Yesterday was Ada’s heart catheterization at Children’s
Hospital. All went very well, though the
day was pretty tiring and was a longer ordeal than I had been expecting. The procedure is a same day event – Ada was put under anesthesia and the
doctors fed a teeny tube up through her femoral artery and down through her
neck one (love how medically sound I am) to access her heart and measure
pressures, take pictures, and in general prepare for the upcoming surgery so
the surgeon knows exactly what he is getting in to.
For me, the most difficult portion was bringing Ada into the
OR and holding her while they administered the first sleep meds through a
mask. She had been all sweetness and
calm until we got into that bright and unfamiliar room with lots of people - then she clung to my neck and wouldn’t let
go, and fought it all the way until the meds kicked in – really, only about a
minute or so. Nick and I agree that we
are still glad we could be with her when she fell asleep and when she woke up.
While taking measurements, Dr. Miller noticed that there
were a couple of collateral veins that had formed, one that would need to be
blocked off so they inserted a coil into the catheter and the coil will block
off the path, preventing blue blood from mixing with red blood. That also went just fine, thank the Lord.
Ada also had an EKG and an echocardiogram while she was
still sleeping, so that will be one less thing for us to do with her tomorrow
in her pre-op appointment. She came out
of anesthesia just fine, but quite thirsty and hungry and it was difficult to
keep her still and flat on the bed for the four hours that were required to
make sure that she would not start bleeding from the sites in her neck and
groin. The night went well, though
before falling asleep, Ada did weepily ask about the man with the mask and why
she was holding on to my neck. Poor girl
remembers the experience of getting the sleep meds, so we are hoping that this
next time around the anesthesiologist changes the plan a bit, as Ada has most
adamantly stated that she does not want to go back to the hospital because of
the man with the mask. Oh dear.
Tomorrow, Friday, we go back for pre-op, for blood draws,
chest x-ray, consultation with the surgeon, physical, and a tour. It should be shorter and less stress, though
the blood draw portion of life is about the low of the low for me. Yes, I have passed out getting an IV, so I am
a wee bit needle shy. Ada is seriously a
champ, you guys. And as I walked around
Children’s yesterday a place filled with so much hope as well as pain we saw
many sick kids and their care-persons, I couldn’t help but see the strength and
resilience of these little ones.
Monday is the surgery, 8:30am, I am pretty sure. We had some good conversations with a doctor
and a nurse who see nothing but heart patients, and are very familiar with Ada’s
specific heart anatomy and the Fontan procedure. Her heart anatomy is so rare, that even when
we talk to people who know people whose nephew/neighbor/cousin/friend have
heart defects, they are not always similar enough to relate to what we have
seen in Ada and what we will see. There
is of course a touch of that familiar human emotion of “you have no idea what
we’ve been through” that I have to fight off, because if there is anything that
I have learned in these last years, it is that I have no idea the amount of
pain and heartbreak those around me might have been through or might be in the
middle of.
We will update on Monday as we have time and ability. I do have specific prayer requests for those
who are interested and available to pray:
- -
Pray for Ada’s psychological and emotional
well-being, or that we would be able to communicate what we need to in an
appropriate way, and that she can communicate what she is feeling and what she
needs as well. She is four. But she is so aware and so observant, and I
know she is taking this all in. Specifically,
pray for the next experience on Monday of her going under anesthesia, as she
has had an experience now that was quite negatively stressful.
- -
Clearly, pray for the hands of Dr. Jaggers and
the other assisting docs and nurses during the surgery, that they would have wisdom
and success in the intricate details of the surgery.
- -
Pray for Nick and I as we need to be strong for
little Ada, but it is so hard to be in the position of powerlessness.
- -
Pray for us to feel and/or know the presence of
the Lord. These last couple months have been pretty tough, and I am pretty "dry". We need Him.
