Surgical Consultation

We had Jacob's surgical consultation appointment yesterday, and all went well.  We arrived at Texas Children's at 7:30am, and met with a nurse that checked his blood pressure, oxygen level and weighed him.  He is now 15lbs, 13oz, and his blood pressure and oxygen levels were good.

Next, we met the surgeon, Dr. Morales, who explained everything to us and answered all of our questions regarding the surgery.  We discussed our decision to go ahead with the surgery versus waiting and he agreed that it was the right thing to do,  He said that we could wait a month or two more, but with that putting us into flu season he said now was the best time to do it.  He also explained the dangers of waiting too long, and its heartbreaking...he explained that some parents will want to wait as long as possible (which is understandable), so they disappear for awhile, meaning they don't come in for appointments/check-ups, and somewhere during that time their child's symptoms will seem to disappear, so they think their child is getting better. 

He explained that the symptoms disappear because as the blood is pushed across the hole from the left to the right ventricle (which is how it is moving in Jacob's heart right now), the right ventricle's valve (which is not a muscle because it receives blood from the body) begins to grow muscle to push against the flow from the left ventricle.  It continues to grow this muscle until it can push the blood across into the left ventrical, which is a big problem.  The reason for this is that it is now pushing un-oygenated blood from the right to the left ventrical, which pushes it out to the body.  This drops the oxygen levels in the body, which eventually leads to the return of the symptoms (usually the child begins to turn blue - cyanosis.)

The parents will rush the children back in, but a lot of times it is too late to fix the problem.  They can't close the hole at this point because the muscular growth in the right ventrical would not allow the proper flow of blood.  So unfortunately it leads to massive heart failure and there is nothing they can do about it. 

He also explained that because of the hole, the left side of the heart must work harder to supply enough blood to the body.  This causes the muscles to work harder and as they do, they become enlarged, which in the long run could also lead to massive heart failure.

So, basically we feel we are making the right decision, and now feel better about.  It is so hard to make this kind of decision, deciding to put your 6 month old baby through a major surgery is gut-wrenching, but we know that in the long run he will be much better for it.

Back to the appointment, after we met with the surgeon, we took Jacob down to pathology so they could take blood and urine samples.  He cried only a little when they stuck him, but otherwise he was okay.

Then, we met with a lady about participating in some reseach programs for the hospital which we agreed to because they pose no harm to Jacob and could aid research regarding congenital heart defects.  Then we met with the social worker, and she explained all the hospital had to offer us and gave us a tour of the different places Jacob will be during his stay.  We got to see the CVICU and the waiting room where we will be on Monday, the 15th floor where he will be moved once he is stable into a private room, the Ronald McDonald Family room where they have free food for families with someone in surgery there, and a couple of other places. 

After we got back to our room, the nurse came in and did Jacob's EKG.  She said it went well.

Next a couple of doctors came in and gave Jacob a final examination, checking out his ears, throat, etc. and okayed him for surgery.

Last, we were given instructions for the night before surgery and where to go on Monday morning.  We have to be at the hospital at 6:30am!  The surgery will start later, probably around 8.  We are supposed to get updates every couple of hours or so and I will post them here as we get them.  The surgery can last anywhere from 4-8 hours!

A little sidenote: Everyone thought he was adorable and such a good baby.  He hardly ever fussed and smiled for everyone.  He was hamming it up.  One of the nurses even offered to take him home for the weekend...lol.

All in all, the appointment went well and we are looking forward to getting this over with.  Now I have to go get the laundry finished and start all the packing!!  Its going to be a long weekdend.