Thank you so much for all the PM's, well wishes and prayers! Every single one of them is so appreciated at this time in my life when I feel so helpless, guilty and pained. As opposed to answering each one separately, here is how the surgery went:
Baby A's surgery went on yesterday morning as planned. I was very happy that I got up earlier than I planned and got down there because the surgery was actually moved UP to 9:00. I got there about 8:30 and got to spend a good 20 minutes holding him before we went down. They were prompt - the phone rang right at 9:00 and the NICU nurse and I walked him down in a travelling isolette. I was a mess on the way down (I think everyone who saw me walking in tears behind that isolette felt sorry for me) - he looked so sweet laying there, no idea what was in store for him.
I met with the surgeon briefly - we'd already talked about this a few times so there wasn't more to be said. I met with the surgery nurse and the anesthesiologist. All very nice. They wheeled him back at 9:30 and I went upstairs to wait in the NICU waiting room. He would recover back up in the NICU where he had his own personal nurse.
I went to the gift shop and bought him an overpriced Curious George animal dressed in pj's and holding a bear that resembled the Children's bear and then went back to the waiting room. About an hour and a half later his nurse popped her head in to let me know that all went well and that they were closing him up. Fifteen minutes later the surgeon came in to let me know that everything went great! The original stricture had actually healed on it's own with the atrophic feeds he was getting - unfortunately, it was at the expense of a second stricture that was so narrowed it was about the size of a needle. They did not have to remove any of the bowel - they were able to cut length-wise along the stricture and then sew that shut. Good news!
Then he tells me that they removed his appendix! WHAT?!?! I never knew that was up for removal!! I didn't flip off about it - rather the NICU nurses and I had a good laugh about it - they're surgeons and went in to remove something, so they made sure to come out with something!! Not to mention, I know the appendix aren't a crucial thing. I later learned that it's kind of an etiquette thing to take them out if they're already in there.
I saw him soon after - he was intubated and a respiratory tech I know pretty well had him bagged and was breathing for him while they got their machine up and going. They warned me I would see this - but it was still hard for me. Apparently it's common in young babies to need the breathing tube during surgery so they're all intubated - it varies from baby to baby how soon the tube comes out. He was out of it - between the anesthesia and the spinal he was in no pain.
When I saw him today he was much the same - out of it - still on the tube. He was still using the tube because of pain, so they'd decided to up the morphine to help manage pain better - thinking he'd breathe better on his own. The goal is to get him off the vent as soon as possible.
My nightly call to the daytime nurse before she leaves left me a bit sad and not as hopeful. . . seems his last 2 blood gasses weren't as nice looking as the ones before it. He's still requiring the breathing tube and they haven't been able to wean much. He's puffy because he's retaining fluid. So they're adding a water "pill" to his IV. She said they're weren't alarmed - but I've been through too much to not be scared to death. My poor baby just isn't recovering as nicely as he should be.
Baby A's surgery went on yesterday morning as planned. I was very happy that I got up earlier than I planned and got down there because the surgery was actually moved UP to 9:00. I got there about 8:30 and got to spend a good 20 minutes holding him before we went down. They were prompt - the phone rang right at 9:00 and the NICU nurse and I walked him down in a travelling isolette. I was a mess on the way down (I think everyone who saw me walking in tears behind that isolette felt sorry for me) - he looked so sweet laying there, no idea what was in store for him.
I met with the surgeon briefly - we'd already talked about this a few times so there wasn't more to be said. I met with the surgery nurse and the anesthesiologist. All very nice. They wheeled him back at 9:30 and I went upstairs to wait in the NICU waiting room. He would recover back up in the NICU where he had his own personal nurse.
I went to the gift shop and bought him an overpriced Curious George animal dressed in pj's and holding a bear that resembled the Children's bear and then went back to the waiting room. About an hour and a half later his nurse popped her head in to let me know that all went well and that they were closing him up. Fifteen minutes later the surgeon came in to let me know that everything went great! The original stricture had actually healed on it's own with the atrophic feeds he was getting - unfortunately, it was at the expense of a second stricture that was so narrowed it was about the size of a needle. They did not have to remove any of the bowel - they were able to cut length-wise along the stricture and then sew that shut. Good news!
Then he tells me that they removed his appendix! WHAT?!?! I never knew that was up for removal!! I didn't flip off about it - rather the NICU nurses and I had a good laugh about it - they're surgeons and went in to remove something, so they made sure to come out with something!! Not to mention, I know the appendix aren't a crucial thing. I later learned that it's kind of an etiquette thing to take them out if they're already in there.
I saw him soon after - he was intubated and a respiratory tech I know pretty well had him bagged and was breathing for him while they got their machine up and going. They warned me I would see this - but it was still hard for me. Apparently it's common in young babies to need the breathing tube during surgery so they're all intubated - it varies from baby to baby how soon the tube comes out. He was out of it - between the anesthesia and the spinal he was in no pain.
When I saw him today he was much the same - out of it - still on the tube. He was still using the tube because of pain, so they'd decided to up the morphine to help manage pain better - thinking he'd breathe better on his own. The goal is to get him off the vent as soon as possible.
My nightly call to the daytime nurse before she leaves left me a bit sad and not as hopeful. . . seems his last 2 blood gasses weren't as nice looking as the ones before it. He's still requiring the breathing tube and they haven't been able to wean much. He's puffy because he's retaining fluid. So they're adding a water "pill" to his IV. She said they're weren't alarmed - but I've been through too much to not be scared to death. My poor baby just isn't recovering as nicely as he should be.
