Ethan Out of His (Hopefully) Final Surgery

Ethan is out of the ICU and doing pretty well. We are back on the cardiac floor so they can watch his heart a bit more but all seems to be pretty normal. He isn’t eating too well yet so he is still on IV fluids until he can. He is also in what seems to be a lot more pain than he had with his heart surgeries. It makes no sense as they both seem like they would be extremely painful. He is such a champ and is handling this waaaaaaay better than I would be in his situation. They say kids are so resilient and Ethan is proving this to be 100% true.

The surgeon was very pleased after the surgery and hopes that after all the healing takes place, he won’t have to have anymore surgeries on his head. He said when he took out the section of bone that was the huge indention or headband looking part, the rest of the head popped right into place. Even now, we can see a marked difference. Of course time will tell. The plan is to go and get fitted for his helmet on November 30 and then get the helmet sometime later that week. After that, depending how he heals, he will keep the helmet on for anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months or so.

So praise the Lord things have gone so well so far. After all we have been through, the Lord continues to guide us, comfort us and bless us. He has never left us and although this surely hasn’t been our timing, His timing has been absolutely perfect. Your prayers have been critical to us and we are so blessed by your encouragement.

-h

Surgery Tomorrow

Well, the day has come for Ethan's last surgery (at least we pray it is his last for a good long time). His cranial surgery is tomorrow, November 17th at 10am. The surgery will be a little tricky for the surgeon as it is normally performed with the patient facing down for the surgery. But due to Ethan's fragile heart and sternum, they need to do it while he is on his back. We pray that the surgeon (Dr. Luerrson) will be able to reach and see all he needs to so we don't have to go back into the operating room in the next couple months. So that is one prayer request. The other is that the helmet Ethan will wear for the next few months after surgery will heal him correctly so he will not need any further surgeries on his head in the coming years. This is one thing we would love to get over with and not have to revisit...ever. But this is Ethan Harmon and he likes to do things the hard way sometimes. So we will see and all kidding aside, we know that God is in control of all of this and His will be done.

I will update tomorrow when I hear something. This surgery should not be as long as the heart surgeries and less risky in that he won't be going on bypass. But is still cranial surgery and there is usually alot of bleeding because it is such vascular tissue. Thank you, friends, for your continued prayer and encouragement for the last 2 months. It really is what is helping us get through this time.

In Him, h

Ethan is Home!!!

Well, Eef the Beef is home!! We are elated to have our wee one home with us and we are really enjoying having a PINK baby for once. Since he was born, he always had a blue hue to him, especially when he was upset. Then, after the first surgery with all the hemolysis going on, he was yellow with jaundice. Now he is finally PINK!!! I know one day he will hate that I desperately wanted him to be pink because that is for girls and blue is much better for boys but I am not ashamed one bit for wanting a pink boy!

He is doing very well and is "cordless" for the first time. It is strange to carry him around and dress him without worrying about his monitor cords. As far as his heart goes, he still has a bit of a murmur because the patch between the ventricles leaks a bit. It's not that the surgeon messed it up, its just impossible to seal it completely due to all the muscle fibers that they have to go through. Hopefully, the lining of the heart will grow over it and close it all the way eventually but if it doesn't, they don't expect that it will cause any trouble because the leak is so small. His heart appears to have decreased in size and the fluid is less around his heart and in his lungs. All good things!

Now we are finally on the cranial surgery. It has been rescheduled for November 17th. The cardiac anesthesiologists will do the surgery and he will be able to recover back in the CVICU in case something were to go wrong with his heart. The doctors all feel the most comfortable with this as the risks are greater to his fragile little heart. At least we know the staff and they know him!!

Another couple proud mama moments lately... Lauren got her first tooth!! She munches away on anything she can get in her mouth. So cute! And Abby Grace turned 3!!! She informed us that she is big now that she is three and she will be going on the potty soon but not today. Maybe tomorrow. UGH! She is just toying with us! : )

Your prayers have kept me going... -h