Surgery Tentatively Scheduled

They are planning on doing Rowan’s first surgery Tuesday.  It is the worst surgery that he should have to ever survive.  He is having the Norwood procedure done, plus they are going to repair his aortic arch as well. Don’t google survival ratings. 

How are we doing?

Well, this is just a bad situation to be in.  My husband and I haven’t really seen each other much.  We’ve been taking opposite shifts at the hospital sitting with him.  My daughter hasn’t gotten to see him yet, but we have at least been able to see her a little the last few days.

As far as the surgery goes, we are actually pretty excited about it.  If it wasn’t for the intensive care he is receiving, he would have died on my birthday.  Instead, he’s lived almost an entire week, we know what’s wrong, and they’re going to fix it.  It is all bonus time right now.  Every minute we get with him is extra.  He can’t come home or even wake up until after this surgery.  The “but what if something happens during surgery” question isn’t something we dwell on because we know these people are doing everything they can and that this is one step closer to him coming home.  My husband will try to post a picture of what his heart looks like now and where we want it to go to after surgery once the surgeon goes over it with us.

To be honest, we are more dreading his recovery.  They won’t close his rib cage after surgery because he will be too swollen and they don’t pressure on his chest.  They will sew his skin closed and when he is stable enough and the swelling has gone down enough, they will open him back up and sew his rib cage closed.  Sometimes this takes up to 2 weeks to happen.  We have been warned that the week after will be really bad.  And I think we’re dreading having to see him worse before he gets better more than anything.

If you are looking for ways to help:

1.) Healthy snacks – the choices at the hospital are basically vending machine food so some healthy alternatives would be nice.

2.) Quick/easy breakfast items – things like bagels, bars, fruit, etc. that we can eat on our way to the hospital.

3.) Drop by food/drinks at the hospital – If you are near Saint Francis and would like to drop off food or drinks for us, send me a text and we’d be happy to receive it. My number is on my facebook information page.

We will need the most help when he comes home.  So if you are looking to come clean, do laundry, babysit, etc. plan on being needed around the 2nd week of January and onward.