully we will be able to see him soon!!!!
We are so grateful for the surgeons and their skilled hands, and we can never thank everyone enough for all of the prayers going up on behalf of our son. I know that is what has carried us this far!
“O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. (Jeremiah 32:17, 19 NLT)
We are so thankful!!!
The surgeon has several concerns which are our new prayer requests:
1) bleeding....pray that it will stop and they wont have to go back into his chest to stop bleeding
2) his kidney function....he is third spacing a lot of fluid (getting puffy instead of keeping inside his vessels) and not making much urine. Hopefully this will improve with medication and time.
3) His atria are "twitchy"....pray that he won't have any abnormal rhythms
4) He is on alot of inotropic support (medicines that support his heart function)...pray that they can wean his meds and he can hold his own
This is the first hurdle of the next 48h....which will be critical. Please pray for Thomas whenever you think of him. Pray that he will be stable, and that any complications that arise will be easily managed.
His chest will remain open for the next few days, so his heart will be visible through a goretex mesh patch. It is pretty remarkable.
Hopefully we will be able to see him soon!!!!
We are so grateful for the surgeons and their skilled hands, and we can never thank everyone enough for all of the prayers going up on behalf of our son. I know that is what has carried us this far!
“O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. (Jeremiah 32:17, 19 NLT)
We are so thankful!!!
Surgery update #4
Thomas is still in the OR, and is off of heart-lung bypass.
His blood is thinned out to go on bypass. He has a lot of suture lines and is still "oozy"...so they are waiting for him to "dry up." They are slowly giving him blood products, etc to accomplish this.
This is definitely a milestone in this procedure, but we are nowhere near being out of the woods. Please keep praying for Thomas. He will be just as fragile over the next 48 hours as he has been in the OR. He will prob be in the OR a few more hours...we aren't sure.
We are waiting in the surgery waiting room, and it is finally quiet in here. It seemed like most families were tailgating instead of going through the scariest day of their lives. Oh well...I am happy for them. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
We love our sweet Thomas and hope he is out of there soon. Everytime someone in scrubs walks in this waiting room my heart drops! Thanks for all of your prayers....they are what has carried us through this so far!!! We are passing the long hours by praying and reading everyones sweet comments on the blog and facebook, emails, and texts. We are so blessed!
“But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked or afraid! The LORD your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you! (Deuteronomy 1:29, 30 NLT)
His blood is thinned out to go on bypass. He has a lot of suture lines and is still "oozy"...so they are waiting for him to "dry up." They are slowly giving him blood products, etc to accomplish this.
This is definitely a milestone in this procedure, but we are nowhere near being out of the woods. Please keep praying for Thomas. He will be just as fragile over the next 48 hours as he has been in the OR. He will prob be in the OR a few more hours...we aren't sure.
We are waiting in the surgery waiting room, and it is finally quiet in here. It seemed like most families were tailgating instead of going through the scariest day of their lives. Oh well...I am happy for them. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
We love our sweet Thomas and hope he is out of there soon. Everytime someone in scrubs walks in this waiting room my heart drops! Thanks for all of your prayers....they are what has carried us through this so far!!! We are passing the long hours by praying and reading everyones sweet comments on the blog and facebook, emails, and texts. We are so blessed!
“But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked or afraid! The LORD your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you! (Deuteronomy 1:29, 30 NLT)
surgery update #2
Surgery is progressing, and Thomas is now on the heart-lung bypass machine
Please keep praying!
This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. (2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT)
Please keep praying!
This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. (2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT)
First update
The first incision was made at 12:27pm.
The OR nurse will update us every 1-1.5 hours, and the whole procedure will take 6-8 hrs.
'The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:14 NLT)
The OR nurse will update us every 1-1.5 hours, and the whole procedure will take 6-8 hrs.
'The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:14 NLT)
Pray without ceasing....
Thomas went back to the OR at 11:30am. It will take about an hour to get him ready, and they will call us when the procedure starts, and hourly after that. I will keep you all posted!
I got to hold Thomas again this morning and he opened his eyes to look a us. It was wonderful!
Pray that he will be strong and brave today, and that he will be dreaming of our snuggle time in the chair while he is asleep. We are holding those blue booties and praying over them.
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT)
I got to hold Thomas again this morning and he opened his eyes to look a us. It was wonderful!
Pray that he will be strong and brave today, and that he will be dreaming of our snuggle time in the chair while he is asleep. We are holding those blue booties and praying over them.
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT)
The morning of surgery...
We are nervous, as you can imagine, and my stomach is in knots. We are trying to spend as much time with Thomas this morning as we are allowed.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NLT)
Please pray for our precious Thomas today!
We will be getting hourly updates during the surgery and will try to post updates here as often as we can.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NLT)
Please pray for our precious Thomas today!
We will be getting hourly updates during the surgery and will try to post updates here as often as we can.
Dear Thomas
Dear Thomas,
"The LORD himself watches over you!
The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.
The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.
The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever. (Psalm 121:5-8 NLT)
Your father and I love you more than you will ever know.
Tomorrow is your due date...but instead of being born, you are heading into surgery for the fight of your life. If we could take this from you we would in an instant. We will be praying desperately for you the entire time, and so are more people than you would believe!
We can't wait to see you when it is over, and are looking forward to taking you home in a few weeks.
I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be!
"The LORD himself watches over you!
The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.
The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.
The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever. (Psalm 121:5-8 NLT)
Your father and I love you more than you will ever know.
Tomorrow is your due date...but instead of being born, you are heading into surgery for the fight of your life. If we could take this from you we would in an instant. We will be praying desperately for you the entire time, and so are more people than you would believe!
We can't wait to see you when it is over, and are looking forward to taking you home in a few weeks.
I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Surgery Tomorrow
We are planning for Thomas to have surgery tomorrow, probably around noon. It will last 6-8 hours.
We are very anxious, but trying to trust that the Lord will carry Thomas through his surgery. The surgeons here are excellent, and we are confident in them.
Please pray for strength for Thomas.
Pray for wisdom, strength, steady hands, and clear minds for the doctors and surgeons caring for him.
Pray that Thomas won't feel pain.
Pray for protection for his brain and other organs as he is placed on heart-lung bypass.
Pray that the time of the operation is minimal (ie closer to 6 hrs)
Pray for no complications, no excessive bleeding
Pray that he is able to tolerate coming off of bypass as they thicken his blood, etc (it has to be thinned for him to go on bypass so that it won't clot.....and he is so small that they can't just give him a bunch of blood or clotting factors to thicken it back up like they would to an adult)
Pray for a sense of peace for us....peace that transcends all understanding (Phil 4:7) for today, tonight, and tomorrow......as these will likely be the longest days of our lives.
Pray for a miracle of healing for Thomas. Pray that the surgery will be easy and successful, and that he will exceed all of their expectations in the recovery period. Pray that he is feisty (like his Mama) and like he was during all of his prenatal ultrasounds :)
Eph 3:20- "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us"- we ask (BEG) these things in Jesus's name.
Here is another song by Matt Hammitt
"This is Grace"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcCQv_mzG5I&feature=related
Love,
Melissa, TJ, & Thomas
We are very anxious, but trying to trust that the Lord will carry Thomas through his surgery. The surgeons here are excellent, and we are confident in them.
Please pray for strength for Thomas.
Pray for wisdom, strength, steady hands, and clear minds for the doctors and surgeons caring for him.
Pray that Thomas won't feel pain.
Pray for protection for his brain and other organs as he is placed on heart-lung bypass.
Pray that the time of the operation is minimal (ie closer to 6 hrs)
Pray for no complications, no excessive bleeding
Pray that he is able to tolerate coming off of bypass as they thicken his blood, etc (it has to be thinned for him to go on bypass so that it won't clot.....and he is so small that they can't just give him a bunch of blood or clotting factors to thicken it back up like they would to an adult)
Pray for a sense of peace for us....peace that transcends all understanding (Phil 4:7) for today, tonight, and tomorrow......as these will likely be the longest days of our lives.
Pray for a miracle of healing for Thomas. Pray that the surgery will be easy and successful, and that he will exceed all of their expectations in the recovery period. Pray that he is feisty (like his Mama) and like he was during all of his prenatal ultrasounds :)
Eph 3:20- "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us"- we ask (BEG) these things in Jesus's name.
Here is another song by Matt Hammitt
"This is Grace"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcCQv_mzG5I&feature=related
Love,
Melissa, TJ, & Thomas
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Plan
"The Plan" (in quotes because who knows if this baby has his own plan!!) is for us to travel to Atlanta in time for Thomas's delivery, which will be some time around 39 weeks.
He will be born at Northside Hospital, stabilized, and then will be transferred to Egleston Children's Hospital.
He will be in the Cardiac ICU at Egleston, where they will study him from head to toe as they prepare him for surgery.
He will have three surgeries....
the Norwood, performed within the first week of life
the Glenn, performed at 3-6months,
and the Fontan, which is done between 2-4 years of age.
The Norwood is by far the scariest procedure, and the most dangerous. He will be very fragile even after he recovers until he has the Glenn procedure.
We will be in Atlanta for several weeks with Thomas (average hospital stay is 3-4 weeks)
We will use this blog to keep everyone updated as frequently as we can, and we are so thankful for everyone's love and support!
We will do our best to respond to emails, texts, and calls, but we will be pretty preoccupied with our little boy! (and you can't use your phone in the ICU!)
In the CICU he will be very fragile, and is only allowed two visitors at a time.
We will probably be exhausted, stressed, and learning a crash course in cardiothoracic surgery and cardiac physiology. Because of this, it is really not a good time for visitors. We will let you know when things stabilize and that changes!
We can't tell you how much we appreciate all of the offers to come visit while we are in Atlanta!
We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family, and we are so thankful for your support and prayers!
Love, Mel & TJ
He will be born at Northside Hospital, stabilized, and then will be transferred to Egleston Children's Hospital.
He will be in the Cardiac ICU at Egleston, where they will study him from head to toe as they prepare him for surgery.
He will have three surgeries....
the Norwood, performed within the first week of life
the Glenn, performed at 3-6months,
and the Fontan, which is done between 2-4 years of age.
The Norwood is by far the scariest procedure, and the most dangerous. He will be very fragile even after he recovers until he has the Glenn procedure.
We will be in Atlanta for several weeks with Thomas (average hospital stay is 3-4 weeks)
We will use this blog to keep everyone updated as frequently as we can, and we are so thankful for everyone's love and support!
We will do our best to respond to emails, texts, and calls, but we will be pretty preoccupied with our little boy! (and you can't use your phone in the ICU!)
In the CICU he will be very fragile, and is only allowed two visitors at a time.
We will probably be exhausted, stressed, and learning a crash course in cardiothoracic surgery and cardiac physiology. Because of this, it is really not a good time for visitors. We will let you know when things stabilize and that changes!
We can't tell you how much we appreciate all of the offers to come visit while we are in Atlanta!
We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family, and we are so thankful for your support and prayers!
Love, Mel & TJ
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