A Visit with the Great Grandparents

Davis' great-grandparents (Michael's grandparents) came to visit today. It was wonderful to see them and Davis did a great job staying stable for their visit. We're glad they came to see him today, because the nurses have told us that the next few days might be a little bumpy as Davis recovers from his surgery, which is scheduled for tomorrow around noon. 

We know that Davis has to have the repair, and that it's the beginning of his road to truly healing and eventually coming home. Still, it's scary. He holds my finger with his tiny little hand, and I realize how small he is and I'm afraid for him to have such a major procedure. He's been strong so far and we just pray that he'll do as well as he has so far. 

Some people have asked what the surgery involves. They'll make an incision below his ribs on the left side (where his diaphragm is herniated), and then move his intestines and stomach from his chest to his abdomen. Then, they'll repair the hole in his diaphragm. Depending on the size of the hole, they'll repair it either a) by stitching the diaphragm back together b) by using a muscle from elsewhere to patch it up c) by using a patch, like gortex or pig intestine. We're hoping the hole is small and won't need a patch, as that increases the risk of reherniation later and would be more prone to infection. 

When Davis gets out of surgery, we may be back to square one in terms of his stability. He may need to go back on the jet ventilator, go back up on his blood pressure meds, etc... we'll see, there's no way to tell until tomorrow. We love his team and feel strongly that they'll take the best care of him possible.