Surgery Day!

Riley did fantastic today during surgery! Dr. Oyhe (our amazing surgeon) did not need to perform the Norwood Procedure after all. During surgery we were updated several times how things were going. Within the first hour we were told that Dr. Oyhe closed the VSD (hole between upper and lower chambers), created the aortal arch, and closed the ductus. The next step during surgery was to test the blood-flow through the Mitral-valve, testing the strength of the valve and the left ventricle to see if Riley could handle it. Dr. Oyhe concluded that she was strong enough to handle the bloodflow and ended the surgery. Surgery lasted around 3 hours, including prep and post time she was gone for a total of 7 hours.

We were very excited to see Riley after surgery and were so glad to see she looked great! They were able to close her chest after surgery, for which we were very thankful. Originally the plan was to leave the chest cavity open for several days to allow the swelling to go down. This plan was changed when the doctors discovered Riley responded so well to the surgery and the procedure was not as invasive as they anticipated. Now we just need to focus on her recovery. The next 72 hours are crucial for her to heal. The doctors want her to "cruise on auto-pilot" through sedation and the ventilator allowing her body time to get acclimated to the structural changes that have been made.

We can not tell you how many staff members, whether they are nurses or physicians, who are AMAZED by Riley's change in surgery. These people work with cardiac patients and NEVER see this type of outcome. Dr. Oyhe also expressed how pleased he was with the surgery, commenting that everything went as the best case scenario possible.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! God got the message that so many people think she is special and loved and he will be glorified through this whole process! On this St. Patrick's Day we remember St. Patrick who spread the word of God, symbolically using the shamrock because of it's 3 leaves. He taught people about the Holy Trinity, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. We can Praise God for the luck of the Irish Riley had today! What a blessed day!

In HIS grip!