Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Big sigh of relief...surgery went well!

I haven't had a chance to update on Reid's progress yet, so much has been happening.... but HUGE sigh of relief for us as surgery went really well!!

The surgeon actually found more defects that needed to be repaired than anticipated so he took care of those issues as well as worked on the mitral valve which was leaking and the main concern. The last time Reid had this surgery in August of 2007 the Dr. actually had to create 2 valves out of 1 with the tissue that was there. One of the newly created valves was working great...but the other one was leaking so his lungs were filled with fluid. When they went in to repair the valve yesterday it had actually twisted so they fixed that and tightened up the stitching from before. However they found that the back flap of that valve did not have much material to work with. They added man made material to help construct that valve better. The initial echo cardiogram they performed while he was still in the operating room still showed some minor leakage, but in comparison to before a vast improvement! The Dr. was happy with what he saw though and felt it was extremely successful. The fabulous news about it all is that his body is not requiring much medication, he is doing most of the recovery on his own. They even took out his breathing tube last night which to me is HUGE because last go around he did not come off of it until the night of day 8. He had basically been in a coma state until that time. He is a little agitated and they are giving him morphine....I say bring it on and give some to mom too!!!!!!!

Here are some pictures of our little trooper.

10 comments:

Kele said...

Wow! Even with all the tubes and lines he looks great!!!! Seriously, he looks awesome!! So glad the surgery went well and I know his recovery will go as smoothly, what a tough little man you have on your hands!
Love from Texas!!

Kisses For Noah said...

Praise God!!!! I'm so glad he's doing so well! He is an amazing little boy and such an inspiration! I hope you can get some rest, Cheri! Let me know if you need someone to watch Luke :) God bless!

Anonymous said...

oh i am so happy the surgery is over!!.. I cant get over how good he looks Cheri..he is just such a cutie!!.. We will coninue praying for a speedy recovery, (for all of You!!)-- Hugs and kisses to Reid from me and Nicolas!!

Heather said...

Look at him ...sweet little guy.Hate to see him like that but know it is a necessary evil.We will continue to pray that he stays on track with this awesome tempo and before long he will be feeling like his precocious little boy self!And ... I didn't realize that Zoey and Reid had their surgeries both in August of 2007.Another reason they are destined to be together.Back off Kele.

Amy and Aaron said...

I just found your blog, but was struck by how similar Reid and our little Matthew look! M. had heart surgery in May, 2008 - so we have a special place in our hearts for "heart kids!" Glad to hear that the heart surgery went well - he looks great! What a trooper! We'll continue to read your story - thanks so much for sharing it!

SunflowerStories said...

So glad to hear the surgery went well and recovery is going good so far. Hugs to your little hero!!

Nan P. said...

He looks great indeed. And it sounds as if you Cheri are holding it together well.

Sending you all a Big Hug.

Glogogo said...

WOW! I didn't realize that he had a surgery coming up. I would have taken his name to our small prayer group, but will now for his complete recovery. Glad all went well and thank the Lord he came through the surgery okay. Love, prayers and hugs to your whole family. :)

Anonymous said...

So encouraged to read the answers to prayers already! We will keep praying for more answers for quick recovery and healing. Kaleb saw the pictures with all the tubes and asked what was wrong. I told him that Reid had to have surgery to have his heart fixed. His question after that, "How did it get broken?" Out of the mouths of babes--well 4 year olds. Anyway, we love you and will continue checking for updates.
Love from Boise, Kel

My name is Sarah said...

Hey little buddy, you do look awesome. I'm happy the surgery went well. Pretty soon they will have you riding in the wagon. I loved that part. We are thinking about you and your family.