Day 2 ♥ Update 2

March 6, 2021 Kathleen Rauch2 Comments

Here’s a more in-depth update covering the last 24-hours or so.

Last night, Dr. Julia, one of the fellows in the unit, brought a 3D model of the heart and gave us an anatomy lesson.

Day 2 ♥ Update 1

March 6, 2021 Kathleen Rauch7 Comments

A quick picture and update. Becky was successfully extubated this morning and her stats are holding steady. She is resting comfortably and the staff is working hard to keep ahead of her pain.

The morphine seems to be working.

Update #6

March 5, 2021 Kathleen Rauch15 Comments

We met with Dr. V and discussed Becky’s operation. It’s a lot of information to process and I hope to understand things better in the coming days.

Becky returned from surgery a few hours ago.

Update #5

March 5, 2021 Kathleen Rauch3 Comments

Just heard from Dr. V.

“Very happy” has a lovely ring to it.

Update #4

March 5, 2021 Kathleen Rauch4 Comments

Greta and I had just returned from grabbing coffee when Jillian met us.

She reported that a repair was done on the tricuspid valve in addition to closing the VSD. We had hoped that Becky would not need any work done on the valve. They are closing now.

Greta and I have left the room and are in the waiting area. We expect to speak with Dr. V about the operation within the next hour. After returning from surgery, it usually takes at least an hour to stabilize Becky. We hope to see our little heart warrior sometime in the early afternoon.

Update #3

March 5, 2021March 5, 2021 Kathleen Rauch5 Comments

The repair is complete. In order to go on by-pass, Becky’s body was cooled to lower her metabolic demand. They have begun warming her up. They will do another transesophageal echo (TEE) to check the repair and look for any additional problems.

Update #2

March 5, 2021March 5, 2021 Kathleen Rauch3 Comments

Jillian told us that a triple lumen, arterial, and peripheral line have each been placed in Becky’s groin. Reopening went well. Sometimes this can take longer as scar tissue has formed but Drs. V and E were able to access her heart fairly easily. She is now on by-pass and the delicate work begins. We expect another update around 11:00am.