On Thursday we met with Dr. Hanley, the cardiothoracic surgeon. We learned a lot during the meeting and feel very confident in his ability to do the repair the baby will need. The surgical plan is to do an arterial switch (literally cutting the pulmonary artery and aorta and switching them), patch the VSD and fix the coarctation of the aorta. This is a big surgery, with Dr. Hanley rating this as an 8-9 on a 10 point scale of difficulty (with 10 bring the highest) but the survival rate it 97%. The good thing is that it is a one-stage repair with kids doing very well afterwards and having a good quality of life (no need for life long medication and a normal healthy activity level) if things go well.
We also meet with the social worker assigned to facilitate our stay who gave us a tour of the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) and the critical care nursery. This was the hardest part of the day to see that both units were very full. We really felt for the babies and their families and also realized we would be there soon. On the other hand, it is also a place of hope where these children are given a chance at life.
Our last stop was for checking on the baby at our bi-weekly monitoring of her heart rate and amniotic fluid levels (AFI). Both looked great. We then headed back to Kenia's sisters place. Our next appointment series will be on Monday so we are enjoying the weekend and the California sunshine till then.
Saturday, March 10
meetings and tours
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4 comments:
Glad to hear that your meeting with Dr. Hanley went well. The parts of the surgery that are identical to Ben's are the arterial switch and the VSD repair. We were also given the same difficulty rating and statistics at our meeting. We also had Dr. Silverman do Benjamin's initial fetal echo there. We know that the road ahead feels long, but you are definitely in good hands. We wish you all the best and are here for you if you need anything. Feel free to call anytime. - Josephine
Good luck guys. I found the CICU tour very touching and challenging. I was quite teary during the tour and after it but strangely it was easier when Wren was there and things were on the go.
Is the social worker able to get you into accomodation closer to the hospital. It must be good to be with family right now but you'll need to be on site when baby K arrives.
Oh, also. Did they give you any idea on the timing of the surgery? Is it likely to be done ASAP, within a week, few weeks?
Sounds like things are going extremely well down there. We are getting so excited for you and your little one's imminent arrival!! oxxo
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