Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Pictures after Shunt Surgery

Mason is back with me – hooray!  The poor guy was in pain when they first brought him back but a dose of morphine helped him relax and now he’ll stick to tylenol for pain management most likely.  He had a nasal cannula giving him a little oxygen until he calmed down, standard procedure after being on a trach tube during surgery.  Now that’s gone because he actually pulled it off his face, which you can see in the picture below.  I can’t say I blame him – he’s got wires, cords, and tubes all over and it’s got to be a bit annoying.  He’ll start losing those over the next 24 hours as he finishes the IV antibiotics and so on.  He already had the IV board removed so his arm isn’t stuck in one position.

I’ve only taken two pictures post-op to share right now.  He’s asleep and I’m letting him get some rest.  This first picture shows all the wires, tubes, and so on.  100_8045 If you look at his belly you’ll see the dressing where he had a small incision made.  When they put the tube from the shunt valve down through his neck, chest, and body they do this little incision to make sure the tube ends up where they want it.  It landed where it was supposed to on the first try.

Here is a picture of the back of his head.  100_8046 Detail is not great, but you can see the dressing over his head incision, which makes him look like he’s got a fairly big lump.  Once the dressing is removed it won’t seem so big.  You can also see that his hair was shaved on that side before surgery. 

11 comments:

  1. Bless his heart, Im praying for him and you. So little to have surgery :( bless him...

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  2. So happy to hear that the surgery went well! Praying for you. :0)

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  3. Precious little boy, have prayed all morning for skilled hands. Glad to see this next step done and now he can again hear your voice and feel your touch.

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  4. So glad the surgery went well...and that you are headed home soon. We'll continue to pray for you and your family!

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  5. My 7-year-old daughter just saw pictures of Mason. Her comments "Wow...he has alot of hair". When shown post of pictures, she said "Oh...why did they have to cut his hair!" Then her last comment was, "He's chunky!" (You can tell her younger brother has gone through numerous surgeries, since all the tubes and wires and bandages didn't even get a reaction!)

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  6. Another step closer to home! Hugs! I know these steps can be difficult ones for all of you! Prayers coming your way.

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  7. Glad to hear that Mason's shunt placement went well. His picture reminded me of when my boys were babies and had shunt surgery. Continued prayers for you and Mason.

    Marie

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  8. He is so precious! We are continuing to pray for him and for you and Brother Rowlee. Cant wait to meet him! Lizzie says he is supercute!!

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  9. Oh! He's looking so good!! Praying for continued progress and goodness your way.

    And from looking at a photo in another post: you are such a pretty mama. :) Glad that you are doing well with your recovery as well.

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  10. I'm so glad to hear the surgery went well. These pictures bring back memories of our third child -- he had his first (of 3) open heart surgeries when he was a newborn. What a roller coaster of emotions those couple of weeks in the hospital were! And then the first couple of weeks at home he was a little grumpy bear too (I think the drugs coming out of his system), but then it just got easier and easier. Our Marten has been truly the easiest child to raise (he's 12 now)... he's been such a wonderful blessing to our lives. You look at that sweet little package and I know you are seeing questions and uncertainty about what the future holds for you. I am looking at these sweet pictures of your little boy, and I see that someday you will be thinking about how much he's added to your life and how much having him has brought you closer to God. The Lord surely does work all things for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28) Children ARE a blessing... ALL children, even when they require a little more from us.... maybe even more of a blessing then.

    And all those tubes and wires and the shaved hair.... none of that can hide his overwhelming cuteness. He really is an adorable little fella :-)

    Christine (ON, Canada)

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  11. Thinking about all of you!

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