Post Op Day 1 / Same Day as Surgery

8:45PM

Look who wants to say “Hi Everyone!”!! 

We can’t believe that less than 18 hours ago, he was in the OR! Our son is a real life super hero!

6:30PM

He’s awake!!! Apollo was extubated about 6:15 and is coming out of his slumber. His eyes first peeked open when he heard the song “Fight Song” playing.  He doesn’t seem to be in much pain but is extremely upset that he can’t have a drink. The nurse is saying that it will have to be at least 2 hours before he has a drink. He has Momma in bed with him right now so she will have to keep him subsided and distracted for a while. 

5:30PM

They pulled his intracardiac line successfully and will lift his paralytic as we move towards extubation! He’s doing so well and is completely at ease. 

3:00PM

The nurse was getting ready to pull his intracardiac line, but his platelet count was a little low for their liking. If his platelets are low there is risk for additional bleeding internally. Therefore, they are going to give him some platelets and will try again for the pull in about an hour. Meanwhile he looks extremely comfortable and relaxed!

1:30PM

Dr. Marx stopped by to check on our boy and was thrilled with his progress. He likes to use the word “spectacular” when talking about Apollo and we eat it up. Even though his oxygen saturation is now in the low to mid 80s and he needed a blood transfusion, Dr. Marx is very happy with his progress and said “everything looks great”! He said that his SATs are lower because of the fenestration Dr. Emani created which may either close itself with time or be closed in the cath lab in 1-2 years. Once it closes, we should see mid to high 90s SATs! 

The many machines keeping our boy alive. Isn’t modern medicine amazing?!

They’ve decided to pull his intracardiac line before they extubate which is most beneficial for him. To do so, they turned off his therapeutic heparin drip which will push back extubation to at least late afternoon. We’re anxiously waiting to see those deep brown eyes in a matter of hours. We settled in quickly after a couple hours of sleep each and have his room all decorated for him to enjoy. 

He’s going to be so happy to see the dolphin he picked out a couple days ago!

His sisters drew lots of pictures for their hero!

He is in one of 2 pods that we know of here in the CICU where 3 patients share a large room separated only by curtains. I (Dana) wasn’t thrilled to see him here because I know this is where they put little ones who need extra attention. My mom kept it in perspective and said it’s for his benefit but to me, it shows how critical he really is. I’m wishing these touch-n-go hours to pass by quickly!

Apollo’s guardian angel and St. Michael the Archangel are watching over him always.

Just as we brought his sisters to China to bring Magnus home because we wanted them to see and be moved by the many children in his orphanage, we decided to show them Apollo while intubated. We didn’t do this before because we thought it would be too upsetting for them but we decided they could handle it and needed to see their brother fight. And he is fighting hard! They each spoke to him sweetly and were so happy to see him. Magnus doesn’t usually call him by name but says “my brother” and I love it. We all miss each other dearly and can’t wait to start counting down the days to our reunion in St. Louis.

10AM

It’s Daddy’s turn to provide an update. 

Though Apollo’s surgery technically ended in the wee hours today, we will still call today post-op day 1. I sit here this morning staring at our little miracle and I’m filled with joy, amazement, faith, and hope (just to name a few of the emotions). We can’t thank you all enough for your support, encouragement, and prayers over the past 24 hours. 

I know Dana talked about Dr. Emani, but I don’t know if I have ever met a man that as closely embodies the spirit of Christ as he. I don’t know the man’s faith but he has truly embraced the talent that he has been given as a gift from God which he humbly and faithfully gives back to the world. Day in and day out he uses his hands to work miracles and is completely selfless in doing so. Not too many people would look at the clock after already a full day’s work on a Friday and say, “I’ll start an 8 hour surgery now...and will treat him as if he’s my own”. When we told him that he is a miracle worker he said, “We all play our part”.

They are hoping to extubate Apollo (take out breathing tube)  sometime today. This seems really fast, but they are hopeful that this will reduce the likelihood of pleural effusion (build up of fluid between lungs and chest). The next 24 hours will be critical to see how his body reacts to his new anatomy. We are thrilled to see his O2 saturation’s in the 90’s (something he has never been able to achieve prior).

We are excited and hopeful to see our little man re-animate later today and quickly return to his silly, fun-loving self!