12-23-10

As you have all been reading from Randy's updates, Cooper is doing great.  I thought I would just add my two cents in on all of this.

Cooper was to have his surgery to fix his CDH this morning at 7:30.  They did not come get him until almost 7:30.  They finally took him down to the OR at 7:40.  The nurse then called us at 8:20 to tell us that they were just starting the surgery.  Like we weren't already on edge with everything else, they were late starting the surgery.  Then we got the call about 9:40 that they were closing and he did well. 

Dr Azarow, Cooper's surgeon, came up to talk to us and was very happy with how well Cooper did during surgery.  All of my pregnancy, we were told that it was only his stomach,and maybe a little bowel, that was up in his chest.  We knew from his daily chest x-rays that his bowel had gone up into his chest as well.  However, Dr Azarow found during surgery that his stomach, bowel, spleen, one kidney, and the left lobe of his liver were all up in his chest.  Good news was that when he moved all of this back into his abdomen, they were able to see a good amount of lung tissue on the left side.  We won't know how well it will work, but the nurse said she could definitely hear a difference from right after surgery and two hours later.  She could hear better breathe sounds from the left side.  Very promising.

When they took Cooper to surgery, his oxygen levels on the vent were at 40%.  Now, Dr Azarow had warned us that he would probably get worse after surgery.  But our little overachiever did so well that when they brought him back to his room, they weaned him down to 38% oxygen.  All other vent settings remained the same.  I don't remember what they were, but even the old neonatologist was impressed by how well Cooper was doing.  They even had him off his dopamine by noon.  They do not believe that he developed the pulmonary hypertension they thought he would.  They will not do another echo unless they have any other indications that point them in that direction.

They would be able to move Cooper into a actual room in a day or two, if they had one available.  The NICU is full.  There are a couple of families that are supposed to be lucky enough to go home soon, so hopefully then we will be able to move to a room and out of the procedure room his is in currently.  That will be wonderful and we can't wait for that day.

Tonight we are back in Lincoln.  We wanted to beat the storm.  Just had to make sure that we were in town for Jaxon and Lea.  Couldn't miss Christmas Eve or Christmas morning with them.  As long as the weather is good, we will be back up to see Cooper, with the kids, on Christmas day.  Christmas together as a family.  Can't wait.

Sonya