Rewinding a few months, Caleb went in for a hernia repair and dental work back in June at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. Once he was put to sleep and they were trying to pass breathing tube they noticed they were having a difficult time passing the size tube they generally used. Both twins have subglottic stenosis, which is a narrow airway. As they downsized the tubes a few times they called off the surgery and stated Caleb had an unstable airway that would have to be assessed before he could have these elective surgeries.
We arrived at the hospital on Friday with some anxiety as to the outcome. The team came in and said they were going to do Isaac first.
Isaac:
He was having his airway checked out. A Laryngoscopy, Bronchoscopy and a endoscopy to monitor GERD... Dental work with extractions and ear exam/repair.
Here was Isaac after his "happy juice" about to go back to surgery.
Isaac was due back in surgery for an hour and a half. So we kept Caleb busy by going to a playroom and hanging out for a bit. He loves to sit in these little red cars. He is running out of room and soon won't even be able to get inside. I may just have to contact the manufacturer and see if they make an adult version for my Mister Caleb.
Isaac procedure took a little longer than expected due to a bigger issue with his ear drums than they were expecting. Dr. Mehta repaired a hole in the right ear but was unable to fix the left ear drum which is completely ruptured and needs a 2-3 hour surgery alone. He said they could not add that to the OR schedule for the day so we will have to come back to have this done. His airway looked pretty good, just under the normal size for children with Down Syndrome and his reflux looks managed. As far as dental work he ended up having three teeth extracted from the bottom and the roots dug out from a tooth that broke off recently on the top. Lots of sealants and a couple of caps on some back teeth. He's a new boy!!
Caleb:
Caleb's team was very thorough when it came to dealing with airway issues. They were looking at several different scenarios if they couldn't pass a breathing tube as was the case back in June. I was very pleased with their detailed explanation of different steps they would take.
Caleb was having more procedures done under this anesthesia due to him being considered more high risk. He was having his airway checked out. A Laryngoscopy, Bronchoscopy and a endoscopy to monitor GERD... Dental work with extractions and ear exam/repair (all same as Isaac)... then he was also having a cyst on his neck removed and a hiatal hernia repaired. It was not quite clear what kind of cyst was on Caleb's neck but that would be determined when they got in there to remove it.
Calebs procedure was to take around three hours to complete.
Caleb chilling with his "happy juice "
After three hours had passed, the ENT Dr. Mehta came out to update his part of the procedure. He said that his airway was better than expected and it was indeed small but not in a terrible way. He said it was measured and now documented in their system as to what size breathing tube to use with future operations. He said that the cyst was not what they were expecting it to be (a thyroglossal duct cyst) and it was a much easier removal. So from the ENT standpoint it was a good outcome for sure. An hour later the general surgeon came out and said the hernia was repaired and he was good to go, then dental came out next and said he had four teeth extracted and sealants applied.
Four and half hours later Isaac was still being a real trooper playing on his iPad, watching tv and letting time pass by.
We were pleasantly surprised when Caleb woke up in recovery and drank 8 oz of apple juice right away and then signed for more. Usually Caleb takes hours to come out of anesthesia, not today, he wanted to drink and get outta there. Children's had a bed space reserved for Caleb for an overnight stay and they even put in a second IV site for his stay while he was sedated. When he woke up all of the doctors said that the surgery procedures all went better than expected and he was free for discharge if we were comfortable taking him home. WOW!! Thank you Thank you, and we were off.
Day #3 Isaac is up and ready to tackle school again. Doctors gave him today off school but he will return tomorrow with no gym class for a month until our follow up. Caleb is not quite himself and slower to get around. He is in good spirits and playful, but I can tell he is hurting a little yet. He will stay home with me all week and he too is off gym class and extra physical activity for a month. I am so happy things went as they did. I also wanted to thank each and everyone who kept the boys in their prayers and asked about them with genuine concern, we all felt the love.
This photo is them this morning sharing some iPad time together,
they are so adorable when they just chill together.
No comments:
Post a Comment