30 August

Sorry for not updating last night. There is a lot of info to digest.

Audrey's surgery is scheduled for 7 am Monday morning. We'll need to be here at 5:45 to sign releases and see her before she gets prepped for surgery. The operation itself will take 7 to 8 hours and will be accomplished by two cardiac surgeons and who knows how many support personnel and otherwise. After she returns from surgery, she will have many lines and she will be intubated (on a breathing machine). Her chest will be sealed with a piece of plastic, and after 24-48 hours, her chest will be closed. This will allow her chest to return to normal size after the swelling subsides. Naturally, she will be in an "aquarium" of sorts to protect her from everyone else. By day 3 or 4 most of the lines and tubes will be out and we should be able to hold her and feed her. She is expected to spend at least two weeks in the NICU before she is released. I can't wait for that day!

We also found out that her heart valves are not formed correctly. Her pulmonary valve is bi-cuspid instead of tri-cuspid and her aortic valve has some thickening. The doctors are going to look at the valves while she is open, but they will most likely not be able to do anything now. The valves will be addressed years down the road if they become problematic. We hope they are good for at least 30 years. Who knows what types of surgeries they will have by then!

As far as good news goes, her scar will not grow with her. I didn't know much about wounds or wound care, but the doctors say the scar will remain mostly infant sized and will hopefully fade over the years. I hope it will be an interesting point for her someday to look at that scar and say that is where she had open heart surgery!

As far as her future activities goes, she will have a "normal" childhood. She will be able to run, play, rake rocks, and so forth. Her activity level will mostly depend on how well her valves are working, so she may not be able to participate in sports where she won't have the ability to rest whenever she needs.

Some may wonder if the heart problems are contributed to one thing or another... well, unfortunately, there is no single factor or combination that predisposes our children to heart issues, it's just random.

If you have any questions, you can post them or email us. Miss you all!