Andrew finally had surgery on his left kidney and we are glad to say everything went well. Andrew was quite the trooper during the whole ordeal. Before the surgery Andrew was not allowed to have any food after 4:00 am, so he was really hungry before the surgery. But amazingly he remained fairly calm through it all. The first phase of the surgery was in radiology where they hoped to get a clear picture of his ureter and kidneys and do a few tests to see how clear the his ureter is. Luckily the doctors were able to get a clear picture of his ureter and were able to tell that he still was able to pass urine into his bladder. So they were able to proceed with the surgery. The surgery took about four hours to complete, so when the surgeon came to report the surgery was a success, we breathed a big sigh of relief! The surgery consisted of repositioning his ureter in a new location and placing a stint within the ureter, which allows his left kidney to drain while it heals. Fortunately he no longer has the nephrostomy tube and will come home completely wirelss and tubeless. The nephrostomy tube has been somewhat difficult to handle, because any accidental pull on it could pull it out of his kidney. In roughly 6-8 weeks the stint will then be removed and POSSIBLY the right kidney could be repaired at that time too. As for now, the plan for the right kidney is to continue monitoring it but there is no certain plan to repair it. The Doctor feels that as he grows larger the restriction may clear itself. Although there continues to be some restricted flow but not to the extent of the left kidney.
Following the surgery we were able to see Andrew for a short time and were amazed at how well he was doing. He was awake but fussy-- not due to pain but because he was very hungry. Unfortunately he won't be able to eat until tomorrow morning. He was eventually moved to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit or PICU. Before the surgery they had trouble establishing an IV because he has had so many IV's and blood draws in his hands and feet, so his veins were all but useless. They had to resort to a central line IV which was established in a vein in his neck. That was hard to see but fortunately he won't have it for long. This time it seemed more difficult to see him go through this again than it was the last time. Our basic instinct is to ensure that he doesn't experience any pain, so it was hard to see him have to go through more surgery.
We are so grateful to all of you for your many prayers in his behalf. Those prayers have been answered in so many ways. Thank you also for those who have been bringing dinners and have watched Aaron while we've had to spend time at the hospital. It has allowed us to be with Andrew without worrying too much about Aaron. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
Andrew finally had surgery on his left kidney and we are glad to say everything went well. Andrew was quite the trooper during the whole ordeal. Before the surgery Andrew was not allowed to have any food after 4:00 am, so he was really hungry before the surgery. But amazingly he remained fairly calm through it all. The first phase of the surgery was in radiology where they hoped to get a clear picture of his ureter and kidneys and do a few tests to see how clear the his ureter is. Luckily the doctors were able to get a clear picture of his ureter and were able to tell that he still was able to pass urine into his bladder. So they were able to proceed with the surgery. The surgery took about four hours to complete, so when the surgeon came to report the surgery was a success, we breathed a big sigh of relief! The surgery consisted of repositioning his ureter in a new location and placing a stint within the ureter, which allows his left kidney to drain while it heals. Fortunately he no longer has the nephrostomy tube and will come home completely wirelss and tubeless. The nephrostomy tube has been somewhat difficult to handle, because any accidental pull on it could pull it out of his kidney. In roughly 6-8 weeks the stint will then be removed and POSSIBLY the right kidney could be repaired at that time too. As for now, the plan for the right kidney is to continue monitoring it but there is no certain plan to repair it. The Doctor feels that as he grows larger the restriction may clear itself. Although there continues to be some restricted flow but not to the extent of the left kidney. 
Following the surgery we were able to see Andrew for a short time and were amazed at how well he was doing. He was awake but fussy-- not due to pain but because he was very hungry. Unfortunately he won't be able to eat until tomorrow morning. He was eventually moved to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit or PICU. Before the surgery they had trouble establishing an IV because he has had so many IV's and blood draws in his hands and feet, so his veins were all but useless. They had to resort to a central line IV which was established in a vein in his neck. That was hard to see but fortunately he won't have it for long. This time it seemed more difficult to see him go through this again than it was the last time. Our basic instinct is to ensure that he doesn't experience any pain, so it was hard to see him have to go through more surgery.
We are so grateful to all of you for your many prayers in his behalf. Those prayers have been answered in so many ways. Thank you also for those who have been bringing dinners and have watched Aaron while we've had to spend time at the hospital. It has allowed us to be with Andrew without worrying too much about Aaron. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
2 comments:
Yay! That's great news--both boys are such fighters! Glad to hear that he pulled through like a champ; we'll continue praying for a speedy recovery.
Heh, you have a wireless baby! How hi-tech.
But seriously, that is fantastic news. Way to go, Andrew!
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