PDA Ligation

I tried posting from my phone from the hospital yesterday and my first post, about how Dylan was going to have surgery, didn't post...so all you got was the update afterwards.  Whoops!

Let me fill everyone in.

We have known that this surgery was a possibility for quite awhile.  Dylan's lung X-Rays kept getting worse, his murmur kept getting louder, and we have been unable to go down on his vent settings, so the doctors decided that yesterday was the day.  It wasn't an emergency procedure, but the surgeon had availability yesterday afternoon so we did it right away.

For this surgery, the surgeon goes in through the side, goes through the ribs, moves the lobe of the lung out of the way, and then puts a clip on the valve that should not be open.  There are all kinds of complications that are possible, though rare, but since none of them happened, I won't list them.

He was gone for about an hour and 45 minutes while Mike and I waited in his room  (oh yeah...we moved to the new NICU and have our own private room now...more on that later).  It's was extremely difficult knowing that he was having surgery at 3 weeks old when I've never had surgery, and we were beyond relieved to find out that there were no complications.

The doctors showed us his morning chest X-Ray and the one taken right after the surgery and the difference was amazing.  His lungs were so much clearer! (Because of decreased blood flow...there was too much before.)

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But I wish the doctor yesterday would have told me what the doctor today did - that he would probably get worse before he got better.  When I arrived today, the was a huge new machine in his room along with 3 other people.  That's never a good sign.

I knew what the machine was - the oscillator - and I was not excited to see it.  The oscillator provides more help than the vent that Dylan is currently on.  But...he wasn't actually on the oscillator.

The doctor came in soon after I arrived and explained that Dylan had a rough night - he needed a lot more Oxygen than normal.  So this morning they decided to try the oscillator.  He was on it for about 45 minutes, but hated it, so they put him back on the regular vent.  When I got there his Oxygen was at 45% (not optimal), but soon after they had gotten it down to 30% which is a pretty typical number for him (remember that we breathe 21%).

He is still getting more support from the vent than usual, but he needs to rest, so it's ok.  I very much hope he doesn't continue to decline before getting better, but it's a definite possibility.

The goal is to get him off the vent completely (and onto a nasal cannula) within a few days to a week.

So hopefully that's what will happen!