RE: Ethan Durham

[Guest guest]

Little Ethan is precious. You and your family will most definately be in my prayers.

Hey guys,Below is an email I sent to friends and family. We've had a lot going on in the past week.

Please pray for our little baby boy!! He is so perfect and we love him very much....Pray for my milk to come in nice and strong so that our boy will have a feast as soon asthey let him eat some " real food. " I am pumping every 2 1/2 hours during the day and

once in the middle of the night. It's tedious and tiring, but it's something I can do forEthan. My husband is wonderful and is up with me, preparing the pump and washing allthe parts when were done and then labeling the bottles and putting them up for me. I'm

still getting over the C-section and the ileus that I got with it (a blessing in disguise)along with all the fluid buildup in my legs and feet.I'm going to try and remember to check in with Dr.R tomorrow. Sharon, if you read this,

please call me if you haven't heard from me. We are either at the hospital or I'mconnected to the breast pump, it seems!!!Thanks so much!Ethan is at Medical City Dallas. PIctures are up at www.gallery.me.com/aym4him. They

were taken with my phone...we have more, just not the time to upload them from ourcamera!AmyinPlano-------------------------Whew...A LOT has gone in in just a week, but I thought I should take a minute to let you

know exactly what is going on.Ethan has what is called Transposition of the Great Arteries. It is a serious heart defect inwhich his aorta and pulmonary artery are reversed. This is a fatal flaw of the heart if left

untreated. By the grace of God, this was detected on the day we were hoping to bedischarged from Medical Center of Plano. There are a lot of things that came together forthis to work out as it has and, as horrible as the news was to hear, once we realized how

all the pieces fit together, we realized just how truly blessed we are.You see, the pediatrician who initially picked up on this wasn't going to be ourpediatrician. I had tried to interview one the Friday before I was to be induced. On the

way, I got a low pressure indicator on the dash meaning a tire was low or flat. I had nochoice but to go to the gas station and try and figure out what was up. I missed myappointment. I was able to do the interview by phone but it didn't go like I wanted.

Steen had mentioned her pediatrician and I called to see if she was taking new patientsand she was, so we decided to go with her. Tuesday night, when I went to be induced(after a brief stay on Monday b/c Ethan wasn't reacting to my OB's non-stress test like she

wanted), they asked who the pediatrician was we picked. I told her Dr. Minnal. Ok.On to the next thing. The induction was going slowly and Ethan wasn't reacting too well tothe pitocin (what causes your contractions to start) and, despite my water breaking

(woo..what a feeling that was! He flip-flopped in there and I thought he busted mybladder or something!), nothing was really moving on so my doc came in and said theywere going to have to do a C-section. After I got my epidural, we went in and things

started rolling....until I realized the epidural didn't quite take. She pinched me with whatDillon has now told me were gargantuan-sized tweezers and I felt it! Epi number two wasgiven and while they were threading the catheter in (fortunately, the other one had taken

enough where I didn't feel it), I heard them ask Dillon the name of our pediatrician. Hesaid he didn't know and, at the moment, I couldn't remember her name to save my life!! Ijust kept saying, " It starts with an " M. " " She (and our rockin nurse) recommended another

guy who happened to be there that day and Dillon agreed. They said, " You can alwayschange, but we like him. " Ok. Done. Ethan came into the world a bright purple angrymess who tipped the scales at almost 8 lbs! Good thing we had the C-section b/c the doc

said he wouldn't have made it to the light otherwise....The next few days were a blur and I got really sick with what is called an ileus. My bellywas distended and they had JUST taken my IV out as they prepared me to get in shape to

go home on what would have been Saturday. I thought I'd go home Sunday, but they saidMonday or Tuesday. Meanwhile, Ethan had developed a little jaundice, so they weremonitoring that and his respiratory rate. It was sort of erratic. The pediatrician ordered a

chest x ray and said that b/c you can't tell a baby to be still and hold his breath, it didn'ttake well and it made it seem his heart was enlarged. He was going to try to do anotherone the next day or an echocardiogram. That was Sunday when he talked to us. Monday,

he came in and said he thought he heard a murmur during his check up on Ethan thatmorning. He consulted with a cardiologist friend who happened to be in the hospital thatmorning and he concurred and said they should do the ECG. Dillon and I weren't really

alarmed b/c I know lots of folks who have murmurs. Well, an hour or so later (I honestlycan't remember), the doctor called (and, of course, Dillon had just stepped out) and said hewas sorry, but the ECG picked up a serious defect and Ethan would probably need surgery

and be transferred to another hospital. Holy cow...I started bawling and he just keptsaying he was so so so so sorry and that there were great doctors who would be takingcare of him and suggested we try Medical City. I had no idea what to do, and said we

would go that route.They transferred Ethan a couple of hours later after reassuring us he was stable (we got tosee him as the flight team brought him by our room). He took an ambulance ride andsettled into his new " home " with no complications. We are just so thankful that Dr. Myint

(YES, he is now our pediatrician for SURE!) found this in time. The guys on the flight teamsaid that if he hadn't and we took Ethan home, he would have become a very sick little boyas most children wouldn't live more than a few weeks with this condition. We are just

amazed at how things have worked out thus far. If they hadn't taken him early, hadn'tdone the C-section....I don't know what would have happened.We met with the surgeon today. He is the best of the best. I also got to hold Ethan! He's

been hooked up to monitors and IVs and can't eat like he's used to, so he was prettyagitated this afternoon. Most of the time, he's sleeping and looks like an angel. Well, theygot to see what our little boy can do when he's angry!!!! It was KILLING US to hear him cry

and not be able to do anything but stroke his head or try and give him his pacifier (oh..hewanted Momma in a bad way!). Nothing was working. Finally, Dillon couldn't stand it sohe went to see if anyone else wanted to come back and visit while I stayed with Ethan. The

nurse came in and I started tearing up...she picked him up and tried to console him and itstarted working. She said, " Let me do this and then you can stand over here. " I wasthinking, " What does that mean? " Well, she motioned for me to come over and I said,

" What do you want me to do? " " I want you to hold him. " WHAT??? I was so nervous....butso grateful. It's truly not allowed but she was an angel. She wrapped up his wires and IVso there was no chance I'd do anything to harm him and I stood there and cuddled my

son....My sister-in-law came in there and saw this and said, " OH MY GOSH!! I'm going toget DiLLON!!! " He said when she came out and said he needed to go back there b/c I washolding Ethan, it didn't register at first. He was in there in a flash! By that time, the nurse

had found a chair for me and we sat and loved on him. It was so great!! I havepictures....I'm working on uploading them now.His surgery is set for 7:15am on Friday. PLEASE, if you pray, pray that his CORONARY

ARTERIES will adapt to this procedure. They are what supplies blood to the heart and areattached to the aorta. When the doctor switches the two great arteries around, he has tomove the coronary arteries. Well, they branch off pretty quickly and flow into all parts of

the heart, so he only has a little wiggle room. If the section he can cut away isn't longenough on either side to stay connected and pump blood once they start his heart back, hewill die. There is a 7% chance of this, but that's big enough for us. PLEASE PLEASE lift this

concern up fervently. Our little boy is too precious to us and we've come so far...The surgery will be approximately 5 hours long and that's just the surgeon's part. I thinkhe'll be back there for 6 or 7 hours. Please pray for us as we wait. They are supposed to

update us every hour or as things happen (good or bad). Dr. Mendeloff is most respectedin his field and we couldn't be more blessed to live where we live in order for him to bethe one to perform this delicate operation.

Thanks for enduring through this long email. I just wanted to update you and I apologizethis is so long. If you have specific questions about TGA, let me know.OH!! The hole in his heart... real quick...another blessing. He does have a hole in the

septal wall (the wall that separates the right and left ventricles..the two lower chambers inthe heart). This might not sound good but it's saving Ethan's life right now, along with theartery babies use while in utero. If either of those weren't there or Ethan's " utero artery "

(not the official name) had already closed up, he would be in bad shape. Right now, theyare both acting as a bypass so that his lungs are getting blood as well as his body. Thedoctor will repair that hole and then take out the " utero artery " because he won't need it

anymore. He also may have to enlarge his aortic arch as there could be some narrowing.He'll have to put a patch on it as well as the hole in the septal wall. Pray those hold well sothere will be no more surgeries in his future. Also pray the valves of the two main arteries

will be sufficient in size as they will have to stay put and adapt to the switch.So much for such a little guy. He's a week old today!Thanks so much....Amy------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Ethan , you and your entire family are in my thoughts and

prayers...

[Guest guest]

Amy,

Congratulations on the birth of your baby

boy! I love his name.

I’m praying for a very successful

surgery and peace for all involved.

Kim in No Texas

[Guest guest]

I said this prayer while I was reading your email, Amy. God is going to

lift up Ethan Durham, with the # of prayers you have. We don't always

know the purposes of all of these things, and it is hard to immagine that

anything good comes out of these things, but we don't know.

Ethan Durham

> Hey guys,

>

> Below is an email I sent to friends and family. We've had a lot going on

> in the past week.

> Please pray for our little baby boy!! He is so perfect and we love him

> very much....

>

> Pray for my milk to come in nice and strong so that our boy will have a

> feast as soon as

> they let him eat some " real food. " I am pumping every 2 1/2 hours during

> the day and

> once in the middle of the night. It's tedious and tiring, but it's

> something I can do for

> Ethan. My husband is wonderful and is up with me, preparing the pump and

> washing all

> the parts when were done and then labeling the bottles and putting them up

> for me. I'm

> still getting over the C-section and the ileus that I got with it (a

> blessing in disguise)

> along with all the fluid buildup in my legs and feet.

>

> I'm going to try and remember to check in with Dr.R tomorrow. Sharon, if

> you read this,

> please call me if you haven't heard from me. We are either at the

> hospital or I'm

> connected to the breast pump, it seems!!!

>

> Thanks so much!

>

> Ethan is at Medical City Dallas. PIctures are up at

> www.gallery.me.com/aym4him. They

> were taken with my phone...we have more, just not the time to upload them

> from our

> camera!

>

> AmyinPlano

>

> -------------------------

> Whew...A LOT has gone in in just a week, but I thought I should take a

> minute to let you

> know exactly what is going on.

>

> Ethan has what is called Transposition of the Great Arteries. It is a

> serious heart defect in

> which his aorta and pulmonary artery are reversed. This is a fatal flaw

> of the heart if left

> untreated. By the grace of God, this was detected on the day we were

> hoping to be

> discharged from Medical Center of Plano. There are a lot of things that

> came together for

> this to work out as it has and, as horrible as the news was to hear, once

> we realized how

> all the pieces fit together, we realized just how truly blessed we are.

>

> You see, the pediatrician who initially picked up on this wasn't going to

> be our

> pediatrician. I had tried to interview one the Friday before I was to be

> induced. On the

> way, I got a low pressure indicator on the dash meaning a tire was low or

> flat. I had no

> choice but to go to the gas station and try and figure out what was up. I

> missed my

> appointment. I was able to do the interview by phone but it didn't go

> like I wanted.

> Steen had mentioned her pediatrician and I called to see if she was taking

> new patients

> and she was, so we decided to go with her. Tuesday night, when I went to

> be induced

> (after a brief stay on Monday b/c Ethan wasn't reacting to my OB's

> non-stress test like she

> wanted), they asked who the pediatrician was we picked. I told her Dr.

> Minnal. Ok.

>

> On to the next thing. The induction was going slowly and Ethan wasn't

> reacting too well to

> the pitocin (what causes your contractions to start) and, despite my water

> breaking

> (woo..what a feeling that was! He flip-flopped in there and I thought he

> busted my

> bladder or something!), nothing was really moving on so my doc came in and

> said they

> were going to have to do a C-section. After I got my epidural, we went in

> and things

> started rolling....until I realized the epidural didn't quite take. She

> pinched me with what

> Dillon has now told me were gargantuan-sized tweezers and I felt it! Epi

> number two was

> given and while they were threading the catheter in (fortunately, the

> other one had taken

> enough where I didn't feel it), I heard them ask Dillon the name of our

> pediatrician. He

> said he didn't know and, at the moment, I couldn't remember her name to

> save my life!! I

> just kept saying, " It starts with an " M. " " She (and our rockin nurse)

> recommended another

> guy who happened to be there that day and Dillon agreed. They said, " You

> can always

> change, but we like him. " Ok. Done. Ethan came into the world a bright

> purple angry

> mess who tipped the scales at almost 8 lbs! Good thing we had the

> C-section b/c the doc

> said he wouldn't have made it to the light otherwise....

>

> The next few days were a blur and I got really sick with what is called an

> ileus. My belly

> was distended and they had JUST taken my IV out as they prepared me to get

> in shape to

> go home on what would have been Saturday. I thought I'd go home Sunday,

> but they said

> Monday or Tuesday. Meanwhile, Ethan had developed a little jaundice, so

> they were

> monitoring that and his respiratory rate. It was sort of erratic. The

> pediatrician ordered a

> chest x ray and said that b/c you can't tell a baby to be still and hold

> his breath, it didn't

> take well and it made it seem his heart was enlarged. He was going to try

> to do another

> one the next day or an echocardiogram. That was Sunday when he talked to

> us. Monday,

> he came in and said he thought he heard a murmur during his check up on

> Ethan that

> morning. He consulted with a cardiologist friend who happened to be in

> the hospital that

> morning and he concurred and said they should do the ECG. Dillon and I

> weren't really

> alarmed b/c I know lots of folks who have murmurs. Well, an hour or so

> later (I honestly

> can't remember), the doctor called (and, of course, Dillon had just

> stepped out) and said he

> was sorry, but the ECG picked up a serious defect and Ethan would probably

> need surgery

> and be transferred to another hospital. Holy cow...I started bawling and

> he just kept

> saying he was so so so so sorry and that there were great doctors who

> would be taking

> care of him and suggested we try Medical City. I had no idea what to do,

> and said we

> would go that route.

>

> They transferred Ethan a couple of hours later after reassuring us he was

> stable (we got to

> see him as the flight team brought him by our room). He took an ambulance

> ride and

> settled into his new " home " with no complications. We are just so

> thankful that Dr. Myint

> (YES, he is now our pediatrician for SURE!) found this in time. The guys

> on the flight team

> said that if he hadn't and we took Ethan home, he would have become a very

> sick little boy

> as most children wouldn't live more than a few weeks with this condition.

> We are just

> amazed at how things have worked out thus far. If they hadn't taken him

> early, hadn't

> done the C-section....I don't know what would have happened.

>

> We met with the surgeon today. He is the best of the best. I also got to

> hold Ethan! He's

> been hooked up to monitors and IVs and can't eat like he's used to, so he

> was pretty

> agitated this afternoon. Most of the time, he's sleeping and looks like

> an angel. Well, they

> got to see what our little boy can do when he's angry!!!! It was KILLING

> US to hear him cry

> and not be able to do anything but stroke his head or try and give him his

> pacifier (oh..he

> wanted Momma in a bad way!). Nothing was working. Finally, Dillon

> couldn't stand it so

> he went to see if anyone else wanted to come back and visit while I stayed

> with Ethan. The

> nurse came in and I started tearing up...she picked him up and tried to

> console him and it

> started working. She said, " Let me do this and then you can stand over

> here. " I was

> thinking, " What does that mean? " Well, she motioned for me to come over

> and I said,

> " What do you want me to do? " " I want you to hold him. " WHAT??? I was so

> nervous....but

> so grateful. It's truly not allowed but she was an angel. She wrapped up

> his wires and IV

> so there was no chance I'd do anything to harm him and I stood there and

> cuddled my

> son....My sister-in-law came in there and saw this and said, " OH MY GOSH!!

> I'm going to

> get DiLLON!!! " He said when she came out and said he needed to go back

> there b/c I was

> holding Ethan, it didn't register at first. He was in there in a flash!

> By that time, the nurse

> had found a chair for me and we sat and loved on him. It was so great!!

> I have

> pictures....I'm working on uploading them now.

>

> His surgery is set for 7:15am on Friday. PLEASE, if you pray, pray that

> his CORONARY

> ARTERIES will adapt to this procedure. They are what supplies blood to

> the heart and are

> attached to the aorta. When the doctor switches the two great arteries

> around, he has to

> move the coronary arteries. Well, they branch off pretty quickly and flow

> into all parts of

> the heart, so he only has a little wiggle room. If the section he can cut

> away isn't long

> enough on either side to stay connected and pump blood once they start his

> heart back, he

> will die. There is a 7% chance of this, but that's big enough for us.

> PLEASE PLEASE lift this

> concern up fervently. Our little boy is too precious to us and we've come

> so far...

>

> The surgery will be approximately 5 hours long and that's just the

> surgeon's part. I think

> he'll be back there for 6 or 7 hours. Please pray for us as we wait.

> They are supposed to

> update us every hour or as things happen (good or bad). Dr. Mendeloff is

> most respected

> in his field and we couldn't be more blessed to live where we live in

> order for him to be

> the one to perform this delicate operation.

>

> Thanks for enduring through this long email. I just wanted to update you

> and I apologize

> this is so long. If you have specific questions about TGA, let me know.

>

> OH!! The hole in his heart... real quick...another blessing. He does

> have a hole in the

> septal wall (the wall that separates the right and left ventricles..the

> two lower chambers in

> the heart). This might not sound good but it's saving Ethan's life right

> now, along with the

> artery babies use while in utero. If either of those weren't there or

> Ethan's " utero artery "

> (not the official name) had already closed up, he would be in bad shape.

> Right now, they

> are both acting as a bypass so that his lungs are getting blood as well as

> his body. The

> doctor will repair that hole and then take out the " utero artery " because

> he won't need it

> anymore. He also may have to enlarge his aortic arch as there could be

> some narrowing.

> He'll have to put a patch on it as well as the hole in the septal wall.

> Pray those hold well so

> there will be no more surgeries in his future. Also pray the valves of

> the two main arteries

> will be sufficient in size as they will have to stay put and adapt to the

> switch.

>

> So much for such a little guy. He's a week old today!

>

> Thanks so much....

>

> Amy

[Guest guest]

Amy,

Congrats on your new baby boy! I love his name. I am praying for a good surgery, results, and healing for little Ethan, and piece of mind for you and Daddy.

-

> To: Texas_Thyroid_Groups > Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:26:07 +0000> Subject: Ethan Durham> > Hey guys,> > Below is an email I sent to friends and family. We've had a lot going on in the past week. > Please pray for our little baby boy!! He is so perfect and we love him very much....> > Pray for my milk to come in nice and strong so that our boy will have a feast as soon as > they let him eat some "real food." I am pumping every 2 1/2 hours during the day and > once in the middle of the night. It's tedious and tiring, but it's something I can do for > Ethan. My husband is wonderful and is up with me, preparing the pump and washing all > the parts when were done and then labeling the bottles and putting them up for me. I'm > still getting over the C-section and the ileus that I got with it (a blessing in disguise) > along with all the fluid buildup in my legs and feet.> > I'm going to try and remember to check in with Dr.R tomorrow. Sharon, if you read this, > please call me if you haven't heard from me. We are either at the hospital or I'm > connected to the breast pump, it seems!!! > > Thanks so much!> > Ethan is at Medical City Dallas. PIctures are up at www.gallery.me.com/aym4him. They > were taken with my phone...we have more, just not the time to upload them from our > camera!> > AmyinPlano> > -------------------------> Whew...A LOT has gone in in just a week, but I thought I should take a minute to let you > know exactly what is going on.> > Ethan has what is called Transposition of the Great Arteries. It is a serious heart defect in > which his aorta and pulmonary artery are reversed. This is a fatal flaw of the heart if left > untreated. By the grace of God, this was detected on the day we were hoping to be > discharged from Medical Center of Plano. There are a lot of things that came together for > this to work out as it has and, as horrible as the news was to hear, once we realized how > all the pieces fit together, we realized just how truly blessed we are.> > You see, the pediatrician who initially picked up on this wasn't going to be our > pediatrician. I had tried to interview one the Friday before I was to be induced. On the > way, I got a low pressure indicator on the dash meaning a tire was low or flat. I had no > choice but to go to the gas station and try and figure out what was up. I missed my > appointment. I was able to do the interview by phone but it didn't go like I wanted. > Steen had mentioned her pediatrician and I called to see if she was taking new patients > and she was, so we decided to go with her. Tuesday night, when I went to be induced > (after a brief stay on Monday b/c Ethan wasn't reacting to my OB's non-stress test like she > wanted), they asked who the pediatrician was we picked. I told her Dr. Minnal. Ok.> > On to the next thing. The induction was going slowly and Ethan wasn't reacting too well to > the pitocin (what causes your contractions to start) and, despite my water breaking > (woo..what a feeling that was! He flip-flopped in there and I thought he busted my > bladder or something!), nothing was really moving on so my doc came in and said they > were going to have to do a C-section. After I got my epidural, we went in and things > started rolling....until I realized the epidural didn't quite take. She pinched me with what > Dillon has now told me were gargantuan-sized tweezers and I felt it! Epi number two was > given and while they were threading the catheter in (fortunately, the other one had taken > enough where I didn't feel it), I heard them ask Dillon the name of our pediatrician. He > said he didn't know and, at the moment, I couldn't remember her name to save my life!! I > just kept saying, "It starts with an "M."" She (and our rockin nurse) recommended another > guy who happened to be there that day and Dillon agreed. They said, "You can always > change, but we like him." Ok. Done. Ethan came into the world a bright purple angry > mess who tipped the scales at almost 8 lbs! Good thing we had the C-section b/c the doc > said he wouldn't have made it to the light otherwise....> > The next few days were a blur and I got really sick with what is called an ileus. My belly > was distended and they had JUST taken my IV out as they prepared me to get in shape to > go home on what would have been Saturday. I thought I'd go home Sunday, but they said > Monday or Tuesday. Meanwhile, Ethan had developed a little jaundice, so they were > monitoring that and his respiratory rate. It was sort of erratic. The pediatrician ordered a > chest x ray and said that b/c you can't tell a baby to be still and hold his breath, it didn't > take well and it made it seem his heart was enlarged. He was going to try to do another > one the next day or an echocardiogram. That was Sunday when he talked to us. Monday, > he came in and said he thought he heard a murmur during his check up on Ethan that > morning. He consulted with a cardiologist friend who happened to be in the hospital that > morning and he concurred and said they should do the ECG. Dillon and I weren't really > alarmed b/c I know lots of folks who have murmurs. Well, an hour or so later (I honestly > can't remember), the doctor called (and, of course, Dillon had just stepped out) and said he > was sorry, but the ECG picked up a serious defect and Ethan would probably need surgery > and be transferred to another hospital. Holy cow...I started bawling and he just kept > saying he was so so so so sorry and that there were great doctors who would be taking > care of him and suggested we try Medical City. I had no idea what to do, and said we > would go that route.> > They transferred Ethan a couple of hours later after reassuring us he was stable (we got to > see him as the flight team brought him by our room). He took an ambulance ride and > settled into his new "home" with no complications. We are just so thankful that Dr. Myint > (YES, he is now our pediatrician for SURE!) found this in time. The guys on the flight team > said that if he hadn't and we took Ethan home, he would have become a very sick little boy > as most children wouldn't live more than a few weeks with this condition. We are just > amazed at how things have worked out thus far. If they hadn't taken him early, hadn't > done the C-section....I don't know what would have happened.> > We met with the surgeon today. He is the best of the best. I also got to hold Ethan! He's > been hooked up to monitors and IVs and can't eat like he's used to, so he was pretty > agitated this afternoon. Most of the time, he's sleeping and looks like an angel. Well, they > got to see what our little boy can do when he's angry!!!! It was KILLING US to hear him cry > and not be able to do anything but stroke his head or try and give him his pacifier (oh..he > wanted Momma in a bad way!). Nothing was working. Finally, Dillon couldn't stand it so > he went to see if anyone else wanted to come back and visit while I stayed with Ethan. The > nurse came in and I started tearing up...she picked him up and tried to console him and it > started working. She said, "Let me do this and then you can stand over here." I was > thinking, "What does that mean?" Well, she motioned for me to come over and I said, > "What do you want me to do?" "I want you to hold him." WHAT??? I was so nervous....but > so grateful. It's truly not allowed but she was an angel. She wrapped up his wires and IV > so there was no chance I'd do anything to harm him and I stood there and cuddled my > son....My sister-in-law came in there and saw this and said, "OH MY GOSH!! I'm going to > get DiLLON!!!" He said when she came out and said he needed to go back there b/c I was > holding Ethan, it didn't register at first. He was in there in a flash! By that time, the nurse > had found a chair for me and we sat and loved on him. It was so great!! I have > pictures....I'm working on uploading them now.> > His surgery is set for 7:15am on Friday. PLEASE, if you pray, pray that his CORONARY > ARTERIES will adapt to this procedure. They are what supplies blood to the heart and are > attached to the aorta. When the doctor switches the two great arteries around, he has to > move the coronary arteries. Well, they branch off pretty quickly and flow into all parts of > the heart, so he only has a little wiggle room. If the section he can cut away isn't long > enough on either side to stay connected and pump blood once they start his heart back, he > will die. There is a 7% chance of this, but that's big enough for us. PLEASE PLEASE lift this > concern up fervently. Our little boy is too precious to us and we've come so far...> > The surgery will be approximately 5 hours long and that's just the surgeon's part. I think > he'll be back there for 6 or 7 hours. Please pray for us as we wait. They are supposed to > update us every hour or as things happen (good or bad). Dr. Mendeloff is most respected > in his field and we couldn't be more blessed to live where we live in order for him to be > the one to perform this delicate operation.> > Thanks for enduring through this long email. I just wanted to update you and I apologize > this is so long. If you have specific questions about TGA, let me know.> > OH!! The hole in his heart... real quick...another blessing. He does have a hole in the > septal wall (the wall that separates the right and left ventricles..the two lower chambers in > the heart). This might not sound good but it's saving Ethan's life right now, along with the > artery babies use while in utero. If either of those weren't there or Ethan's "utero artery" > (not the official name) had already closed up, he would be in bad shape. Right now, they > are both acting as a bypass so that his lungs are getting blood as well as his body. The > doctor will repair that hole and then take out the "utero artery" because he won't need it > anymore. He also may have to enlarge his aortic arch as there could be some narrowing. > He'll have to put a patch on it as well as the hole in the septal wall. Pray those hold well so > there will be no more surgeries in his future. Also pray the valves of the two main arteries > will be sufficient in size as they will have to stay put and adapt to the switch. > > So much for such a little guy. He's a week old today!> > Thanks so much....> > Amy> > > > ------------------------------------> >