Hope Survived the Glenn!!

Today was a tough day.   The time went by way too fast in the morning and yet painfully slow at the same time.  We heard they were coming to take Hope just before noon and my heart began to race.  I rode on the stretcher with Hope to the surgical ward.  I cried as I handed her over to Shawn, as he was taking her into the OR.  There was no way to deny reality, Hope was going back into the OR and was having her Glenn.

We worked to keep ourselves distracted and pass the time quickly.  At 4 pm we set up chairs in the hallway that had a view of the entire hall.  At 4:30, I saw Dr. Ross coming down the hall, and I had to look away.  I was too scared to look into his face.  I didn't want to see disappointment or regret.  I looked down until he stood next to us and was ready to tell us about our sweet girl.

Dr. Ross started by saying that Hope did well.  He said that she had truly needed the surgery and it was  a good thing she'd had it.  I didn't feel it was an appropriate time to say, "I told you so!"  Hope's pulmonary artery was much smaller than they had thought.  Hope's blood flow to her lungs was not great and she will do so much better with the new and improved flow.  Her pressures are holding under 20 and appear to be stable.  They were able to easily get her central line in and hope to be able to pull it tomorrow morning.  Central lines are very dangerous for Hope.  If her pressures remain stable through the night, they'll pull it first thing in the morning.  She is still intubated and they hope to pull her tube in the morning as well.  Please pray for stable pressures and easy breaths for Hope.

The anesthetist had a lot of trouble getting an ART line in (a line that measures her blood pressure moment by moment).  The one that is currently in is causing some trouble, so please pray that the line is not lost.  This is going to be a difficult week as Hope adjusts to the new pressures in her body.  It is typical, after the Glenn, to have a headache that will last a few days.  We are praying for a hiccup free recovery, but know that we may face struggles as we work towards getting her home.

Our journey with Hope is long from over.  This surgery is a positive and necessary step and takes Hope to a more stable position in her health.  We still have a third surgery in the future, a clot in the liver that may make that surgery impossible and a lot of feeding issues.  We praise God for making the impossible possible today.  We move forward believing that God will continue to show His power through Hope's life and the hurdles she overcomes.  Thank you for praying with us through today!