Three weeks ago I got the call we'd been waiting for for 9 months. Porter's surgery would take place May 19th. It would be a complicated surgery that would require repairing his heart's ASD, VSD, subpulmonic stenosis, and finally fixing the transposition of the great arteries by choosing between the Rastelli procedure or an arterial switch. Maybe complicated isn't the right word to use....more like daunting. All four of these surgeries on their own aren't easy to deal with. Throw all four together and you get a complicated surgery that Porter needed in order to make it past his first birthday. You wouldn't know it by looking at or being around him, but the congenital heart defects he was born with were slowly beginning to show themselves. This prompted our cardiologist to call me three weeks ago and let me know the plan of attack.
We arrived in Greenville on Wednesday of this week and got checked into the Ronald McDonald House. Once again, the people affiliated with this place have gone above and beyond. After checking in we headed over to the ECU Heart Center and took care of some preoperation checkups to make sure Porter didn't have any viruses, colds, or infections. He checked out, so the next stop was the hospital to take care of paper work and get a tour of the ASU (ambulatory surgical unit) which is where Porter got prepped before heading to the OR. We headed upstairs to the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) to say hi to all the nurses, specialists, and doctor's that have taken care of Porter during previous procedures and who would be taking care of him after this surgery. We left the PICU ready for dinner, and headed to Mi Cabana for some carnitas, barbacoa de borrego, and margaritas. A post dinner bath for Porter and I was needed as we had a little fun with the tortilla chips and salsa.
Sleep was minimal Wednesday night. The anticipation of Thursday haunted both Jacqui and I. Porter was fussy by the time we needed to head out because he hadn't eaten since 2am. A quick drive around the Pitt Memorial campus calmed him down and allowed us to sneak him into the waiting room and then onto the ASU. We met with Dr. Koutlas, our surgeon, and he filled us in on what he hoped he could accomplish. I shook his hand, a strong hand, and looked into his eyes...I was comforted by what I saw. It was the first time since we learned about Porter's condition that I felt like everything might be okay. That feeling quickly departed soon after we handed our boy over to the OR and kissed him goodbye, not knowing what the outcome would be. The fog of the unknown consumed every thought we had for the longest eight hours of our lives.
It was 3pm when we saw Dr. Koutlas again. Jacqui saw him round the corner of the hallway we were sitting in. His smile said it all. He shook our hands and said, "Porter did great. The surgery couldn't have gone any more perfect." No Rastelli procedure. No complications. Just a good old full on fix. The relief and weight that was lifted off of us was immediately felt, and the unknown we had been terrified about for so long became clear. Our boy had been fixed.
We aren't done with the entire process yet. As I type this, Porter is sedated and pumped full of pain relievers and medications to make him as comfortable as possible and to let his body adjust to his heart version 2.0 upgrade. The list of complications that can arise post surgery are endless. Infections, bleeding, and high/low blood pressure top the list right now. A surgery on his fistula in his groin is also on the horizon.
But all of these things cannot dim the excitement and the reality that the first step Porter has taken is a HUGE step. It's a step that YOU have helped him make. Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, karma, love, and help. We're looking forward to the day in the very near future when Porter will be playing fetch with Maple again.
Want to help more?
Donate $ c/o of Porter Degan to the Greenville Ronald McDonald House
----Brian
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