We checked in to Primary Children's on Tuesday morning in preparation for Andrew's surgery. Ryan was able to have this week off work, so we all spent the day together. Andrew had an IV placed and had a chest x-ray and an esophagram done. He had a bit of a cough the few days before, so the x-ray was to make sure his lungs were healthy enough for anesthesia. The esophagram was so the surgeon could get a better idea of what the esophagus was shaped like.
A generous donor gave this awesome toy tractor to the surgical dept for Christmas, and the boys LOVED it. They had a great time putting blocks in the bucket then dumping them out and scooping things up.
Andrew had to have his colon cleaned out in case it would be needed to replace part of the esophagus. It is basically the same procedure as preparing for a colonoscopy. They were able to just pump the fluid through his G-Tube, which is nice because most kids have to have a tube put in their nose to get it all in. He was on a continuous flow of "Go-lytley" (it's has electrolytes, but someone must have thought it was funny to put anything about going lightly, because lightly is on the opposite end of the spectrum from how you go after that) at a rate of 200 cc's an hour for 6 hours. That's almost 7 ounces an hour. Then a couple enemas. He was only allowed to have clear fluids all day Tues and then nothing after midnight. It was a long night.
The day of surgery Tyler stayed at Grandma Nina's and had a great time with his grandparents and Aunt Nikki. Andrew was surprising chipper, in spite of not eating for so long, and played and was happy all morning. We went downstairs and handed him off for surgery about 10 am.
Surgery took about 4 hours, which was the minimum estimate. Things went very well.
The surgeon decided to do a different procedure once he was inside, but we are confident in his decisions. Instead of removing the scar tissue, he made a vertical incision in the esophagus across the scar tissue. Then imagine if you take that slit and spread it to a diamond shape, and put the top and bottom together to make a horizontal slit instead. He stitched the esophagus across the horizontal line. This adds diameter, without removing esophagus and without disturbing the blood flow to the esophagus (which can cause strictures).
Andrew was nicely sedated yesterday and his pain control has been good. He mostly sleeps, but wakes up to check if Ryan or I are still with him. This morning he seemed very sad about the situation he was in and just cried gently. It is difficult to see him in a state like that, when I know how happy and fun he usually is.
Andrew moved from PICU to the surgical floor tonight. He also got a GJ put in today, so he is able to have feedings into his intestine now while he heals and is not allowed to eat. He had an arterial line to continuously monitor his blood pressure, but had that removed today along with his catheter.
He has still needed some oxygen, but will probably not need it once his pain improves. He now has a tube in his nose to remove the bile from his stomach while he's not eating, an IV in his neck and one in his wrist, a chest tube to drain the fluid from his chest cavity, and "no-no's" which are the restraints on his arms to keep him from pulling out any lines or tubes.
Monday he will have another esophagram to see if the esophagus is healed enough to hold liquids. If it is then the chest tube will be removed and he will be allowed to start eating. His pain should also be much better by then.
Thank you so much for the love, prayers, and support from so many people. We feel very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.
