Today, September 25th, was a significant date from the very first OB appointment. Today was Cooper's due date! Instead, we've had Cooper for over 10 weeks. I barely even remember being pregnant!
Today is also significant in that Cooper had his first major operation. He did well and is coming out of the anesthesia just fine. It's great to have some answers and solutions figured out.
He had a rigid brochoscopy. This allowed the doctors to see past his vocal cords to look for scarring. Luckily, everything past his vocal cords, including his lungs, look great! The doctor did see three things at the vocal cord that concerned him.
1. Major sign of reflux that was causing the vocal cords to be inflamed. We had already started treating Cooper for reflux with a wedge, but now Cooper will be on reflux medicine.
2. One of the vocal cords had a cyst. This was a quick fix as they were able to 'pop' it right then.
3. The vocal cords did have some scarring built up, probably from his intubations. They used a special balloon to open up the airway that was blocked by the scarring. They have also given Cooper a shot that is supposed to help prevent the build up of the scarring.
Here's the before and after of his vocal cords. Much more open so hopefully it will be easier for him to breathe!
The doctor told me that it is very possible that he might need to have this operation done 1 or 2 more times before they get the airway to stay open. He even said we might need to come back as soon as 3-4 weeks for the second one. He also told me the other options if this does not work, but they involve surgery to add more cartilage to make the opening larger, or a tracheostomy, so we are really hoping this works! He did say that a tracheostomy would be the absolute last resort.
This operation caused temporary swelling so Cooper was brought back with a breathing tube in. Seems kind of counter productive since a breathing tube caused the scaring, but the swelling should go down and his airway should be more open than before. Depending on how he does tonight, they may extubate him tomorrow. I'm hoping he goes right back to room air since he did so well off respiratory support the last couple of days.
I got a call from the Ronald McDonald House and get to check in tomorrow! It's a small room with twin beds but has a private bathroom so I'm stoked!
Today is also significant in that Cooper had his first major operation. He did well and is coming out of the anesthesia just fine. It's great to have some answers and solutions figured out.
He had a rigid brochoscopy. This allowed the doctors to see past his vocal cords to look for scarring. Luckily, everything past his vocal cords, including his lungs, look great! The doctor did see three things at the vocal cord that concerned him.
1. Major sign of reflux that was causing the vocal cords to be inflamed. We had already started treating Cooper for reflux with a wedge, but now Cooper will be on reflux medicine.
2. One of the vocal cords had a cyst. This was a quick fix as they were able to 'pop' it right then.
3. The vocal cords did have some scarring built up, probably from his intubations. They used a special balloon to open up the airway that was blocked by the scarring. They have also given Cooper a shot that is supposed to help prevent the build up of the scarring.
Here's the before and after of his vocal cords. Much more open so hopefully it will be easier for him to breathe!
The doctor told me that it is very possible that he might need to have this operation done 1 or 2 more times before they get the airway to stay open. He even said we might need to come back as soon as 3-4 weeks for the second one. He also told me the other options if this does not work, but they involve surgery to add more cartilage to make the opening larger, or a tracheostomy, so we are really hoping this works! He did say that a tracheostomy would be the absolute last resort.
This operation caused temporary swelling so Cooper was brought back with a breathing tube in. Seems kind of counter productive since a breathing tube caused the scaring, but the swelling should go down and his airway should be more open than before. Depending on how he does tonight, they may extubate him tomorrow. I'm hoping he goes right back to room air since he did so well off respiratory support the last couple of days.
I got a call from the Ronald McDonald House and get to check in tomorrow! It's a small room with twin beds but has a private bathroom so I'm stoked!
No comments:
Post a Comment