Just spoke with Dr. Bradley and saw Anna Grace. Dr. Bradley closed her chest today at 2:00. It took about 1 1/2 hours. He said it went "OK" and that "we're taking it day by day". I asked him if there was something I should know. he said "no". Hmmmmm....... So then I went to Anna Grace's bedside & talked with her nurse & told her what Dr. Bradley said. She said with a smile that it sounded like something Dr. Bradley would say - apparently he has a reputation for being a great surgeon and a man of few words. The nurse said that things went well during the surgery and that Anna Grace is doing well. Dr. Bradley closed her sternum using wires and closed her muscles using stiches & then her chest is closed using something that looks like butterfly bandaids, then the has a dressing over that. She is havaing some bleeding out of her chest tube but that it is already starting to get more clear - which is good. Her nurse said that her urine output is doing better and they did not have to add any medications during or after surgery. She is still on a strong sedative and they won't start weaning her off that until tomorrow. They took some cultures from her chest while they were in there & have sent it off to the lab to be sure there is no infection. Please pray that those cultures show NO INFECTION. Things are still critical for Anna Grace, but we have jumped another hurdle today. The other heart moms that I talked with today were amazed that Anna Grace was having her chest closed after only one day....
The next hurdle to jump is coming off the ventilator. The nurse said that since Anna Grace was not on the ventilator before her surgery that her chances of coming off are better - that her body already knows how to breathe on its own.
So, please pray that Anna Grace continues to do well and improve each hour and each day. That the Lord will strengthen her little body. That she will be able to come off the ventilator and that her body will remain free of infection. Still very critical, but we give thanks to the Lord for answering our prayers. God is blessing us beyond measure - thank you Lord for your MERCY. I am so grateful, so thankful.
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Dr Bradley is a precious man, but he is not the most social person in the room! I remember his face when I hugged him after Marlee's surgery! :) Praying for no infection and for Anna Grace to breathe on her own!
Lord, Thank you so much for answering our prayers today. Thank you for the nurses who are surrounding Brian and Tina and encouraging them. I ask that Anna Grace will rest well and gain strength. May she be able to be weaned from the vent and be on room air quickly. Please keep her vitals strong and all the functions and numbers exactly where they need to be. Lord, thank you for walking with, holding, and sustaining Brian and Tina. May you use their witness among the doctors, nurses, and other families in the unit. May there be many opportunites for them to share the source of their strength and hope. May you restore Tina's health so she can hold her sweet baby when given the opportunity. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Way to go, Anna Grace!! It is truly a miracle that her chest was closed today. She's such a strong little girl! It was SO wonderful to meet you today and I will continue to pray for your precious girl -- specifically that there is no infection and that she continues to surpass expectations with her recovery. Praise the Lord!!!
Brian and Tina,
I just got caught up reading all your posts. Praise be to Him who has carried you and little Anna Grace in his strong but tender hands! I am so glad that God placed you in Dr. Bradley's care --- he did Zach's Glenn surgery and he is the best. And yes, he is a man of little words.
I am looking forward reading more about how God is working miracles in your precious daughter's life and I can't wait to meet her soon!
Pam Owens
bprowens@bellsouth.net
I am praying for your daughter and family. My dad, Randy Thomas, sent me your blog. Our daughter, just adopted from China, also just had open heart surgery. She is 22 months old and doing remarkably well. I know what you are going through. Hang in there. God is in control.
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