Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Shunt surgery

Surgery number 2 is complete and is a success. Trinity went in for surgery today around 11:00 am. At 11:48 the surgery started and was complete by 12:45. Once again Dr. Gilmer-Hill came to greet us in the waiting room with a big smile and let us know that everything went very well. She explained to us that the shunt she had put in was a programmable shunt which could be adjusted with a special magnet. The shunt can be programmed to allow the proper amount of fluid to flow through it. How it will be set will be dependent on how much fluid the doctors think is accumulating on Trinity's brain. The two main risks with the surgery are infection and the potential for the shunt to malfunction. We continue to be thankful to God that he brought us a surgeon that is so wonderful and has a way with making us feel very confident in her ability. Following the surgery Trinity went back to the NICU and continued to impress the nursing staff with her ability to bounce back after the surgery. Not more than an hour and a half later she was back off the ventilator and breathing on her own. It was very plain to see that as she woke she was in a lot of pain. She was given more antibiotics and pain medication. By 6:30 she was back to eating like a champ. The doctor didn't want her to get sick so they only let her eat 1 ounce. She guzzled this down in about 4 minutes. It was a pretty special time for me getting to feed her for the first time. It's pretty apparent that whether her mom is feeding her or she eating from a bottle, she likes to eat. She is definitely not afraid to strap on the feed sack. The surgeon is telling us that if there are no infections or no other complications that come up she will probably come home in 3 to 4 days. We are very much looking forward to her coming home. We continue to be overwhelmed with the amount of prayers that the good Lord continues to answer. What a blessing God has given us with Trinity. Thanks again for all the prayers and support, it means a lot to Miranda and I. We will post pictures from the surgery tomorrow.

5 comments:

The Gray Family said...

So glad to hear things are going well. We are praying for you everyday! We hope to meet Trinity soon :)

Much Love, The Gray's

roduns said...

Happy 1-week birthday, Trinity! She has had a very impressive first week of life. We love your updates and are thankful that God has blessed you with such a competent and compassionate doctor. We are praying that Trinity will continue to show improvement.

Love,
Matt, Rochelle, and Ethan

Anna Dunsbergen said...

We are so glad to hear that the surgery went well! We pray that Trinity will heal quickly so that she may be able to go home soon!
Lots of love,
Jamie, Anna, Tanner & Tucker

Brenda said...

Hi Everybody,

Congratulations!

I've been checking in everyday since I got this website address. Trinity is such a cutie and what a great name! She is very strong physically and mentally, (watch out Aubree) with all that she has been through and all that she has already conquerred in her little life. I look at her pictures and I just want to pick her up and squeeze her!

I hope the next 4 days are smooth sailing so that you can all go home and be a family under the same roof. You must be so exhausted from it all. Give her a baby squeeze from me, and a big hug to you all, Grandmas and Grandpas too,

Love you guys,
Brenda Stutelberg

jrandkara said...

We are so glad to hear Trinity is doing great, she is so strong and i know she can feel the hands of the lord!I hope all goes well the next few days and you can finally take her home, i'm sure her big sister will be so excited to have her home and you guys can maybe relax alittle.Thanks so much for all the updates!! Give those beautiful girl loves from us!!You are in our thoughts and prayers everyday!!!

love,
JR,Kara,Trey and Masin Shearer