Brendan’s surgery went well today, although it was a very very long wait to hear the news. The banding is complete and they restricted the flow through the pulmonary artery quite a bit.
Once we heard that surgery was done, we were asked to leave his room while they brought him back and got him all reconnected. There would be a large group of people involved and we would be in the way.
Over an hour and a half later, Bill went to check to see if they had forgotten us.
The delay came in the switch over to an all new bank of high-tech IV pumps. There are putting these new pumps through a trial this week and since he was being all disconnected, they switched his all out.
He is so difficult to look at post-op. He is absolutely full of fluids and his whole body is swollen up. That swelling should be gone in a few days and the lasix that he is on will help.
He has a few new things now –
His IV that they just finally got restarted in his arm went bad again. They tried to get one started in his scalp and couldn’t, and finally got another in the arm.
They opened his chest for surgery, so he has a nice new scar and dressing and a drainage tube coming out. They also added another new central line with two lumens. This one was put in to his chest while he was under anesthesia and it goes straight in to his heart and ends in his right atrium. He also has these little leads attached on both sides of his chest so that if it were necessary, they can connect an external pacemaker and control his heartbeat.
We called for an update tonight at 10PM and he was still stable and they were happy with his numbers. They are even talking about trying to extubate him tomorrow. We are going to try to get there early enough for rounds so that we can be there when they make the decision.
Trevor had a wonderful day, he doing what babies should do – eat, sleep & poop.
Bill and I are fully exhausted, mentally and physically. It was such a long day of waiting and wondering. I felt a lot of guilt about leaving the hospital and not staying with Brendan, but getting home to get food and rest and spend time with Trevor was important too. I can’t believe the boys are 3 weeks old now and we are starting the 4th week of our adventure.
Pictures
Brendan pre-op – they tried to put one of their paper ID bands on him, but it is a little big.
Just when you thought there could not be any more tubes and wires, they come up to do an EKG. Once all those were connected, he truly looked like a spaghetti monster.
Brendan post-op 2
Brendan’s new bank of IV pumps
If your baby’s changing table does not have a mirror on it, you should seriously get one. Trevor is hypnotized by his reflection every time he is on the table.
I was taking too long, Trevor is begging for food like a little baby bird.
Whew!!!!!! If only you could package your worry and concerns on Ebay…you all would be millionaires!! Praying for a smooth recovery for Brendan, Trevor’s waiting for his playmate! Hugs and love!! 🙂
” If your baby’s changing table does not have a mirror on it, you should seriously get one. Trevor is hypnotized by his reflection every time he is on the table.”
I don’t know……..first time Trevor and Brendan are lying side by side, Trevor will look over at “his reflection” and think OMG what’s happened to me !!?
Waiting to see how well the surgery went…
Love,
Dad
I can only imagine how hard it must be for you guys to see Brendan like that – what a little trooper he is! I’m glad the surgery went well. I hope the recovery is fast, and that he starts progressing by leaps and bounds so he can join his (little? big? I don’t know which was born first!) brother at home soon.
Brendan was our “Baby B” throughout the whole pregnancy – the A and B being determined by who was closer to the cervix. At the last moment, they traded places and Brendan came out first. So he became Baby A in the NyICU and caused a ton of confusion the first day! So Trevor is the little brother.
Please don’t feel guilty about getting rest! Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your children is give them a mommy who can handle what comes her way. You are better equipped to handle your challenges when you have sleep and food. And you have Trevor. Once Brendan comes home, you will be able to catch up on giving him the loads of attention you want to give. Right now, he is resting and growing too. Don’t forget – he really is still gestating! He’s just doing it externally.
Oh, my heart goes out to all of you. You must just be torn in two, wanting to be both places at once. You know my thoughts and prayers are with you all. Thanks so much for taking the time to keep us all updated. <3