I am pleased to report that Dr. Mahafee successfully implanted a Portacath in Cole today. The surgery was not all smooth sailing but the end result was success, and that is all we can ask. Cole came through it like a champ and we couldn't be prouder of him.
One little note: When I was getting Cole ready to sit down with me while we were in the PACU, as I was bundling Cole into my arms, Cole said, "I'm tired of fighting this freaking battle!" While I don't necessarily want my 3 year old using "freaking", I can totally agree with the sentiment!
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Surgery Update and the Noblemen
Cole's surgery is being postponed. There was a little to much confusion with the surgeons for our comfort, so we've opted to wait for Dr. Mahafee, the surgeon who did Cole's biopsy, to do the cath implant. Dalynn and I are much more comfortable with this decision as the surgery is likely to be "technically challenging" and Dr. Mahafee has the experience of the terrain, if you will.
On another note, I met with the Norfolk chapter of the Noblemen last night. They (the Noblemen) are the charity that is accepting donations in Cole's name for us, thus removing the need for us to set up a not-for-profit for Cole. They are a wonderful group of guys, very dedicated to helping children with needs, whether they be medical or financial. Cole is high on their radar right now, and we will most likely be receiving more help from them in the future. That is a blessing and a gift.
In the meeting I got to hear about some of their "noble deeds" over Christmas. One of these involved 12 guys dressed up like Santa riding around Norfolk dropping off sacks of presents to underprivileged kids all over the city. They took obvious pleasure in spreading some Christmas joy to kids that may not have had anything under the tree come Christmas morning. Kind of made me wish I could have taken part in it!
They are having a fund-raising Mardi Gras party on January 29 at the Granby Theater, on Granby St. in downtown Norfolk. I think it starts at 6. Half the proceeds go to an organization called Hope House which provides assistance to poor families in Norfolk. The other half will go to the Noblemen for future noble deeds. If you're in the area you should check it out, it sounds like it's going to be a good and worthwhile time.
On another note, I met with the Norfolk chapter of the Noblemen last night. They (the Noblemen) are the charity that is accepting donations in Cole's name for us, thus removing the need for us to set up a not-for-profit for Cole. They are a wonderful group of guys, very dedicated to helping children with needs, whether they be medical or financial. Cole is high on their radar right now, and we will most likely be receiving more help from them in the future. That is a blessing and a gift.
In the meeting I got to hear about some of their "noble deeds" over Christmas. One of these involved 12 guys dressed up like Santa riding around Norfolk dropping off sacks of presents to underprivileged kids all over the city. They took obvious pleasure in spreading some Christmas joy to kids that may not have had anything under the tree come Christmas morning. Kind of made me wish I could have taken part in it!
They are having a fund-raising Mardi Gras party on January 29 at the Granby Theater, on Granby St. in downtown Norfolk. I think it starts at 6. Half the proceeds go to an organization called Hope House which provides assistance to poor families in Norfolk. The other half will go to the Noblemen for future noble deeds. If you're in the area you should check it out, it sounds like it's going to be a good and worthwhile time.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Surgery
Cole is up for Surgery this Thursday, the 17th of January. He's going to be having his portacath implanted. For those of you that don't know, that's a permanent IV that resides just under the skin in his upper chest.
It will (hopefully) make life easy when it comes to getting a line on Cole and will also make it easy to bathe him. Right now, with his temporary central line, we have to wrap it in saran wrap and tape it to him to give him a bath. That's a little aggravating, and he doesn't like it (of course, he doesn't like baths at all right now).
So, get your pray on. It's not a big surgery, but the doctors say that it is technically difficult because of an existing clot that Cole has. That clot is not a danger to Cole, mind you, it just means they're going to have to put the port in a little differently than they normally would.
EDIT: Because of some confusion with the surgeons we have opted to postpone Cole's surgery. We are opting for Dr. Mahafee to do it, who was is the same doctor who did Cole's biopsy. He "knows" the landscape, if you will, and we feel more comfortable with him doing the surgery than we would with a new surgeon coming in.
It will (hopefully) make life easy when it comes to getting a line on Cole and will also make it easy to bathe him. Right now, with his temporary central line, we have to wrap it in saran wrap and tape it to him to give him a bath. That's a little aggravating, and he doesn't like it (of course, he doesn't like baths at all right now).
So, get your pray on. It's not a big surgery, but the doctors say that it is technically difficult because of an existing clot that Cole has. That clot is not a danger to Cole, mind you, it just means they're going to have to put the port in a little differently than they normally would.
EDIT: Because of some confusion with the surgeons we have opted to postpone Cole's surgery. We are opting for Dr. Mahafee to do it, who was is the same doctor who did Cole's biopsy. He "knows" the landscape, if you will, and we feel more comfortable with him doing the surgery than we would with a new surgeon coming in.
Friday, December 21, 2007
After Surgery Update
Cole is still doing well, and some of the cultures have already grown some Streptococcal chains. Dr. Buescher, our infectious disease doctor, says that this is very treatable and he seems happy with things so far. He also thinks it's unlikely it's a contaminant, so we might be dealing with the real McCoy.
So, right now, all the news is good and Cole is being treated in just the right way for what they've cultured so far.
So, right now, all the news is good and Cole is being treated in just the right way for what they've cultured so far.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Surgery Done
Cole had his surgery today and everything went well. It took them a little longer than they expected, which was hard for Dalynn and I to endure, but in the end everything came out OK.
We had a shock this morning when they said that Cole had the condition meningitis. I say condition because meningitis is actually a condition with many causes. It means he has an inflammation of the meningeal lining (I think that's what it's called), and the likely cause is that the infection in his lungs and heart has also infected the meningeal lining (that's the lining around your brain). It showed up as white blood cells, which were not leukemic, in his spinal fluid.
The incredibly preliminary results are that it is a bacterial infection (as opposed to a fungal infection), which is good. It means it can be treated with antibiotics. We'll know more tomorrow once the cultures have had a chance to grow.
I'm sure we're going to be here a while, this time, probably through Christmas, but that's OK with me, now. I just want Cole to get on the other side of this and get well, so that he can continue his treatment and beat cancer.
As I sit and write this, Cole is sleeping soundly in his nifty bed, his pulse a low 135 and his O2 stats in the high 90s. To most of you, this won't mean much, but to us, it means all is well, at least right now.
We had a shock this morning when they said that Cole had the condition meningitis. I say condition because meningitis is actually a condition with many causes. It means he has an inflammation of the meningeal lining (I think that's what it's called), and the likely cause is that the infection in his lungs and heart has also infected the meningeal lining (that's the lining around your brain). It showed up as white blood cells, which were not leukemic, in his spinal fluid.
The incredibly preliminary results are that it is a bacterial infection (as opposed to a fungal infection), which is good. It means it can be treated with antibiotics. We'll know more tomorrow once the cultures have had a chance to grow.
I'm sure we're going to be here a while, this time, probably through Christmas, but that's OK with me, now. I just want Cole to get on the other side of this and get well, so that he can continue his treatment and beat cancer.
As I sit and write this, Cole is sleeping soundly in his nifty bed, his pulse a low 135 and his O2 stats in the high 90s. To most of you, this won't mean much, but to us, it means all is well, at least right now.