Owen Is Recovering

Owen is recovering in ICU tonight but should be heading home tomorrow.  The ICU seems to be precautionary since they were in his airway a lot today.  We are happy with our change to KU Med and at the end of a long day we are glad we made the switch.

The plan today was to move the tube from the nose to the stomach.  A port in the stomach will keep Owen from pulling it out and will be more comforatable for him.  Another plus is that the tube in the nose can increase his issues with reflux - why put it there to start with?  So the surgeon informed us that a GI doctor would help place the port and check things out from a GI viewpoint.  Good plan!  About 30 minutes into the surgery the GI doctor came out and told us he found a major restriction in his esophagus and wanted permission to put a balloon in there and stretch/open it up.  He told us this was a huge problem and could have been causing a lot of issues with reflux.  This would also explain why Owen could not eat solid foods without gagging them up after a few bites.  The food would basically just sit on this restriction and could not pass down.  We obviously approved opening this up.

About thrity minutes later the GI doctor came back out and explained what he had done.  The good news is they found it and will start correcting it.  The bad news is Owen will have to go back in three weeks and have the esophagus stretched again.  This will have to be done several times which requires Owen being put under each time.  The other down side was that the GI doctor told us they had not done anything to the fistual (hole) and would re-evaluate in three weeks when they stretch the esophagus again.  Melissa and I were instantly bummed out.  We sat there for about an hour wondering why they did not address the hole while they were in there.  This thing is never going to end!!!

The surgeon finally came for the consultation with us and informed us he did address the hole.  The GI doctor had left when his part was done and did not realize the surgeon was not done working.  He addressed the hole by applying a "glue" to the opening.  Again, this is a 50/50 if it works but he was able to access the hole and get the glue where it needed to be.  There were some other details he explained but overall he was pleased with what he was able to accomplish today.

The surgeon was very pleased that they found the restriction in the esophagus.  He feels this was probably causing most of Owen's issues, more so than the hole.  He will "glue" the hole again in three weeks when the esophagus is stretched.  The surgeon thinks we can try giving Owen some soft food (yogart, baby food) via the mouth sometime next week when his throat is not sore from the procedure.  Owen will be so excited to put food in his mouth, even if it is just a little bit.  With the esophagus opened up he thinks Owen will be much improved.  How in the world was the restriction in the esophagus not seen at the other hospital?  Well probably because Owen never saw a GI doctor during any visits or stays!

Melissa and I are very happy with out decision to move Owen to KU Med.  Owen still has a long way to go but we really feel he is going in the right direction now.  Speaking to the surgeon it sounds like we will continue to try the glue as long as we are in there stretching the esophagus.  If the hole does not close using the glue and we finish stretching the esophagus he thinks it will be time to open Owen up and surgically close the hole.  Hopefully the glue works and the hole closes in the next few weeks.

On a side note, Owen is such a handsome little man and he is getting so much attention at KU Med.  Doctors, nurses, strangers stopping us to tell us how cute he is.  He even got a "he is the cutest little boy I have ever seen" from a complete stranger.  He also had nurses coming in who were not assigned to him and said they heard he was beautiful and had to see him.

Please pray for Melissa.  The ICU is not the best place for parents to have to stay.  The room does not have its own bathroom or bed for the parent.  There is a chair that folds out.  I hope she gets some sleep.