Born May 25th, 2008
2:59 pm
6 pounds 13 ounces
Length 19 3/4 inches

Lilypie Third Birthday tickers

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Thursday, June 19th - Surgery is Done!!!

It is 11:30 am. Kathy and I are waiting in our PCU room, with our families, when there is a knock at the door.

It is Dr. S and Dr. M. The surgery is done and it went as well as can be expected. Luckily, Kinley's diaphragmatic hernia was small enough that Dr. S did not have to use a patch. This means that Dr. S was able to close the hole by suturing tissue to tissue. Dr. S had to make a separate incision, other than the main incision for the repair surgery, in order to push Kinley's spleen out the way. He informs us that Kinley has a good amount of left lung which we are overjoyed to hear, but size does not always correlate to function. We will have to wait and see how her left lung functions. A chest tube was put in to help drain any excess blood that may be pooling in her chest cavity. Since Kinley's body has always grown with some of her bowels in her chest, her abdomen was not quite large enough to contain everything once the bowels were moved down. To get around this situation Dr. S left the inner most layer of muscle open and closed the remainder of Kinley's incision above it. This means that Kinley will have a hernia in her abdomen wall and this will allow room for everything to fit. This abdominal hernia will need to be fixed later, but not for a few months or even a year. Dr. M informs us that Kinley's BP and oxygen saturation were great through the entire operation. She also lets us know that they plan to keep Kinley completely paralyzed for the next 24 hours. This is mainly to minimize her bleeding while she is still on ECMO and receiving heparin.

The nurses are getting Kinley presentable and we will soon be able to see our baby girl again.

13 comments:

Dear6993 said...

Praise God! I am happy to hear that surgery is complete, and that everything went as planned. Kinley, rest quietly and heal quickly! Kathy & Kevin, keep your positive attitudes and your strength in your faith! Your little girl has gotten over a big hurdle! And we are celebrating this step with you! You are in our prayers! We love you!

Aunt Karen

Unknown said...

Way to go Kinley! Great news! So happy for you all!

The Baldwin Family said...

Congratulations Kinley and Family! We are so relieved to hear that step was successful!

Jody said...

What a blessing! Such an appreciation for the doctors and nurses that take care of Kinley. Way to go Team Melcher!

Jen said...

I'm so glad the surgery is done and went so well! That's really great news that Kinley didn't need a patch. I'm so happy for you guys that everything went so well and the surgery is behind you so Kinley can start her recovery now. Go Kinley!!

The Millers

Meg said...

Yeah! Congrats Kinley and Family! What an acomplishment. These CDH babies are so amazing, I tell ya!

Amber said...

I am so happy to hear that Kinley's surgery went well. Kinley is such a strong little girl. Keep up the good work Kinley!

Amber

Amy AKA "Baba" said...

This is just wonderful. She is so amazing. I know the emotions of the next few days and you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Brian and Cassi Reed said...

I am so glad that everything played out the way is was suposed to today. Sounds like Kinley did great, what a fighter! It was so nice to visit with you yesterday and hope we get to again soon. Now you will all be able to start on the road of recovery! Congrats! You continue to be in our prayers.

The Reeds

Cindy said...

Yay! I'm glad the surgery went well and that they didn't have to use a patch. We'll keep praying that she heals up well and that those lungs start functioning!

Barb said...

What a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL report!
Blessings to the doctors and nurses for their quality skills! What an upper! Hey, Miss Kinley,
GIRL POWER!!! Big hugs to all!

Barbara said...

Way to go Kinley! We will keep your family in our prayers. Congratulations!

Barbara

Teda858 said...

Awesome job Kinley! We knew you could handle surgery with a breeze! Hope you have a fast recovery and are able to come shop at Walgreens in no time!

Teda