He went in on Sept. 28th very early in the morning to Primary Children's Medical Center. We met with Doctors and the surgeon and got him ready. Sadly there isn't much preparation for the parents in this situation, you have to just deal with it. After meeting with the surgeon Andrea and I felt a little more comfortable with the surgery.This surgery wasn't the most ideal for Merrick, but time and circumstances dictated our options. Our options were one, The Ross procedure. This is where they remove the deformed aortic heart valve and replace it with his own pulmonary heart valve. Then the pulmonary valve is replaced by an artificial or mechanical valve. Merrick actually had the option of a pig valve or a human valve. In the end the surgeon saw fit to use the pig valve to replace the relocated pulmonary valve.
The surgery lasted from about 7:30am until 3 or 4 pm I can't really remember. We had a nurse that would come out every hour and give us an update. When she came out and said that they had made the first incision into the chest your heart begins to sink. It becomes "too real" at that point. It becomes "real" when you follow him and the anesthesiologist back to the surgery room and then you have to leave him in their hands. We have done this before but it's never easy and it doesn't get easier. We have also done it before when the kids got tubes in the ears and when Gavin got his tonsils out. Those trips are absolutely nothing like this kind of trip, not even comparable. Sadly we won the prize for longest stay in the O.R. waiting room that day. It turns out that the only prize for winning is the coinciding bill.
(He had 3 chest tubes and pace maker wires pull just moments earlier.)
The bill of course is a necessary evil. The wonderful people at PCMC need to get paid and I shouldn't complain too much because they did provide us with tremendous service. I had to take the week off to take care of Merrick while he was in the hospital. Surprisingly we brought him home a day earlier than last time. He came home that Saturday (Oct 2). He had essentially twice as much work done on his heart but he was released a day earlier this go around. This was such a blessing. He has been home now for a week and a half resting. Really all he does is play video games and watches movies. There are time we have to grab him and sit him down because he wants to run and jump around like normal. We have to convince him that he is still sick and needs to take it easy. Not an easy task, he's a very stubborn 3 year old. Just when things seemed like they would get back to normal they didn't.
I went back to work on Monday but I didn't feel quite right. Tuesday was worse and Wednesday was hell. I couldn't make in on Thursday and Friday I went to the Dr's. I had come down with pneumonia. This was not a good time to come down with pneumonia. I have been dizzy for days now. I have had two painful shots of antibiotic and I'm on another daily dose also. I should be getting better but I just don't feel like I am. Andrea has also been stricken with a severe migraine that just doesn't want to go away. She seems to be recovering from that now but its been a slow recovery for her. Eventually our luck has got to change.
Thank you to all who sent us well wishes and kept us in your thoughts and prayers. We really appreicate the extra strength that we get from you.
