~The Speth Family~: Open Heart #2

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Open Heart #2

1:30 pm and we're still in pre-op. We'll be here for a while because they are still cleaning up after the surgery prior to us. We talked to Dr. P and still have to meet with the surgeon (Dr. B) and Anesthesiologist...Ammon has been super patient and good today - must have been the blessing he got last night :) He's hungry, but hasn't started screaming like last time.
-Dr. B just came. It looks like they will take him back between 2:30 and 3:00 and get started a half hour after that. They are going to cut the vena cava and attach it to the pulmonary artery to allow more blood flow to the lungs for oxygen. They will also graft the pulmonary artery because it is too narrow. They will have to maintain that (balloon or shunt) in the distant future.

4:00 pm - They just made the incision an got started. Next update at 5pm.

5:00 pm - They are still working on clearing stuff out of the way. They should have him on bypass by 6 pm and then start the repairs.

5:55 pm -"One of the most trying times in the history of the Church, both in terms of its impact on the Church generally and in the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith personally, occurred during the winter of 1838–39. The Prophet, who bore the brunt of the persecution in that period, had been imprisoned in the ironically named Liberty Jail. . . ."In one way or another, great or small, dramatic or incidental, every one of us is going to spend a little time in Liberty Jail—spiritually speaking. We will face things we do not want to face for reasons that may not be our fault. Indeed, we may face difficult circumstances for reasons that were absolutely right and proper, reasons that came because we were trying to keep the commandments of the Lord. We may face persecution, we may endure heartache and separation from loved ones, we may be hungry and cold and forlorn. Yes, before our lives are over we may all be given a little taste of what the prophets faced often in their lives."But the lessons of the winter of 1838–39 teach us that every experience can become a redemptive experience if we remain bonded to our Father in Heaven through it. These difficult lessons teach us that man's extremity is God's opportunity, and if we will be humble and faithful, if we will be believing and not curse God for our problems, He can turn the unfair and inhumane and debilitating prisons of our lives into temples—or at least into a circumstance that can bring comfort and revelation, divine companionship and peace."
~Jeffrey R. Holland~

6:05 pm - They just barely got him on the bypass. It took a LONG time to get through the layers covering the heart. They should be able to finish most if not all of the actual repair portion in the next hour. So far he is good - nice and stable anyway :) I have eaten WAAAAY too much sugar today - Too bad there's not a Subway in the hospital. If your child ever has to go through a long, difficult surgery make sure to take a laptop to the hospital with you. You can waste hours and hours reading CJANE (not that she is a waste) and laughing like crazy while your son is laying on the table with his innards spilling out. Today I'm thankful for fun people I don't even know -like this woman.

7:03 pm - Annie (cardiothoracic surgical NP) has been coming out each hour with updates - she is super hard to read and I think I am pretty good at reading people. So this time we asked a couple more questions - that helped. They just finished the Glenn and haven't encountered any complications (as far as she knows, but that is a better question for Dr. Burch). They are finishing up while they wait for the final TEE (Trans esophageal echo cardiogram). At least another hour until they are finished. As soon as John's movie is over we are going downstairs for some grub.

8:00 pm Never eat greasy food at 8:oo at night. The Glenn is done! :) Ammon is off of the bypass and they are going to close his chest - yay! They did the final echo and said function is actually better than it was before the Glenn. His leak is trivial (thats also better than last time.) He is being paced right now because another part of his heart decided it wanted to be in charge for awhile, but that should resolve itself shortly. He will probably stay intubated, but only because it is late and they don't know how awake he will be tonight.

8:20 pm There is still a little oozing so they are going to give him some drugs to help that clot faster and then close him. No big deal - she said he looks GREAT!

9:19 pm Dr. Burch just came to talk to us. My brain was racing to keep up with him, but I think I actually got most of it this time :) He said everything looks really good. They are going to watch a few things with his breathing and keep him ventilated a little longer, but the repairs went well and his chest is closed - yay! I like closed chests. We are going to go see him in a half hour so I am not likely to post again until tomorrow :) Good night - keep him in your prayers! (Please.)

4 comments:

Jake and Stephanie PerrinMay 13, 2010 at 5:29 PM
Glad things are going good so far!! Can't wait for more updates
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Tyler & LauraMay 13, 2010 at 7:58 PM
This is a good day to have done and overwith!! I have been thinking about you guys all day :)
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SULLIVANMay 13, 2010 at 7:58 PM
Suz, I have been fasting and praying for you all day. I am glad he is doing well. I really like your comment that you put in about js trial can also be are's. You are such a good friend. I will remember that for Adam's surgeries. Mary
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JulieMay 13, 2010 at 8:44 PM
You've been in our prayers all day as well. It sounds like things went great and we're so glad!
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"From your study of Church history, you will all know something of the experience the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brethren had while imprisoned in [Liberty Jail] during the winter of 1838–39. This was a terribly difficult time in our history for the Church generally and certainly for the Prophet Joseph himself, who bore the brunt of the persecution in that period. Indeed, I daresay that until his martyrdom five and a half years later, there was no more burdensome time in Joseph's life than this cruel, illegal, and unjustified incarceration in Liberty Jail. . . ."Most of us, most of the time, speak of the facility at Liberty as a 'jail' or a 'prison'—and certainly it was that. But Elder Brigham H. Roberts, in recording the history of the Church, spoke of the facility as a temple, or, more accurately, a 'prison-temple.' . . ."But tonight's message is that when you have to, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, let me say that even a little stronger: you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced."
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A Future of Peace
"What kind of existence can we hope for? Those who come unto Christ, repent of their sins, and live in faith will reside forever in peace. Think of the worth of this eternal gift. Surrounded by those we love, we will know the meaning of ultimate joy as we progress in knowledge and in happiness. No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him' (1 Corinthians 2:9)."
~Dieter F. Uchtdorf~