Third Surgery

It wasn’t the news we were hoping for but it is going to be best to help Catherine heal. Actually we were given the choice to either have the surgery or continue on the path we are now on.

The surgery would consist of placing a feeding tube directly into her small intestine thus bypassing the duodenal surgery location. This location is swollen and needs to rest and heal but it cannot do that with the continual feeds trying to go past. This is what is causing Catherine to spit up so often. Food passes by the surgery location but not as quickly as it should so it backs up and makes her vomit. She can’t grow very quickly this way of course. If she does well with this surgery she will be able to come home soon. We would be feeding her through that tube until it is clear that she can take more and more by mouth.

To continue on the path that we are now on, we are told, could take months and months for healing of the surgery area since it is not being allowed to rest. In fact, a few weeks down the road we may be faced with the fact that we have to have the surgery anyway. Of course we don’t want a surgery but we also don’t want her development to be inhibited any more than it already is (and we have to constantly factor in the unknown effects of her chromosomal abnormality).

So, we feel it is best to have the surgery and get her home where we can lavish her with all the love and attention we can to help her develop normally (yeah right! with 4 brothers).

The surgery is next week and once again we beg you and thank you for your prayers.