Update

Just got our second update. The OR nurse said they haven't started the procedure yet. Apparently they're having a difficult time getting into her chest through the scar tissue. 

Update

We just received the first update that they have started the procedure. She's been back 2 hours. When I spoke with Doctor Kanter before surgery, he mentioned just placing the pacing leads and not the actual transmitting box. The nurse practitioner just informed me that he has seen her in the 2 to 1 block on the table and has made the call to place the entire unit. 

Arrived

We made it!  6 am arrival and Caroline is watching a movie on the iPad.  I'm trying to keep my crap together because she totally caught me with tears in my eyes this morning and asked me why...ugh. 

Postponed

We found out we're being bumped to Tuesday on the surgical schedule.  

Pre-op was interesting with a very overtired preschooler. Everyone's least favorite part was the blood draw. Spending 8 hours at the hospital with 3 kids just sounds like something out of a horror story. My sister Cindy helped with Nolan and Everly while I tended to business. Just one step closer...

You can't make me

As the surgery date draws near for Carolines Fontan, I have chosen to hide under a big ol' Mama sized rock and deny everything. I'm in denial. If I ignore it HARD enough, maybe it'll go away. I closet prepare for her hospital stay...When no one is looking and very late at night. I feel like if I live constantly in the shadow of this upcoming surgery, I'm denying her the last few days of normal before hospital beds and medical jargon completely take over. We enjoyed a visit to the Cabbage Patch as a rainy day expedition this week. It was a welcome distraction. 

Come dance and twirl with the birthday girl!

Caroline had a fabulous time celebrating her 4th birthday with friends and family.  Icing Smiles provided her cake again this year and Room for Dessert in Monterey did a great job being our sugar angel!  

Also, my big girl got her ears pierced!  I let her pick out earrings (she chose blue opals) and she did such a good job at the piercing studio! She made everyone smile and convinced me she's the bravest person I know. 

Cath Lab Drama

Caroline had a pre-Fontan heart catheterization the first week of December that I was NOT prepared for.  Instead of having an outpatient procedure to measure her pressures, coil off any collateral veins, do any stinting...I got a call from a nurse in the cath lab about 15 minutes after I left her there. (As a side note, leaving a child on the table for ANY procedure is difficult.  Even after a healthy dose of Versed, she fought the mask on the cath table. Then, as her body was taken under by the anesthesia, she shook violently like she was having a seizure. I was prepared for this. It wasn't easy, but I had a very good idea of what to expect.)  My phone rang just as I sat down in the courtyard with a Coke.  The nurse asked, "Has Caroline ever had any issues with heart block?"   Ummmmm. What?! That just SOUNDS bad.  And the answer is NO!  Of course, I start researching on Google as soon as she hangs up.  I head back down to the overcrowded waiting room and wait in a rude impatient way, pacing in front of the receptionist, face glued to my phone.  They finally call me and request a meet up to discuss 'details' of the procedure. Apparently, as soon as she was under anesthetics her heart rate began to tank (low 30's, high 40's), and she went into a 2 to 1 heart block.  They brought her directly into the VERY full CICU at LPCH for observation. Our goals were to watch and see if her blocks were causing blood pressure anomalies or pushing her oxygen saturation to unsafe levels.  Despite the almost 36 hours we spent there being observed, her body never responded negatively in heart block. The doctors still recommended placing a pacemaker when we do the 3rd stage palliation (Fontan).  I don't agree.  We are seeking the opinions of other institutions.