5:55- We arrived at the hospital
6:30- Getting Link's vitals and stats. He was being so goofy and showing off to the nurse when we put him on the scale. He was stretching and showing her how tall he was! What a stud!
7:30- We say goodbye to Link and he goes to surgery with the Anesthesiologist. 
7:30-2:30- Lincoln is in surgery. We got hourly updates from one of his nurses. The surgery went well. The surgeon performed the Glenn, cut and closed off the BT Shunt, and created a new Pulmonary Valve out of synthetic material. The surgeon said that Lincoln is a different case because most heart kids are usually a one ventricle candidate or a two ventricle candidate and Lincoln is in between. So we're going to see if the Glenn works and that is all he needs. If so, he will still grow out of that synthetic valve (in around 5 years) and have to get that replaced along with some tweaking of his tricuspid valve. There is also always the possibility of doing the Fontan in a few years. But hopefully everything went well and we should be able to settle down for a few years without surgeries. Cross your fingers!3:00- We were able to go into the PICU and this is what we found. The nurses kept telling us how great he was doing. He is such a trooper. For a couple hours they tried to get him breathing on his own so they could extubate him.
6:30- They extubated Lincoln (pulled his breathing tube out). After pulling the tube, for nearly a minute he stopped breathing so they got the manual ventilator which helped him to remember how to breathe on his own. His throat is still really sore and dry. They said that he will be able to eat at Midnight. I bet he is so excited to eat!!
The plan for tonight and tomorrow is to try to get as much medicine/IVs/chest tubes off of him as they can. They will also take him off sedatives and allow him to wake up. So he's probably going to be grumpy tomorrow but hopefully half his stuff will be gone. Our nurse told us today that if everything goes PERFECTLY we can be out of the PICU in about four days, in recovery for a few days, and then be on our way HOME!!!
We'll keep you updated!
Lincoln wanted us to thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, and love. They were all felt, heard, and answered!
13 comments:
I'm glad everything went well. Lincoln is such a trooper and so are you! I pray the recovery goes well and you get home soon.
Thanks for keeping us updated. I've had Link on my mind today so it's nice to know what the news is. I'm glad the surgery went well and I hope everything continues to go well.
Whit- you're awesome. I can't imagine handing off a little one knowing what was coming. Glad Lincoln's recovering well and hope it keeps on track.
(Talking with a new friend in our ward in Indiana and she said, "I know someone from Burley! Jessica Beck, we were really good friends in college." It made me happy because it made me think of you.)
7:30-2:30!!!! Holy cow! I'm awed by what the doctor's can do and what you guys can handle. Link looks amazing. Those pictures are unreal. Good luck in recovery.
Wow... you guys are so amazing. What a grown up little guy. We will keep you in our prayers, so glad everything went well!!! Also... my word verication at the bottom is Flucker which I find inappropriate and really quite funny.
Oh man, you guys have been through a lot! I'm glad everything is going well for your little guy. He is getting so big!
Seeing him hooked up to all those machines makes me sad, but I'm so glad the surgery went well! What a beautiful little guy he is!
Whitt...I am praying for you and little Linc! Those pictures make me cry...both because of how hard it is to see him like that and how wonderful it is that they are able to help him, and he has such a wonderful mommy! Love ya!
Glad to hear that everything went well! (This is Michelle Thomas, from grad school)
I'm glad everything went well. What a sight to see..all those tubes and machines hooked to that tiny baby. I hope everything continues to go well.
Wow. I am continually amazed by you guys. You are so strong and handling it so well. Link is sweet and strong. We hoping for a speedy recovery and grateful that everything went well.
I'm so glad the surgery went well. He is quite the little man :) I have been thinking about you all week. We'll keep praying for you and hope you get home soon!
Our dearest Russ and Whit. I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face as I read your sweet and brave explanation of what is happening to our little Link. I just ache to be able to do something, anything---and there isn't anything anyone can do. Your love, your faith (and all the hidden worries) just leave me awestruck by the gravity of it all. We love you, we love Link and hope that our prayers will be answered---when all it amounts to is : Thy will be done. Miracles--all these marvelous ways that the doctors do for heart patients in today's world are truly miracles. Along with your grit and the brave faces that you put on for the rest of us. That is a miracle, too because your faith will carry lots of weight in this matter. Please know that we love you forever. You are so dear to us. Thank you for sharing these things so we can follow along. May God bless you day by day, strengthen you, give you hope and understanding and especially bless that little baby to have the strength to heal. Hopefully he will not remember what you have described in your heart-rending comments about his recovery. God gives us tender mercies in forgetting pain.
Love, Grandma and Grandpa Smith
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