Last Update for Day of Surgery

Good Evening Everyone,

We left the hospital tonight around 6:15 before they did shift change.  We contemplated staying in one of the sleep rooms, but there is honestly not a thing we can do for Emory between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 10:30 a.m.  Plus, we are beyond the point of exhaustion.  While Emory was in surgery, we had to get all of our belongings out of the hospital room, take them to the car, and whatever else we needed throughout the day, we carried with us.  For now, while he is in CICU, we will come home at night.  Their shift changes (when no one is allowed back there) are from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 10:30 a.m.  So, we will just go up in the mornings and leave around 6:30.  Now, when he gets to the cardiac step down unit, he will be in a room like he was before and will stay there for a couple of nights.  I'll plan on staying with him in the room then.  Should any of you plan on visiting and you call our cell phones and don't get an answer, just text us.  We have to keep our phones on silent or vibrate and can't talk on them while we are in CICU.  There can be up to 2 people at his bedside in the CICU, meaning that one parent and one visitor can go back to see him.

When we left Emory, the nurses said that he was doing just exactly what he should be doing for this point of post op.  They are already weaning him off of the ventilator, they have stopped giving him the blood pressure medicine, and they are trying to wean him off of some other meds as well.  After staying in the NICU for his first four weeks of life, we know that during that time, there are many ups and downs.  But, this is the first (and most important) of many things to take care of.  The doctors seem to think that now that his heart is repaired that Emory will eat better, his reflux will get better, he won't get so tired so soon, etc.  If for some reason his vomitting episodes do not improve, then we will look at either a G tube (being fed through the abdomen), or two other gastrointestinal possibilities.  So, the first goal is to recover beautifully from surgery, to conquer eating, to decrease reflux to a minimum, and to gain weight.  After that, we will take each milestone one day at a time.

Thank you doesn't even begin to describe how grateful we are for people that we don't even know in several different states who are praying for us.  Please keep praying for there to be no bleeding and for no infection.

Good Night,

Twila