A Heart Like Yours: Post Op Day 4

Day 4

What a great day! Melia started the day after a very restful night of sleep with few interruptions. She did sleep with her fruit snacks for security and ended up with one stuck in her hair that had to be removed with scissors, but other than that the morning was great.

After an uneventful rounding by the doctors it was determined that she was a "boring" patient. I couldn't be happier!! Shortly after rounds the nurses came in to remove her two peripheral IV's in the feet and her atrial line. The removal of these was no fun, but once it was done she had more freedom to move around. She was still hesitant to walk because the chest tube and pacer wires were still hanging out of her belly. Her personality really started showing as the morning progressed. She was coy and silly and talkative and wanted to go round and round and round the ICU in her wagon.

The docs also opted to discontinue her Lasix and she was able to continue urinating without this medicine the remainder of the day. As far as other medicines go, by the end of today the only medication Melia is on routinely is Ibuprofen three times a day! No morphine, no scheduled Tramadol, no scheduled Tylenol, just Ibuprofen! Melia also received another Echo to check her heart function with the band in place this morning. She handled the Echos beautifully, but taking Bubble Gum flavored Ibuprofen is torture for her...she throws a fit every time.

I ended up leaving for work after Melia had a light lunch (her appetite is not completely back) and Ryan was on hospital duty. He was fortunate enough to be with Melia after she woke from her nap and the NP from surgery came in to pull the pacer wires and chest tube. Melia was NOT a happy camper, but again calmed down within a half hour of them removing the tube. With this out she started walking and then running all over ICU!

Unfortunately, our social worker with Holt arrived just as Melia woke from her nap and the NP came in to remove the chest tube. In the midst of a wonderful day of recovery she was present for the only tearful part of the day. We are excited to show her the happy Melia at our next post placement visit in July.

I arrived back at the hospital by 5 and ate dinner with Melia around 5:30. The rest of the night was spent literally chasing our heart baby all over the second floor of the hospital! When her siblings arrived she greeted each of them with a huge smile and hug. It was precious to see our four kids all loving each other so very much.

Ryan left for home with the big kids and I am staying the night once again. We are planning to discharge tomorrow and get back to usual living. Tonight I told Melia that tomorrow she would get to go home and when I said home she replied by saying, "Hallie, Jake, Zac, Daddy." How heartwarming that "home" has quickly become the place where her family is. Our grandparent reinforcements from Kearney left to go home and get ready to serve at Royal Family Kids Camp starting Sunday. The Omaha grandparents are still on grandchild duty for tomorrow, but hopefully after that they can also relax and settle back into their usual routine. We are so incredibly thankful they willingly and lovingly served us this week by caring for the big kids so we could concentrate on Melia.

So, we are very close to checking surgery #1 off our list. Words can not express how thankful we are that God saw Melia through this, has sustained Melia and all of us and has enveloped us with peace. We are blessed.

Our journey through Melia's first heart surgery in pictures...

Day 1...right after her Pulmonary Artery Banding was completed.