Post Op Day 5

Melia and I slept well with only one nurse interruption.  She DOES NOT to take the sugary Ibuprofen or get her blood pressure taken so the brief awakenings take a little time to recover from.

Dr. Hammel (he was on call for the weekend) came in around 7 and instead of saying that we could go home, informed us that Melia's Echo from the previous day showed some progression of mitral valve leakage.  Although the muscle itself was pumping well the leakage was worrisome for left ventricular failure.  So, before going home we needed to get another Echo and post-op Chest X-ray to evaluate her heart one more time.

Once again the peace of God covered me COMPLETELY.  I did not like the news, but had a peace that protected my heart and mind from anxiety in that moment.  So, we spent the morning playing in the PICU and all the nurses commented on how cute and vibrant her looked.  The cardiologist came in after her morning Echo and reassured me that he saw no reason for her to not to go home.  She was acting fine and although she had some mitral valve leakage he sees that often and that in itself is not a huge concern.  He emphasized that Dr. Hammel was very cautious with PA Band patients because he knows that if they decline after surgery it can happen fast.  I am thrilled that he is so cautious, but was also happy to hear the cardiologists thoughts as well.

It emphasized to me the reality of what we are doing with Melia's heart.  We are totally remodeling the muscle and function.  By making the left ventricle work harder then her tricuspid valve leakage could improve, but until the strength of the LV muscle improves it can create more of a leakage with the other valve, the mitral valve.  If the LV works too hard that muscle will get too thick and also become ineffective.  The art of restructuring this life-sustaining muscle is precise and I am thankful we have a surgeon that is knowledgeable, skilled and aware of the delicate changes that need to take place for it to help sustain Melia's life a long, long time.

Anyway, we went downstairs for a Chest X-ray and waited and waited some more.  Ryan came up to the hospital and I left around 11 to go to Hallie's dance recital.  Ryan and Melia ate lunch and waited.  Finally, after a series of calls Dr. Hammel responded that the Echo was the same or slightly improved and given her clinical status she was okay to GO HOME!!

At that point Ryan loaded up our things and took Melia home to take a long, uninterrupted nap in her own bed!    Other than scheduled Ibuprofen our daughter has no other regular medicines to take.  God has been good to us and we are thankful that He chose to answer our prayers this way.

I will continue to post about her post-operative recovery and later write about my PICU Parenting Observations....

Thanks to EVERYONE who is walking alongside us on this journey with our heart baby!