Yesterday they took Link off the Prostaglandin for the fourth and final time. He was so close and tried so hard! They took him off at 9:00 a.m. and at a little after 10:00 p.m. he dropped dramatically. His PDA had shut completely and his oxygen stats were really low for an hour. We were very grateful that we were there so that we know for certain that the BT Shunt is necessary. Even though it's been hard to wait around for two weeks, we're grateful that the doctors waited so we know we tried everything before surgery was necessary. Tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. Link is going in for surgery- the BT Shunt.
The BT shunt consists of a sternal incision through his chest. Artificial tubing about 3 millimeters in diameter is sewn between the subclavian or carotid artery and the pulmonary artery, making it easier to regulate blood flow to the lungs. This is only a temporary surgery lasting around 4-8 months. At that time, Link will most likely need the Glenn surgery which turns his heart into a 1 1/2 ventricle heart where the right side will only have to do half the work. After the Shunt, we will stay about another week in the PICU then go to recovery for a few days so we HOPEFULLY will be home in a couple weeks! He will most likely come home with oxygen for the first little while, eventually not need the oxygen, then require it again in a few months as it gets closer to his next surgery. We are so grateful for the medical care he is receiving and are counting down the days til we get to take him home!
3 comments:
We are praying for you Whit! Good luck!
Yesterday we got an email and it gave us a lot of hope that he wouldn't need the surgery. So close!! We will be praying for him and you guys. Love the picture of him smiling:) What a sweet boy to smile even though he is going through a rough time right now. What an inspiration!
good luck, whit (and of course russ and lincoln)!
we'll be thinking about you.
hope you're doing well.
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