Heart Surgery in ATL

One month ago yesterday my 4yo daughter had heart surgery to correct an ASD
and a very small VSD (at Duke since we're in NC). She was only in the
hospital for TWO DAYS -- one night in the picu and one night in pediatrics.
The VSD was small enough that the surgeon just put a little stitch in it to
hold it closed but the ASD required a small patch using a piece of the
pericardium rather than the synthetic material (like goretex) that is
sometimes used. She was up and walking around the day she was discharged.
She was still in a lot of pain but it was well controlled with medication
(warning: the narcotics can cause terrible constipation).

Be sure to ask a lot of questions about what all he will be hooked up to in
the picu when you first get to see him. I know a lot of parents are quite
upset seeing all the tubes and wires but being prepared helps a lot. There
can sometimes be a lot of swelling too from the fluids in the IV.

FWIW, the two weeks leading up to the surgery were the hardest part. Once
it started, I was amazed how quickly she moved from one step to another as
she was taken off this and that monitor, etc. If you have any questions,
feel free to email me directly.

Leigh in raLeigh



"NoSpam" wrote in message
news:LwXYa.7496$qf.6787@lakeread06...
My 9 mnth old son is having open heart surgery at Egleston Children's
Hospital in Atlanta. He has a hole in his heart (ASD) that must be
patched.
We were wondering if anyone else has had experiences with Egleston or ASD
repair some where else and would like to share experiences. Any pointers,
things we should be aware of, etc...

"Wendy Marsden" wrote in message
...

(snip)

1.) Never leave your child's side.

(snip)

5.) You are still in charge of your kid in a holistic sense. Change her
diapers, make sure she's fed, monitor her overall well-being.

(snip)

6.) Did I say to stay with your kid? I mean overnight, too.

(snip)

One last point - stay with your kid!

(snip)

I agree! When one of my girls was admitted to the hospital for suspected
RSV (the respiratory virus) I not only stayed with her the entire time, but
I brought her twin in also. (DH could have taken care of the healthy kid at
home but I was doing everything at that point and was concerned he wouldn't
do things correctly.) They were about 5 months old. They allowed this for
some reason. I changed their diapers, fed them, and monitored the
situation. The main reason was I thought it would be very easy for someone
to waltz onto the floor and take a baby who was alone in a room. I know I
was certainly able to waltz in and out of there unquestioned. I didn't want
my baby alone at any point and I couldn't understand how other small
children were left alone. To this day I don't understand it.

--
sharon, momma to savannah and willow (11/11/94)