T/E Surgery Update–Day 1

It’s been a long day for all of us, but there is great news! The surgery went well and Asher is stable and sleeping.

We started our day dark and early at 5:45 am. Asher woke up about 1 min before the alarm and greeted us with some super sweet smiles. What a great way to start a difficult day. He giggled and played in his car seat all the way to the hospital. As we talked with the doctors and nurses to prepare for the operation he continued the smiles and giggles... and of course since we’re at the hospital his breathing cleared up completely. One of the doctors even asked how we knew he was sick since he was doing so well.

Eventually they took Asher back to get him to sleep and prepare him for another bronchoscopy. There were a few surprises today. They went in expecting to find a tube between his trachea and esophagus, but did not find a tube. A small portion of his trachea and esophagus were actually fused together sharing the same tissue as a wall. So the simple surgery that should have only taken about 2 hours became a rather intricate procedure lasting about 5 hours. Every stitch was meticulously calculated to be as precise as possible. Thanks so much to Dr. Adamson for his acute attention to detail.

Both the trachea and esophagus were closed successfully! Asher was out of the OR and in recovery by 2 pm. Since then he has been stable, but a bit fussy. He awoke with a big appetite and he let us know about it right away. Once we got moved to a regular room he was able to get some breast milk thru a feeding tube that goes thru his nose down to his stomach. He gets nothing by mouth until Friday because his little throat is so sore & swollen. That means we have booked our stay here through the weekend.

Asher continues to be strong and also a little feisty. We’re so thankful that he is doing well and we’re hopeful that he will have a smooth road ahead. Please keep praying for him.

So here he is after getting settled in his new room. Gotta love the arm braces that keep him from pulling out all the tubes and wires.

As part of surgery Asher also acquired some “Tribal Tattoos” or “Tiger Stripes” as Daddy calls them. Just one of the steps as he prepares for manhood.

Please pray for:

-Asher to be strong on this road back to health.

-The doctors and nurses to find a good level for his pain medication.

-Asher to get good rest so that his body can heal quickly.

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