The pediatric surgeon stopped by, a man I know all too well. He was the same surgeon who worked miracles on both Eli's NEC surgery and reanastomosis. So, at least I am comforted by a man who is very familiar w/ little Eli's bowels.
The surgeon explained the obstruction as basically your bowels are a set of tubing, and for Eli a very short set of tubing. Eli has a lot of scar tissue and strictures that create "cobwebs" in his bowels. So, it's not uncommon for kids who have had multiple trauma to their bowel for it to get tangled in the "web" and become obstructed. It was upsetting to know this could easily happen again and there isn't anything we can do to prevent it. The surgeon did say that after ~2 yrs the likelihood of further obstructions decreases. Still, I hate the thought of Eli having more ongoing complications, but I guess this is the deck he was dealt when he had his NEC surgery.
So, back to our plan for his current obstruction. We are waiting for 3 possible scenarios:
1) The NG relieves pressure in Eli's bowels and they unravel themselves
2) Eli goes to surgery and they are able to just untwist the intestines
3) Eli goes to surgery and they remove the portion of bowel that become obstructed
The surgeon said the likelihood of Eli not needing surgery is definitely not as good as a kid w/o any prior bowel surgeries. He is giving him until tomorrow morning before he re-evaluates him for surgery. Eli will have repeat x-rays in the morning and if they show little progress or his condition worsening he will go to surgery. We won't know the extent of the surgery until after they are done.
The one good thing, if having your baby in the hospital w/ a high possibility surgery tomorrow could have a good thing, is the recovery time after surgery is nothing like when Eli was in the NICU. The first surgery scenario (no bowel removed) recovery time was est 2-4 days and the second 5-7 days.
With Eli's short gut, he really can't loose any more bowel length. Please pray Eli's little body can heal itself and he will not need further surgery. I'll update when I know more in the morning. We still have no poop and a very cranky little Eli.
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2 comments:
It's Pamfaith from IVillage - prayers and positive thoughts for you guys all night and as long as you need them. I can feel your pain through the screen - keep typing when you can and know we are all thinking about you.
Pam
Hi I am visiting from P2P. I am so glad to read that little Eli is making strides in the right direction. My daughter has also spent much of her life in the hospital (we are there now!), and while I have met several short-bowel kids, so I understand somewhat the road you and your son are on. I am so glad you joined P2P and want you to know I am praying for your family.
Jessica (P2P name jhilliard- my daughter is Eithene) :)
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