The solution I desired came the next day…
I talked to Julie’s pediatrician and he told me that she is scheduled for surgery…again. This time the surgeon is going to lower Julie’s right diaphragm. It is riding about 1/3 too high preventing the right lung from fully expanding when she inhales. So, she has only about 60% lung capacity on that side. This sounds like the right decision, so we’re both very hopeful that this will help Julie.
The surgeon attempted to fix the diaphragm during the first surgery, but he was coming in from the wrong side, so only partially accomplished his purpose. This time, he is coming in from the right side. Poor Julie is going to look like a tic-tac-toe board.
Since we won’t have to wait for the body to purge excess fluids, I’m expecting that we should see results almost immediately. Of course, this is still major surgery, so Julie will go through the usual routine of general anesthesia, ventilator, pain meds, IVs, antibiotics, etc. However, we’re told that she should come off the ventilator very quickly and that recovery should be only a couple of days. I’m hoping to see before/after X-rays that will confirm the improvement within a day or so. Also, the ventilator has some nice graphics which should give us some indication of whether she is breathing deeper.
The festivities are scheduled to commence at 3 pm and last about an hour. Since we’re 3rd in the queue, we might start a little early, so Sarah and I will be getting to the hospital before 1 pm.
In the meantime, I had a two hour dentist appointment today – ooh, my favorite! The last time was similar to being water-boarded. This time was only as bad as two hours of fingernails on a chalkboard. They were worried because my blood pressure was really high…can’t imagine why.
Sarah got a clean bill of health from her doctor.
Before surgery, I’m taking the cat in to see the vet for her dental appointment. It’s just a
preliminary exam (and shots) I think. Then, they’ll determine what needs to be done next.
So, everyone in the family is getting the royal treatment this week! Please pray for Julie and her surgery Weds afternoon.
Andy and Sarah Horn
Instead of a temporary hole to provide a direct airway for another breathing machine, we now addressed the real problem – Julie’s diaphragm formed too high in the chest cavity. The tumor caused more havoc than we initially realized. Like the previous surgeries, this one corrected a serious problem.
Now that we had a good explanation of Julie’s problems, I felt more confident of the surgery.