Surgery

Madelyn had surgery on September 1st. She was four days old. This is a common day for CDH babies to have their diaphram repaired. Dr. Wiseman did the surgery in 1 hour and 20 minutes. It was amazing. I was originally told that sugery could take up to six hours. The surgical team moved into NICU. All the visitors for the other patients were told to leave and I stood by the window watching them work. Dr. Wiseman came out to tell us that she was a very stong girl and her lungs didn't look to beat up. The Jet ventilator worked wonders for the transfer. He was even surprised to see that there was quite a bit of left lung tissue. Now we had to see if the lungs would expand for her to breath on her own. Madelyn had her stomach, all her transverse intestine and slpeen in her chest cavity, but no liver! The MRI had been correct.

Now was the time for more waiting. CDH babies have a honeymoon period of 24 hours after surgery where they do very well and the next week is usually very rocky. We prepared ourselves for the worst.