Unexpected Surgery this Tuesday!

We had a solid month of “normal” life. Asher and Brennan were both doing very well and staying healthy and we were able to get some much need refreshment.

Unfortunately the last week of March we all caught a cold. Asher started breathing heavy and rather LOUD. It seemed that Darth Vader had made another appearance.

Last week at Asher’s 6-month well check up, we were referred to a Pulmonologist to check on his Asthmatic-like symptoms. It was clear that the inhalers and nebulizer treatments that we’ve been giving him since February weren’t fixing the problem.

The Pulmonologist took a look and promptly scheduled a bronchoscopy at UNC this past Friday morning. Basically, they put a camera down his windpipe (trachea) to get a look inside his lungs.

They certainly found the clue to all the mystery: Asher has a small tube (or “bridge”) that links his windpipe and his throat. It’s called Tracheoesophageal Fistula and it creates a perfect environment for “breeding” viruses down in there, causing all the junk and congestion.

Therefore, Asher is scheduled back in the operating room Tuesday morning to correct the problem. At that point they will go in and find the exact location of the tube and close it from both ends. However, the camera they used before does not show them how far up the trachea this connection really is. It could be high enough to bother his vocal chords, and therefore the surgery would involve a specialized Ear, Nose, & Throat Doctor. Or, it could be low enough that the Pediatric Surgeon can fix it “per normal.”

If it’s the 2^nd option, then the procedure will be 2 hours or so, and the recovery just 1 or 2 nights in the hospital.

If it’s the 1^st option (involving the vocal chords), then it could be an 8-hour procedure with 1½ - 2 week recovery.

The trick is that we have to show up at UNC Hospital at 6am on Tuesday morning prepared for either option, because they just don’t know what route they are going to go until they get in there and see it.

We couldn’t imagine a more difficult 2-week stretch for this procedure to take place since it is the absolute busiest time at work for Marty. But we know that God has His perfect plan and perfect timing. He made Asher in His image, and now we trust Him to again do His healing work as He did with Asher’s heart.

Please pray for:

-Us to have strength and trust in the Lord.
-Asher’s condition to be the less serious one and for the surgery to go smoothly.
-The Doctors to have skill and precision during the surgery.
-Every Doctor and Nurse treating Asher to tune in to his needs and be focused on how to take great care of him.
-Us to have wisdom in asking good questions & really encouraging the doctors to thoroughly check Asher for other associations relating to his birth defects (we already know of his heart condition, missing finger, and now this issue with his trachea…but there might be others).
-Wisdom for Marty to delegate his major work responsibilities for the next 2 weeks.
-Brennan to enjoy his time with friends and family as they take care of him.