At 7am, they will begin the prep work to get him connected to most of the monitors and IVs, and they will begin delivering anesthesia. The first incision will be at around 8am, and the surgery itself will be 3-4 hours. The good news (relative term) is that they will proceed with the Norwood procedure. In short, this will reconstruct the major arteries coming from Henry's heart to distribute the blood to both the lungs and the body directly from the right side. This is good because it means the doctors feel comfortable that his lungs have recovered enough from his earlier respiratory distress. Also, it means we can do more than the "Hybrid" procedure, which would introduce a whole new timetable for his recovery and other surgeries. This procedure will, however, require them to put Henry on a full bypass machine and stop his heart to perform tasks in, on, and around the heart.
After surgery, they will perform an echocardiogram in the OR, and monitor Henry's surgery site for an hour or two. After returning to the Pediatric ICU, the nurses and doctors will monitor him for another hour or two. It will likely be 3 or 4pm - or later - before Paige and I will be able to see him.
The nurses, doctors, and surgeons have given us an idea of what to expect after surgery, but there are numerous variations, depending on Henry's reactions. Suffice it to say, he will be closely watched over the next few days.
We are all laying down, trying to rest up for a big day tomorrow.
Jason, thx so much for your updates, and awesome pics of that son of yours. Please give your wife a hug, and let her know that "aunt" Eleanor is keeping an eye on Henry and all his new friends.
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Sending up a lot of prayers for Henry James! I know how tough today is, but please don't lose sight of the many, many blessings awaiting you guys. I know we haven't met in person (yet!) but you don't know how much I long to be with you today - to lend support; to sit in that waiting room; to tap toes and to rap our fingers on the side tables with you... Please don't hesitate to reach out!
ReplyDeleteFrom one HLHS heart mom to another,
Kathleen Breuer
Paige and Jason, our hearts ache for you with all you are going through right now. We want you to know we are praying that all goes well for your sweet little Henry. Cling to each other, and to your faith, and God will get you through this! Give your folks our love as well! Hugs and prayers, Linda & Jerry Anderson
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