A Quick Note..

I just wanted to post a quick update for everyone. I'm getting ready to head out the door to relieve Darin from his weekend shift!

Benjamin is doing superb! Today was so much better for him than yesterday. Sometime early this morning while Darin was sleeping and the nurse was away, Benny decided he didn't need his oxygen anymore and pulled out his canula and threw it on the ground! So, a little later on Darin discovered this and it was decided by the doctor that he didn't need it anymore. I guess Benjamin does know best! Today he also had both of his drainage tubes removed and his line in his neck. So now, all he has left in him is the line in his hand and in his foot! He's been much happier today and even smiled for Daddy. The doctor has finally given the go ahead to allow him to eat and drink whatever he wants now so he's a happy camper! We are optimistic for a Tuesday discharge, but if that doens't happy, it will almost definitely be Wednesday. Darin told me that there is such a difference in him between yesterday and today so I'm excited to go see my little man! I'm going a little stir crazy being away (if that even makes sense)! I will most likely not be back home until Benny is discharged. Since Darin is returning to work tomorrow there is no one to relieve me but that is okay...it won't be too much longer. But it might mean you will have to wait for an update until I return home! I will continue to post on Facebook when I can though, so check there too!

Thanks again for all of your prayers!

Day 2 - Surgery

Today was the day, and Benny did wonderfully! Here's a little synopsis of our day:

Around 6:30am, a member from the transport team came to his room in the intermediate care unit (PIMCU) and escorted us down to the 2nd floor, which is where surgery takes place. We were put in the surgery holding area and waited there until about 7:45am when the nurse and the anesthesiologist came in and explained a little bit to us of what would be happening. The nurse gave Benjamin a sedative (which I cannot remember the name of at the moment) which would help him to relax and "get a little loopy". Within seconds of administering the drug, Benjamin was "flying high" so to speak. It was the funniest thing that Darin and I have ever witnessed! We made sure to capture a little video clip of his behavior just moments after he received his happy meds!

Once the laughing subsided, Darin and I said our goodbyes to our little man and the nurse carried him back to the operating room. We were told at that point it would be a good time to eat breakfast since the first update won't come until after they anesthesize him and do his echocardiogram. So, we grabbed some breakfast and took it up to the surgical waiting area, where we spent the rest of our morning. The staff was terriffic about frequently updating us on his progress, which we were most appreciative of. The began the surgery around 9am and about two and a half hours later they came out and said they were closing him up. Dr. Husain came out and told us about the procedure and how it all went and was extremely pleased with how Benjamin did. They did encounter quite a bit of scarring under the rib cage and had to spend some time trying to separate it from his heart, but after that, he did fantastic. They were able to put in quite a large valve (18 mm) which is terrific news!! This hopefully means that we have bought him some more time than expected until his next surgery.

He was transported up the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) where he will be for the next couple of days. They have a great group of nurses and doctors in that unit, and Benjamin is being well looked after. It was decided that he would remain sedated today, the ultimate goal being to keep him comfortable. As you can see from the pictures, he is on a ventilator (which he should be coming off of tomorrow), and has an extensive amount of medications going into him! They have been trying to make him super comfortable all day, however, Benjamin is a mover and a shaker. He is burning through his pain meds so fast that he seems to only get about 20 minutes of relief before he starts moving again. He's already attempted to roll over a few times and constantly moves his arms and legs. He started scrunching his eyes like he was trying to cry and so they weren't sure if he was in pain or just uncomfortable. So, they are continuing to increase his pain medication as necessary. He also had a tube placed down into his stomach to relieve the excess fluid and gas that might be building up in there. That actually seemed to relax him a little bit (once it was in) so perhaps he was feeling gassy! As long as he's on a ventilator, the tube will remain in his stomach.

We will continue to keep you all updated as his recovery progresses. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for all of us. They will be taking him off the ventilator and allowing him to wake up and start moving. His pain meds will change to different ones and they will just monitor him and see how he does. Darin is staying the night with him again tonight and I will return tomorrow morning. Thank you all for your prayers. Benny is so blessed to have so many people who love him and continuously pray for him (we all are blessed by this). Stay tuned for more.....

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Benjamin's Admitted

Benjamin was admitted to Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital this afternoon. Overall, he did very well there today. Cried a little when they tried to take his vitals (he doesn't like that at all), but then he got to play for a bit in his room. They brought him some toys! They also have a playroom there that he can play in too so it makes it a little easier on us parents to entertain him! They took him around 5:30p to go put his IV in, and that took about 30 minutes, which gave Darin and I a chance to eat some dinner. He came back with a bubble on his hand. It's sad but actually a bit cute too! It doesn't seem to bother him too much either so that's good! Around 6:30p the lab people came by to take some blood from him. Needless to say he did NOT like that at all. And I, being the wonderful mom I am, had to act as bad guy and hold his legs down while daddy sat on the bed and watched TV. We got a great nurse though and she found his vein instantly! That was a first for us! They usually have to fish for his vein or redo it because they lose it. And to top it all off, the lab nurse came back about 45 minutes later to get a little more because they needed a new sample for blood typing or something. Luckily, that was just a finger poke!

Finally, around 7:45p, he got a sponge bath, and got his cute little gown on. Yes, they have little infant gowns, it's adorable! I'll try to remember to take a picture of it if I get the chance! After that, a little milk, and then a little rocking with mommy. He was out in about 5 minutes. Poor little guy was exhausted! I left the hospital a little after 9p, and Darin is staying the night with him. I'll be back at the hospital around 6a tomorrow morning to make sure I have some time to spend with him before they take him, which should be around 7am. They hope to start the surgery around 9a and finish up around lunch time. I will make sure to post an update as soon as I can! I will also update the facebook throughout the morning. Well, I better be off to bed now! Thank you all for your prayers and we hope to report great news tomorrow! Good night!