Growing Day by Day

We're now at Day 5 post-op and Killian continues to make steady strides of improvement and growth. As I mentioned in the previous post, the surgery on Thursday went well and he has been recovering since. He had be put under general anesthesia and they administered a paralyzing drug so that he wouldn't cough or move at all while they were operating close to his heart. That made it necessary for him to be intubated with a ventilator, and they had to give him all his nutrition through the IV. He had already gotten to know the feeling of having food in his stomach, so for the final 24 hours before the operation when he had an empty stomach he was not a happy camper! He was fussy and when Nina held him for the last time before the operation he was sucking on anything he could get near his mouth in search of food. It was heartbreaking to see him so hungry and we couldn't give him food, but he made it through all that and is on the mend now.

On Sunday, after the latest round of blood tests came back positive, the doctors decided to let him off the ventilator early as he was breathing so well. They pulled the tubes out of his throat and put the CPAP on instead (a mask over his nose). Killian was happy to have the ventilator out, but he wasn't satisfied with just that so he immediately began pulling and tugging on the CPAP. He's determined to get out of that place quick!

Right after the operation they had to give him another IV line for a third blood transfusion. He already has one in his leg and another in his hand, and they had attempted to give him one in his other hand and leg already. That meant the best option left was to apply it in his head just above his right temple. Of the many tubes and wires I've seen hooked up to my son, this was the toughest to see. Killian handled it very well and did not seem to mind, but it bothered me and Nina a lot to see that line going into his head. He received the blood on Friday and, following protocol, they kept the IV line in until it wouldn't flush anymore. Luckily for us, it closed up over the weekend and they removed it shortly afterward.

He has been breathing well; his CPAP is giving him 25% oxygen (room air is 21%) and providing a little pressure to help his lungs expand and contract. They started his feeds back up - he is getting 6ml (1.2 teaspoons) every 3 hours and that will increase as his stomach builds up its tolerance to food again. Last night he weighed in at 2lbs 14.5oz and he is starting to look more and more mature each day. He's still tiny, but he's   already grown big in our eyes, and in our hearts...there's nothing bigger.

Our Lord has been so good to us in blessing us with this little life to care for. He has become in so many ways our greatest joy in the world and, indeed, has become the focus of our world. In the midst of the daily ups and downs, the emotionally draining episodes, and Killian's continual battle to grow and develop, God has kindly granted us an underlying peace and happiness that only he can give. "Find your delight in the Lord who will give you your heart's desire. Commit your way to the Lord; trust that God will act." (Psalm 37)