Joseph's Loooong Day

As I mentioned earlier today (yesterday) was the day of Joseph's surgery to repair the CDH. Preparations for that procedure started at around 9:30 am. Things went mostly OK, when they went in more than what they expected was up in his chest cavity. Things they found in there included his stomach, spleen, small intestine, large intestine and $1.47 in loose change. They were able to get everything out and patch the hole with a piece of Gortex. They were not able to get everything back into his belly, and had to put a portion of his small intestine in a "silo" outside of his body for gradual replacement later as space became available.



This is actually where his problems begin. After the procedure was over they began to notice a significant amount of drainage coming from his chest tube. After replacing his blood volume 1 3/4 times (thank you all you blood donors) they needed to determine where the bleeding was coming from, so the surgeons went back in for his second surgery of the day. They found that there were some cracks in his spleen that were still bleeding and efforts were made to stop the bleeding, no small feat while still on blood thinners, and save his spleen. Now you may be asking yourself, why bother saving the spleen, isn't that one of the organs we can do without? The answer is yes, if you or I had our spleen taken out it wouldn't really matter to our lives except with the addition of a really cool scar. However, for a child under two years of age the spleen is a very important organ as it has a role in fighting some pretty serious infections. This is where I need to explain my last post. You see, I have long believed that spleen and splenectomy were two very funny words, and I am not the only one. Many TV and film writers also find those two words funny and you will find them not only in medical comedy but also used in dramatic productions as a kind of comic relief. If you don't believe me, watch ER or Scrubs, you will find that in moments of need, someone always loses a spleen, but for Joseph this was no laughing matter. I hate it when real life intrudes on entertainment.



Anyway, after this second surgery things were looking pretty so so. We were sort of relieved, we even entertained the thought of going back to the Ronald McDonald House (again huge thanks here) to get some rest, take a shower etc. The bleeding had slowed down and it looked like he might keep his spleen (even now that word is still pretty funny). Christa and I went in to say good night to Joseph and tell him to keep fighting. While we were in with him we heard people talking about his chest tube, and the next thing I know Christa is on the phone with the Doctor who is telling her that she has called the OR team back in and she would be coming in to do the splenectomy. All of a sudden our world was back upside down.



We went back out to the waiting room to do just that, wait. Let me tell you that this is not an easy thing to do. You are doing everything in your power to try and remain positive, but doubt is always there. You try to not think the worst, but in trying to avoid it you are actually thinking it. My heart goes out to everyone that has been there and I pray that no one else ever has to go there, to be honest, as I write this I am completely drained, physically and emotionally. Well at around 11:30 pm the doctor came out to talk to us. The splenectomy was a success, Joseph is now spleenless (even now still kind of funny). He will be taking penicillin everyday for the next couple of years and even a small fever becomes pretty serious (becoming less funny). His chest x-ray looks very good, the large lung is doing well, his heart has moved back to the center, and his small lung is beginning to expand. His color is coming back and the bleeding has stopped. With the removal of his spleen, more of his small intestine fit back inside although some is still in the "silo."



We have gone back to the RMH for the evening and will visit Joseph first thing in the morning. He is stable for the night. I really appreciate the dedication of his nurses and doctors. All of the personnel that took over his care at 7:00 am were still there when we left at almost midnight. This group of dedicated professionals has really cared not just for Joseph but also Christa and I. I cannot say how much they mean to my family right now. A big thank you goes out to his surgeon Dr Statter who worked tirelessly to fix his problem and also save his spleen. While unsuccessful in that regard she has so far been successful in something far more important, saving his life. For that I will be eternally grateful.



http://www.uchospitals.edu/physicians/mindy-statter.html