new update

Just heard they have finished the switch. They tried to take him off the pump and he became unstable. They did an echo and he still has a small vsd. They are going to cool him down again, put him back on the pump and fix it. When they took him off the pump he went into pulmonary hypertension. They said they would place him on nitric after they fix the vsd and take him back off the pump. It will probably still be another hour and one-half before they're finished. Please keep praying. I'm worried. jc

update

We've had a few updates since the last. They have moved the old pulmonary artery to the aorta spot. They have reattached the coronary arteries. There were actually two instead of one, but the anatomy of them was very different than normal. Dr. Mendeloff said he hadn't seen anything like this in the 18 years he's been doing these surgeries. From my understanding the right coronary gives rise to the left anterior descending. The left main gives rise to the circumflex. I'm not sure where they were situated, but he had a tough time getting them reattached. Keep saying prayers that they will work once they start re-perfusing the heart. He's currently reattaching the new pulmonary artery to its spot. The next step after he gets it reattached is to fix the ASD. They'll then start suturing, do a tracheo-esophageal echo and make sure everything is working, then they'll start rewarming him. They expect to be finished sometime around 4pm. I'll keep you updated. jc

In surgery

Well, this morning we got to go into the NICU and hold Maverick at 0600. The anesthesiologist and OR staff came to get him about 730. He went into the OR at 0817 and we got a call at 1008 that they had finished with anesthesia and lines (they started a radial art line, a subclavian central line, intubated and gave a caudal block along with the inhaled gases and IV anesthesia), had him on the pump and had just made the incision. The last call was just a few minutes ago and Dr. Mendeloff had dissected out the pulmonary artery and aorta and was making the switch. After he finishes with that he will start working on the coronary artery. He had told us before the procedure that he would fix the VSD prior to doing the switch, so I'm assuming he's finished with that part. We should get another update in about an hour. I'll keep you all posted.

Quick Update

We are just resting today and getting ready for the big day tomorrow. I was just in the NICU and they are doing another echo just to get a few more pictures of his coronary artery before surgery tomorrow. He is resting well and his sats have been in the low 90's today. Greg is doing well today and I am just a basket case. Don't be offended if I don't answer the phone today. We've been discharged from the hospital and we'll be in a courtesy room on the 7th floor. It's so great that we can stay here and keep a close eye on him. Thanks for all your comments and prayers. We love you all!

He's here!

Little Maverick was born yesterday evening at about 6:55pm. He was 7lb 8oz and 20 inches long. He looks quite a bit like his big brother, Carter. He ended up not needing the balloon septostomy and is on minimal prostins and room air. He has a UAC and UVC in place for the meds and is basically just hanging out. His oxygen saturations have been 80's to about 91%. He had a heart echo last night which showed he has a single coronary artery instead of two, but it branches off to supply all the heart. This means the surgeon only has one coronary to reattach, but it's a little trickier to reattach. We spoke to him today and he still seems pretty confident about everything and has said his single coronary won't change the mortality rate. The surgery is set for Monday at 0715. He says everything start to finish should take about 6 hours. The kids have seen him - he was able to stay in the delivery room for about 15 minutes after delivery, and they got to go into the NICU today. I'm going to attach some pictures so everyone can see. I'm pretty tired now, so maybe I'll type more later today or tomorrow.

We're here - induction tomorrow

We made it safely to Medical City today.  Thanks to our friends Kent and Dana for letting us crash at their home in Durant last night.  It broke up the drive for us.  Today we saw Dr. Kao - the fetal cardiologist.  It seems Maverick's atrial septal defect may only be a patent foramen ovale.  For our non-medical friends and family this means the top hole in his heart isn't really a defect, which for most babies would be a good thing...  but for Maverick that means he may have to have a balloon septostomy sometime shortly after birth (before his surgery) to allow for mixing of blood between the top two chambers of his heart.  A balloon septostomy is like a heart cath.  They go in through the groin and put a catheter into the top chamber of the heart, blow up a little balloon and pull it through the divider between the top two chambers to create a hole for more mixing of blood.  Sooooo, since they may have to do this, they have postponed my induction from 0700 to 1000 since the interventional cardiologist is scheduled all day tomorrow at a satellite clinic and won't be back until around 6pm.  

I saw Dr. Vines, the OBGYN today and I'm still only dilated to a 2, so tomorrow may be a long day.  My labors usually take awhile, even with inductions.  Don't worry if you don't hear from us until late.   

We toured the NICU/PICU and L&D today.  The people have all been so nice here.  They have very strict visitation policies in the NICU;  however, they said they had zero nosocomial infections in the NICU this year.  So I guess something is working.  Mom and dad and grandparents can go in pretty much anytime except shift change, but we can only take in one adult visitor per day with us to see him.  Carter and Chloe can only go in once per week.  Maddie can go in with us whenever since she is older.  

Well, I think that about covers our day.  We're going to try to get some rest tonight.  Thanks for all your prayers - I have been able to keep it together pretty well today, so know that they are working.   jc

Getting Closer!

Well, the time is almost here. My last shift at Mediflight was on Friday - just want to say thanks to all my friends at work and my non-work friends for keeping me sane throughout this pregnancy. I don't know what I would've done without you all. You keep me laughing.

My mom and Brown are coming to Shawnee today. I'll be glad to see them. I'm still trying to get all the little things finished before we leave tomorrow. I've been making calls to confirm things, paying bills, etc. I still have to pack!!

I still don't have a time for the induction. I placed a call to the Dr's office yesterday, so hopefully I'll hear something today.

That's all for now. I'll keep you updated!