!st Surgery Success

Carson had his surgery today and things went well. The doctors worked on his hernia and scoped his nose and throat during this surgery. The hernia surgery went really well. They were able to place most of the liver and part of the intestines back into the abdominal cavity. The parts that couldn’t fit were covered with a mesh patch that was attached to his abdominal muscle. So, the yellow mesh that surrounded his hernia is gone and it’s no longer suspended to his bed! The doctors said that they hope to close the abdomen with one or two more surgeries! This is amazing! We thought that this would be the thing that kept him in the hospital the longest so it could mean a shorter stay! The nurse even said that we might get to hold him in a week!

The ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) specialist said that he thinks that Carson’s nose does have choanal atresia, a complete blockage of the nasal cavity to the throat. Earlier, we thought that this wasn’t the case when the CT scan came back as saying there was no blockage. But the ENT doctor says that he disagrees with that. He ran a 2mm scope into Carson’s nose and found no way to get through into the throat. The doctor offered only one real solution to this problem, which is a tracheotomy. It would have to stay in place for 2-3 years. Heather said that she can’t remember if the doctor talked about why they cannot do surgery, or why it would have to stay in for so long. We have to meet with a respiratory therapist and the ENT doctor tomorrow to discuss everything again. The possible problems with the tracheotomy would be the fact that Carson may not be able to talk while that is in place.

Carson is doing really well though even despite these issues. He went through the surgery great and continues to improve while in the NICU. We’ll get some update photos of him tomorrow so everyone can see him with his new, reduced hernia; and hopefully a picture of his cool glasses he wears for his jaundice treatments.

We also want to thank everyone who has been helping and praying for our family during this time. You guys are a huge blessing to us and have made this bearable. We love you guys!

Love,

Steve and Heather