9:55pm – I want to start this by asking all to pray specifically for Ella Grace’s lungs. She has a slight case of pneumonia and a lot of fluid on her lungs. We have a respiratory therapist who is starting percussive treatments but still we need God to intervene and make her better faster so they won’t have to make another incision and put another chest tube in. She is very weak right now but her pain is finally managed now that they found the medication that suits her best.
Our day started around 3:00am when Ella got her last drink of water. She was in a good mood all night and didn’t want to sleep much. I almost wonder if she knew what was going on. At 5:00am the alarm went off and we started getting ready. Ella wanted to jump on the bed, so we did that for several minutes. She helped Natalie put on make-up and helped my shave by holding her hand on the razor while I guided it.
On the way to the hospital from the hotel, Ella stated, “I want to go back to Kentucky!” Natalie and I just started laughing. Somehow she knows just what to do to keep us smiling. We got to Vanderbilt around 6:15am and started the registration. We had both of our parents and about 12 other family members with us. More arrived later and friends from church arrived in the afternoon.
After registration we moved into holding. Ella was changed from her pajamas into a hospital outfit. She is so small the pants kept falling of her. She quickly started entertaining the nurses and assistants and one at a time family members came back to give her a little love and wish her the best. It was about 7:45am when the anesthesiologist and his team arrived to start giving Ella sedatives. Of course she spit the first of it out all over herself, but was able to take the second dose fine. At 10 after 8 she was walking away with the nurses and my stomach just dropped at the sight of her leaving. I’ve never felt that way and pray to never feel that way again. It’s a pain beyond description.
After about 20 minutes we got the first of 5-6 phone calls on her status. She was doing fine and was completely sedated. They began the procedure by inserting I.V. lines and then she was incubated. After a short while later, they completed the final EKG and were ready to being surgery. She was put on a full heart and lung bypass and Dr. Christian began the procedure. A few hours later we received another phone call that all seemed well and they wanted to start warming her up to begin removing the bypass machines. Another phone call with good news proceeded a visit from Dr. Christian. Around 1:00 she met us in the waiting room and guided us to a conference room where she let us know all was well and the procedure was a success. We thanked God for this wonderful news and I finally felt I could breathe again.
It would take a couple more hours before she would be in PCCU. So way grabbed a quick bite to eat at the hospital. Natalie and I were feeling great and ready to see her. The whole clan moved with us up to the 5th floor from the 2nd. We waited until they gave us the go ahead to see her. And what a relief it was to see her. She was covered with a white blanked, her eyes shut, and wires and tubes all over. We had been prepared by being shown photos of other children who had experienced the same procedure. So we knew what to expect to see, just not what to expect to feel. When they removed the blankets I began to get very lightheaded. The chest tubes were pulsating blood and the incision was only covered with clear glue. I hated to, but had to leave the room so I wouldn’t pass out. For those you who don’t know, this seems to be a problem that runs in the family.
Once I got back to the room I was able to start loving on her. She was asleep but trying to fight. She started to turn and go on her side several times so we had to hold her back. The medication she was on was not keeping her in a good balance so she was very agitated. Our nurse was quick to introduce a stronger drug and it quickly took effect allowing her to go into a deep sleep. Everyone one took turns coming to see her.
At first Ella was progressing well and the breathing tubes were removed very quickly. This is not usual to have them removed so quickly but the nurse, doctors and staff felt that she was doing well. An hour later we became concerned because she was trying to cough a lot and sounded bad when she breathed. A respiratory therapist came in to help and removed a lot of fluid from her lungs. This will be repeated every 4 hours until she is better.
Tonight Ella will stay in PCCU and we hope to be moved to a room tomorrow afternoon. Natalie is staying with her and I’ve been moved to a sleeping unit on the floor. We feel confident Ella will continue to progress at a good pace. We pray that the Lord will help her respiratory problems and keep the pneumonia at bay. She is a fighter and gives us courage in times when we feel down.
I just want to say on behalf on Natalie and myself, thank you to everyone who took time to pray for Ella Grace. We know that God heard His people and responded by giving us a great result. We couldn’t ask for anything better. We have received dozens of phone calls, emails, and over 1800 hits on the blog today. You guys are the best.
I will continue to write as much as I can tomorrow.
Love,
Jason