Jake's Recovery

Over the past week BJ and Tammy have very faithfully updated their care page to keep us in the know about what is happening with baby Jake. He has steadily been improving overall, the CICU has been removing tubes, IV's, lowering meds, lowering oxygen intake and he responding well. Tammy got to hold him yesterday for the first time since the surgery. Here is the latest update that BJ shared last night:

Today brought us yet another blessing from God, and ever closer to the much sought after Step-Down Unit.

As what has become usual, Jake is doing very well today. He started out his day with a nice dose of morphine in preparation for having the IV lines to his heart removed. At approximately 10:30am the nurse removed the lines with little to no fanfare or bleeding. As a precaution Jake was given some meds, and could not do anything for about three hours. This was to make sure that the clot that formed where the "heart" lines had been did not dislodge and create bleeding or problems.

After the lines had been removed and he had waited the three hours he seemed to do very well, and then it was time for a bottle. The nurse tried to bottle feed Jake this afternoon with limited success. He did very well with sucking on the bottle, but sucking, swallowing and breathing all at the same time was a lot of work for him. Therefore, he just did not eat a great deal. (I then asked to make sure that this was my child...just kidding) Everyone feels that eating will not be an issue, but it might just take a bit to get his appetite back into shape since he has not eaten in quite some time. In the mean time they will continue to feed him through the feeding tube, and work on bottle feeding throughout the day.

After the bottle came the big moment that we have all been waiting for...Tammy got to pick Jake up out of bed and hold him for a long time. The look on her face was more than anyone could imagine. I wish I could share her glow with you, but pictures could never convey the joy that we felt. My turn is coming here in the next half-hour, and I am very much looking forward to holding my new son.

The only issue of the day came from this morning's x-ray. When we spoke to the nurse this morning she informed us that the shaded area on the right side of Jake's lungs probably wasn't as much to do with his lungs anymore, and that it might be something to do with his diaphram. Immediately we asked what it could be and what the possible outcomes would mean. She proceeded to tell us that the worst case scenario would mean another surgery and recovery, but it would be much shorter than what we had already been through. (Insert Gaspppp Here! And a major heart-drop in the chest!) She then explained that the doctor would be able to explain things better, and she would go get him for us. When the doctor came in he explained that it appeared Jake's diaphram may be acting a bit out of sequence from one side to the other. Furthermore,he went on to explain what that meant and what could cause this to happen and so on. The important part is that he felt that this wasn't an issue to worry about. He explained that if it was something long-term, then Jake would not have made the progress that he has been making in the past few days. Therefore, he thinks that it is probably something that has been caused by the heart surgery, and it will correct itself shortly - and on it's own. This will all be identified by an ultra-sound that was done at 6:00pm this evening. We will hopefully get to talk to the doctor about the results tonight(as I am holding him!).

Therefore, today was great! Jake is doing very well considering that he had massive heart surgery a week and a half ago. We will find out if there is any issue with his diaphram, but no one is really concerned. We will both get to hold him by the end of the day. Finally, we will try to get to the bottom of why a Laterveer man is having any trouble with his appetite or with eating.

I know Tammy says it all the time, and I would like to echo what she says - we love you all, and appreciate your prayers more than you know.