Surgery was a SUCCESS

Josiah got his bath at 1:30am.  He got his last feeding from 2am-3am.  Then, he napped.  We left at 5am for the drive into Children's.  We arrived at the hospital parking garage at 6:15am and were checked in by 6:45am.  First stop, pre-op admitting.  We were escorted to the pre-op holding area.  Josiah was hungry by then.  Luckily, he recently discovered his thumb which was successful at pacifying him :)

At 7:50am, members of the team arrived.  Nurse Tom allowed us our hugs/kisses with Josiah then took him from me.  He immediately voiced a fondness for our little man.  Josiah was given an oral sedative and handled it like a trooper.  Nurse Tom wrapped Josiah in his favorite blanket, gave him his favorite stuffed animal, and CARRIED him to the O.R. (that made me smile).  Carl & I were escorted to the family waiting area.

The RN liaisons there are wonderful.  They made us comfortable, assured us that updates would be provided, and stayed in constant contact with us.  At 9am, the surgeon came in to introduce himself and explain the procedure.  The wait began.

The first call came around 10am.  Josiah had handled anesthesia well.  The incision had been made at 9:30am.  He was transferred to a heart/lung machine at 10am.  The transfer to machine went smoothly.  Josiah was stable and doing very well.  Carl & I walked around and tried to waste time.  We made our way back to the waiting room at 11am.  At 11:40, the second call came.  The repairs to the heart had been successfully completed.  He transferred smoothly off the heart/lung machine.  They were about to finish the procedure.  Josiah was stable and doing very well.  What great news!

At 12 noon, Dr. E. came in to speak with us.  The VSD was much larger than anyone predicted.  It was partially covered by a valve which is likely why it fooled us early on.  Dr. E. was able to move the valve, repair the hole, and gently slide the valve back into place.  The ASDs were numerous (about 5-6) and were all closed successfully.  They performed an echo cardiogram, which confirmed that repairs had been completed with great success.  The elevated pressure in his heart immediately registered as normal :)  Josiah is "ahead of schedule" in terms of stability and recovery - what great news this is!

He's being moved to ICU as I update this blog.  Within the hour, we will be able to see Josiah again.  We're trying to prepare for that first glimpse....pure ecstasy and, perhaps, a little heart break.  Josiah is on a breathing tube - I know that will be the hardest thing to see.  My heart is still leaping for joy that my little man has come through surgery without complication.  His heart is whole and is beating on it's own.

Josiah should be able to be removed from the breathing tube later today or tomorrow morning.  Then, he can start nursing again.  Expected stay 5-7 days.  We can't wait to bring him home.  I already miss the older boys :)

I can't thank you all enough for your kind words of support and encouragement.  We wouldn't have gotten through today without you!  It's a beautiful journey and I'm glad you're able to share it with us.

Off to ICU....I can't wait to see Josiah <3