Seven months had passed since Jaden’s Norwood surgery. On March 4 2003, we returned back to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for Jaden’s Stage 2 surgery. We went in on the 4th for some preliminary tests and blood work. We also had to go to the Red Cross to donate blood for his surgery. We deeply appreciate Titi Nilda and our dear friend Norberto for donating blood as well. For the surgery, they need packed red blood cells and fresh blood They also need blood for any transfusions. We returned on the 5th for his Catheterization. This was pretty traumatic. Besides not being able to feed him for several hours before and after the Cath, he was in a lot of discomfort. Also, handing him over to the Anesthesiologist was probably the most difficult experience since his initial diagnosis in utero. I could hear him crying as we left him with the doctors.
The Cath revealed that Jaden had a leaky tricuspid valve. The doctors felt that it was not of concern at this time because it was mild to moderate. Instead, they decided to go on with his surgery the following day.
On March 6, Jaden had his Stage 2 Bi-directional Glenn surgery. This surgery reduces the work of the right ventricle by allowing it to pump blood only to the body, and allowing most of the blood to flow from the body into the lungs. Usually, between 3 and 8 months of age, the lungs mature to the point that blood flows more easily through, and ventricular force is no longer necessary. The stage 2 surgery is done by connecting the superior vena cava to the pulmonary artery. This diverts half of the blue blood directly to the lungs without the assistance of the ventricle. Because the work load of the right side of the heart is reduced with this surgery, he should be less cyanotic and have more energy.
Jaden did very well with his surgery. He is quite the little soldier. He was extubated a couple of hours after coming out of surgery and was breathing on his own. With this surgery, many children experience severe headaches from the pressures of the new blood flow to their upper bodies. Thankfully, Jaden did not experience these too badly and before we knew it his dressings, IV’s and various wires were being removed. With no other complications after surgery, we were released from CHOP about one week later. This is not to say, that this was not difficult, but we were just thankful that he recovered quickly and is doing well. We can not say enough about Jaden’s surgeon, Dr. Thomas Spray. He is truly an amazing and gifted human being. The work he does here at CHOP is immeasurable. Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
During our time at CHOP, we met up with another family, The Carmellas. They were there with their little girl, Alexa Marie. Their family decided to do the Dateline special that aired on HLHS. They were an incredible source of support during our stay here. To read the transcript on the Dateline story “ A Broken Heart “ go to the Links side of our web page and click on that link. They will forever be one of our dear heart friends.
Again, thank you all for all your love, support and prayers through this all. Now, we just enjoy our little boy and hope that he continues to grow and that we are not faced with any obstacles. The Lord has been so good and has blessed us with such a gift.