3 days in one post...
We made it through the dreaded goodbye's on Sunday...
Grace did a great job on the 3 hour and 15 minute flight...
Day 1- Our pre-op appointments went great except that Grace didn't love the sweet male nurse that had to take her vitals, EKG, etc, so she got herself so upset that she honked... Aside from that, the rest of the appointment went great. We were grateful that her cardiologist (whom we ADORE) said repeatedly how impressed and perplexed he was by Grace... He couldn't believe how great she looked, from her size (she's in the 50th percentile on the Up's chart for height and weight), how pink she was (or should I say, not as blue as he would expect) for having an average oxygen saturation of 82%, and for how well she appeared to be handling the repairs that they did on her last surgery. These are all praises that are a direct result of answered prayers lifted up by our sweet village!
We got to take in the beauty of Fall in the North East, as we took a walk on a trail just down the street from the hospital...
Today was a much longer day than I expected... We checked into the hospital at 7 am and didn't leave until 7 pm. Grace had an MRI, transesophagial echo, and heart catheter (all while intubated and sedated). Since she underwent an invasive procedure, they had to monitor her for 6 hours after it was completed.
Here is Grace as we wait for her to get drunk enough for the Dr's to take her back without too much separation anxiety (by Gracie or Mommy :-)...
Annnnnndddd... She's wasted...
The results from all of these tests reflected more praiseworthy news. Her left ventricle has grown and is functioning well, the other areas of her heart and lungs look good too. The main source of concern (which was no surprise to us at all) is her silly mitral valve. We are praising The Lord that it appears to have grown and the gradient across the mitral valve was 10 which is better than it has been over the past 7 months in Texas and exactly the same as it was when we left Boston after her last surgery. The question going into surgery is how to address the stenosis of the mitral valve. Are they able to repair it or do they need to replace it? If they need to replace it, which valve do they replace it with (there are pros and cons of both, so it's trying to pick the lesser of two evils)? Will you please pray for wisdom for the Dr's and that God makes His will clear as to what is best long term for our sweet Gracie Doo? Our surgery date was moved to Friday due to our surgeon's schedule. Will you please pray that, Lord willing, our surgery doesn't get postponed any further? One last prayer request I promise... Will you please pray that Grace is healthy and doesn't have any sort of infection brewing because that would further delay surgery? She appears normal, except that the anesthesiologist said that they got a bunch of yellow mucous when they extubated her and since being back in our hotel room she has spit up a couple of times and is coughing some. We feel like the mucous is just all the post nasal drainage she has had lately (maybe allergies) and we are praying that the cough and spitting up is just a result of being intubated today and being a little nauseous from all of the anesthesia. Thank you prayer warriors!!! We are praying that you feel an extra measure of our love and appeciation today and everyday because your prayers, texts, e-mails, and random acts of kindness are so often the fuel that keeps us going during this trying time. (((BIG HUGS))) to each of you!
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