What we were waiting for, or more like who, was Wyatt's anaesthesiologist, ENT doctor, and PED. We were to decide if Wyatt was truly going forward with the Bronchial Scope, and if he were, would he be getting his gtube and muscle biopsy.
Little did we know, that we would be revisiting the topic of the elective tracheostomy again.
At 10:00 in the morning, sitting at a round table, we were discussing amongst three staff CHEO doctors, as well as, Wyatt's nurse, and Social Worker what we were to do with Wyatt. Alliteration not intended.
We sat there for almost two hours. Talking about the pros - it's a second airway, if he were to choke, we'd be guaranteed a means of providing him oxygen, and a likely direct route to the blockage, and can suction it out. And talking about the cons - there was a chance he'd be in CHEO for up to three months, just to recover from it. The cleaning of a trach is difficult at best, and it would only complicate Wyatt's already, complicated care. Wyatt could pull it out, and it's usually a matter of just reinserting it, and since it's a second airway, it wouldn't be a big deal anyway. Uhuh.
Doctors have a way of making something that seems completely daunting to you, and normalizing it. Noon of last Monday, I was convinced I was going to have a Trach Baby by 6 pm, that evening.
Then mom and dad went on a little walk. Talked. Dad being the usual optimist is convinced Wyatt is going to be fine during the operation, and will not need an emergency trach. We go back to the doctors with our final decision.
Wyatt will get an emergency trach if the anesthesiologist intubates, but loses his airway with a fibre optic scope. If she cannot insert the fibre optic to begin with, we abort the whole operation.
For those of you who don't know, Bronchial Scopes, Gtubes, and muscle biopsies are normal, day to day operations for CHEO staff doctors. They don't even call it a Gtube operation. They call it a procedure.
By 2:00, 45 minutes after Wyatt was supposed to go into the operating room, we're finally called down to the OR room. I carry Wyatt into the OR clinic, and there, there are over 10 doctors waiting for Wyatt. I look around and ask if any are students, who don't need to be there, and no. Everyone is staff. Everyone plays a primary roll in Wyatt's surgery. I hand him off to his ENT doctor. I give him a kiss. I touch his neck, for what I think is the last time will be clear of any kind of a breathing device.
I turn to leave, and can't help to look back at him - and think, he has no idea what he's going into. And neither do we.
As a mother, I take my responsibility to protect my children very seriously. And that afternoon, I couldn't help but feel, like I shouldn't have let him go.
2:30 rolls around, Wyatt's PED leaves me to go check on Wyatt. This whole time she's been trying to keep me from losing it. Dad has driven off to get our daughter from school. So, I'm waiting, and chatting with an old friend from high school, whom is by coincidence there for her son's procedure.
3:00 o'clock. Our PED comes with what cannot be mistaken for complete, and total, elation. Wyatt was successfully intubated. No trach! It doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet, as extubation, can be just as risky as intubation. But I can't help but feed off of her, and I feel so, SO, so happy. It was like a little bit of the weight on my shoulders was taken off. Dad felt the same way too.
4:00 o'clock. ENT doctor comes in and says Wyatt has done great, and after scoping his esophagus, and lungs, everything seems normal. In her words, his lungs are 'beautiful'. Which is surprising, as Wyatt has had pneumonia three times, in the last four months. (I'm going to have to say it's not just the antibiotics, but also the EBM he still gets that has helped him heal so nicely).
5:00 o'clock. Staff surgeon comes in. Gtube went smoothly, as he predicted. He confirms that Wyatt is getting the muscle biopsy done, and then it's extubation.
Waiting for the extubation was excruciating. I just felt like things were going too smoothly, something bad is going to happen. Forty minutes later, we get our answer, Wyatt had a tiny piece of muscle removed from his upper eye, and will likely carry a scar there (his dad has one too, in the same spot, but it's from a ninja sword fight...or so I'm told). And the best news of the evening, Wyatt was extubated successfully, and is recovering in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit).
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Wyatt takes the next five days to recover at an amazing rate. Day 1 of recovery, he's already sitting, napping on his stomach and tolerating his pain management (Tylenol every 4 hours). By Day 2, he's gets one dose of Tylenol, (preventative for dressing change), and by Day 5, he's in the bouncer! Wyatt is just full of surprises.
The CHEO staff doctors, in particular, ENT and Anaesthesia should really give themselves a pat on the back - they have really accomplished something special this passed Monday.There is very little literature on intubating infants with congenital Trismus successfully (not having an emergency trach). They truly accomplished a great feat in my books. And in medical books.
In retrospect, we should have bought them some wine (or beer) to celebrate their (Wyatt's) accomplishment!
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