Dearest Friends and Family,
As many of you know in early October Conner was diagnosed as having a "Type B Interrupted Aortic Arch". This is an uncommon occurrence where the aorta stops and starts again causing an 'interruption' in the aorta thus cutting off blood flow to the organs and muscles below the heart. This threatening condition is typically found in newborns and is corrected immediately with open heart surgery. What makes Conner's case even more rare is that he is 6 years old (turning 7 in just 13 days...most likely while he's still in the hospital) and it was just discovered! What the doctors have found is that while he was still in the womb his body made the necessary corrections to compensate for the loss of blood in his lower extremities and organs by creating collateral vessels. While these collateral vessels have been working very hard to keep Conner healthy and going for the past 6 years and possibly many more years to come, there are some very significant risks that are associated with having collateral vessels supply an artery with blood. Some of them include: aneurysms, strokes, clotting, high blood pressure in the brain, very low blood pressure in the legs, lack of muscle development. After weeks of consulting doctors and surgeons, praying and focusing on what would be in Conner's best interest, it was decided that surgery to correct the interruption is the right path to take.
Fast forward to today, Tuesday, January 4th. Today was Conner's pre-op day at Children's Hospital in Boston. He was a trooper today! We got to the hospital at 7:45 and after hours of x-rays, blood tests, exams, and what seemed to be endless meetings with doctors and surgeons we finally started our drive home around 4:00. One notable event today was a blood test that he needed. Conner is not one to be poked with needles--usually its an all out fight if you even mention the word needle or poke. Today, Conner sat on my lap, looked the other way and began to tell the nurse about how he got to be an assistant coach for the Wellesley High School Varsity Basketball team the night before. When he looked at what was going on, the blood draw was done. He hardly flinched!! Lindsay and I are so proud of him. Conner was also very excited to get a tour of the Cardiac ICU and Cardiac Floor where we'll be living for the next two weeks. He got to see other kids, what a room is like, the play room, and most importantly the two kitchens with ice cream and other treats!
The surgery is Wednesday morning. We'll arrive at the hospital at 7:00 am and the operation should begin by 10:00. We have been told to expect that the surgery will take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to complete. Following the surgery Conner will be in the Cardiac ICU until he has recovered enough to be placed on the Cardiac Floor--they said this can take between 3 to 4 days. As for a timeline on getting home, that is purely up to Conner and how quickly he recovers and how the doctors feel that his is progressing. However we've been told to expect up to 2 weeks.
We will keep you all up dated as much as we possibly can. Lindsay and I want you all to know that we truly appreciate all of the love and support that we have felt from everyone. The emails and phone calls offering anything from play dates for Cayden and Allie, cleaning our house and shoveling snow, to meals, a shoulder to cry on and endless votes of confidence have made this very trying time in our life much much easier to handle.
With Love and Appreciation,
Keir & Lindsay Jones
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