48 Hours Post Surgery

Josiah's progress continues to be remarkable :)
 
Josiah slept until almost 9am.  Upon waking up, his central line was removed, he got a chest x-ray, and nursed again.  He is such an amazing little man.  The chest x-ray results were wonderful.....everything looks great!  He was quickly transferred out of ICU and into the regular cardiac unit. 

The surgeon (Dr. E) stopped by and marveled at how well Josiah is doing.  He would like Josiah to have another sedated echo cardiogram to confirm that everything is well (which they believe to be true).  The nurse practitioner scheduled one for Monday morning, but the surgeon is saying that we will likely be discharged home before Monday a.m. - OMG, what great news!!!!  That will simply require a trip back later next week for the echo (as an outpatient).  I couldn't be more thrilled.

The cardiologist (Dr. P) stopped by and, also, marveled at how well Josiah is doing.  He, too, suggested we should be discharged home over the weekend.  We talked about the surgery success.  As we had already been told, Josiah's VSD was larger than expected.  He also had 5-6 ASD's.  All holes were successfully repaired.  Josiah also had a leaky valve, which we hadn't been told (it matters not, really).  That, too, was repaired successfully.  The cardiologist listened to Josiah's heart and chuckled stating, "He sounds great; you would never know that he used to have heart disease."  Those are words a mother loves to hear :)

Josiah's is just now getting a Synagis shot.  When I was first told that he was going to get one, I questioned it as Josiah had his first Synagis shot last week and is not due again until mid-February.  Then I learned something new.  Synagis is wiped out with bypass.  Therefore, he hasn't had any in his system since Wednesday.  Who knew???  LOL.  We'll update the Synagis schedule with the pedi, and he will get his last two doses there.  The cardiologist said it isn't necessary as "Josiah is no longer a high-risk baby."  (Again, great words to hear).  But, since he just had surgery, the cardiologist agreed to smart to follow-through with the next two doses to cover the 6-8 weeks post-op. 

Carl stayed home with the older boys today (ages 2 & 5).  They were picked up from my parents house last night.  I think the boys were happy to be home because neither of them got out of bed until 1pm today LOL!!!  I miss the boys.  I miss Carl.  I miss my sister (who also lives with us).  I'm looking forward to bringing Josiah home.  I miss home <3

It's time to feed Josiah.  Then it's time to feed Mama :)

More updates to come <3

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