1 week after open heart surgery

Today marks exactly 7 days since Wyatt went in for his ASD repair.

Seven days ago, Wyatt went in for his ASD repair. Before the surgery, we assumed that the hole was about 12mm in size which is significant for an infant, but not huge. We learned after the surgery was complete that the hole was actually the size of a half dollar or 30.61mm. While that didn't affect the surgery itself, it rocked us a bit because the range of emotions and "what ifs" cannot even begin to be explained.

What I will say is that while I had prepared for the surgery itself to be the hard part, it was actually the easiest. The hardest part has actually been Wyatt's recovery. It started with the first 24 hours out of surgery and feeling helpless as the doctors and nurses worked to regulate his heartbeat, and his pain levels. All done through trial and error. In hindsight, it was obvious that he wasn't comfortable at all for the first 12 hours. What's worse is that as his parents, Lizzy and I had to try and act as if everything was okay, when deep down we were both hurting.

Once they had stabilized his pain meds, the consensus between us was that we had gotten through the worst of it. Boy were we wrong.

There are NO words to begin to describe the amount of emotional pain I personally felt as our helpless little man asked and even begged for us to hold him because it was his way of trying to soothe the pain he was in. And beyond him asking us to be held, we continuously tried to limit his movements so that he wouldn't arch his back and cause more pain and in turn elevate his heart rate to an absurd 180 beats per minute(it should be around 110).

Then came the pain around his chest tube. The tube which helps to drain the excess liquid from around his heart, actually caused him to hurt with every deep breath. So to compensate that, we had him on morphine. Did I mention morphine has withdrawal symptoms that caused him to be agitated? That was fun...

The turning point didn't come until Monday, four days after surgery, when they finally removed the tube. It was like he was reborn. His mood changed, his smile came back, and he was walking around the hospital as if nothing had happened. It was crazy. But man, at that moment, it felt like the first time I could breathe and just exhale. The amazing boy we all know was back, and better than ever.

Today, we struggle to keep him contained. Not because it hurts him, but because he acts as though he hasn't had open heart surgery seven days ago. He is climbing furniture, jumping up and down and even high stepping across the living room. All things the doctor has recommended he not do. But how do you hold down a two year old??? You can't, you just have to hope to contain him.

I cannot thank everyone who sent prayers and messages enough for it. I know it helped me be strong for Wyatt, Lizzy and myself.

Monday evening update

It's Monday September 15. We have been in the hospital since Thursday and we are all feeling a bit restless. 

Yesterday was a rough day for Wyatt. It felt like nothing went right. His drain tube didn't come out, he spiked a fever and his heart rate was elevated most of the day. But after a night of narcotic assisted rest, he has done a complete 360 today!

He woke up with energy and optimism. He was walking around the halls and even had the drain removed. This evening he has even been marching around. It's amazing. 

The best news is that barring any surprised tonight, we are getting out of the hospital!

As Ice Cube once said...I gotta say it was a good day. 

Two days after surgery

It's been just over two full days since Wyatt's surgery and there are lots of emotions running through us all. 

The biggest being exhaustion. I cannot even begin to explain how draining it is to watch a child recover from a major surgery. There are peaks and valleys every hour related to his recovery, and things that haven't gone quite as planned. 

In general, Wyatt is doing fantastic. There is a bit of caution being taken as he has an elevated heartbeat. They want to have his in the 120 beats per minute range but Wyatt's is still hovering around 140. And that is after helping it come down from 160 where it peaked last night. We are definitely headed in the right direction though as he is probably going to have his drainage tube removed tomorrow and god willing, be discharged as early as Monday!

Anyhow, thank you to all who have sent messages and who have been following the blog. Goodnight from the exhausted parents. 

Amazing what 24 hours does

We have been out of surgery for 24 hours and look at his progress. I am amazed at this child. I can't believe his strength. He is my hero. 

In the ICU

After a very successful surgery, Wyatt has been moved to the ICU. Hopefully we are only here for a day, but only time will tell. 

The surgery itself took about 3 hours where Doctor Fraser repaired a hole the size of a fifty cent piece. (We didn't know it was that big) he said there were no surprises and Wyatt was even taken off the breathing machine before leaving the operating room. 

Now the hard part begins. It broke my heart to see Wyatt with all the different tubes coming out of him and listening to him moan in pain. But it only gets easier from here. I hope. 

Surgery has begun

Wyatt was taken for surgery at 7:15 this morning. Before heading back, they gave him a sedative that made him a happy drunk. So the process was as painless as it could be. 

It was tough to watch him get carried off, but we are in the best hands with doctor Fraser. For those of you interested, here is a video of him and his role. 

http://youtu.be/d3NH1-tVQsk

Pre-op complete, check-in is at 6am

First off, I just wanted to thank every single one of you that have sent messages, texts, emails, etc to Lizzy or myself. It is so reassuring to hear from friends and family and about others who have gone through what we are now. Knowing that we know someone who has either had ASD, or had their child's surgery performed in the same hospital is definitely helpful. It eases the anxiety a little.

As for the day's events: Today's pre-op took a total of about 4 hours, 6 family members and a bunch of tissue.

After arriving at the hospital a little before 8am this morning, Wyatt went through a series of tests to assure he was in tip top shape for tomorrow's surgery.

The morning consisted of:

• a general checkup with the anesthesiologist's nurse practitioner
• Wyatt became friends with her fast. He used to be scared of the stethoscope but today had no issues as they worked together to find his heart
• A couple of X-rays
• I had to hold his arms for this since Lizzy is pregnant. He actually did really well and even yelled Cheese the whole time as we told him we were taking pictures
• A blood draw
• I stayed out on this one. I don't do well with needles, especially as they go into close family members. Wyatt sang old McDonald through the tears of the blood draw joining Lizzy and her parents in tune. 
• a visit with the child life specialist
• she is going to be the godsend as she helps us keep Wyatt distracted throughout his recovery. The two girls have rhyming names... Sara and Kara. Coincidence?? I think not.
• an EKG
• he wasn't so sure about this until the nurse let him put the stickers on
• a review of the overall events tomorrow with the surgeon's nurse practitioner
• this was good because she walked us through everything including how they communicate, what types of medication he will take post-op, and just a general understanding of what tomorrow involves. 
• a visit with the social worker
• I feel bad because by the time she came in, Lizzy and I were mentally spent. We even sent Wyatt back to the hotel with his grandparents as he was over it. She tried to reassure us about it all, but we just didn't have the emotion to react. We even passed up a tour for tonight just because we didn't want to wait any longer. 
• Through each event Wyatt's manners were in full effect as he complimented them by telling them "good job!" That's our little trooper!

Now we have to try and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to suck. Friday will also suck. Sleep will be minimal especially the first night. I'm already mentally exhausted and we haven't even shown up for the surgery itself yet. 

We will arrive at 6 for check-in. by 7:15 they will cart him back for the surgery. So keep the well wishes coming. They help. They really do.

Houston, we have arrived

Today we arrived in Houston for what is sure to be the most stressful 72 hours of our lives.  

At 8am tomorrow we walk over to Texas children's hospital to take a tour, meet with the surgeon and go through Wyatt's pre-op where they will draw blood, take a urine sample and make sure he has a full bill of health before the surgery. 

Tensions are high as the time fast approaches. Oh how I wish I was back in Austin or anywhere besides here. 

More tomorrow after we tour. 

ASD surgery is finally here

It's finally here. In 5 days, Wyatt will have his open heart surgery. And it's finally hit me. 

Up until this weekend I have been able to avoid the thought of him going through this because of other life distractions like moving into a new house and starting a new job. 

But now that I actually have to face this, I'm filled with mixed emotions. I'm nervous for him, I feel helpless because this is the first time since he was born where lizzy and I have no control over what happens, and I feel guilt. Guilt over feeling as though I haven't spent enough time with him knowing this was fast approaching. While I spend every possible minute I can with him when I'm home, it still doesn't feel adequate. And that is what hurts the most. 

He is going to be fine. In my heart of hearts I know this. But damn it's scary knowing that my son is about to have his chest opened up and there isn't a thing I can do. If you have ever met Wyatt, or seen a video of him in action, you know he has the biggest heart around. And I don't just mean the right side of it. His expressions and affection make it so hard to accept that he has to have surgery. 

In five days. 

I cannot wait for this to be over, but I really don't want it to get here.