The Second Surgery

As feared, the atrial hole did begin to close up which caused us to fly to duPont in January.  Our pediatric cardiologist at duPont, Dr. Murdison, was able to perform a balloon catherization procedure that opened the hole back up.  Matt did very well.  We were in and out of the hospital in 3 days! Matt did fine between the time of the emergency cath in January until March when it was time for his 2nd surgery, the Hemi-Fontan.  We could tell that he was ready for his surgery though, and as much as we hated to see him go through surgery again, on the whole, we were glad to turn him over for the procedure.

Sugery took place on March 15, 2000.  Once again, it was very quick, about 2 hours long.  Dr. Norwood was his surgeon, and everything went just fine.  Matt stayed in the CICU for the rest of the day and that night, but the following morning he was in our room on the floor!  He was still kind of "out of it", but on the whole he was doing quite well.

Matt just loved playing with his balloon during his recovery!

One of the side effects of the Hemi-Fontan is nasty headaches as they adjust to the new blood flow.  We were prepared for these ahead of time.  Fortunately, Matt's only lasted for one day. We were very thankful for that! "Hemi" babies are also known to swell quite a bit.  Matt was hardly swollen at all.  According to the medical staff, Matt recovered in almost record time. During his recovery, he discovered what fun helium balloons can be!  He also enjoyed going for many rides in his wagon around the hospital. He fell in love with his "lamby", which was a gift from the Ronald McDonald House where we stayed the night before he was admitted to the hospital.  He was such a good boy...very cooperative and hardly ever cried when the nurses checked his vital signs.  We were very proud of our strong, brave boy.

Matt spent much of his    recovery time in the "little red wagon" going for many a ride!

Prior to surgery, Matt's appetite was waining, and we were getting quite concerned.  Once he had a few days to recover, however, his appetite was no longer a problem.  He started to eat like a little piggy (and hasn't stopped since)!  He was taken off all medications, and  he also had a major increase in energy. We also got to meet a few families at the hospital that we had met online.  It was so nice to put faces with the names.  Talking to other people who are going through the same situations is so comforting! On the 5th day after surgery we were on a plane heading back home to Louisiana.  Everything had gone so smoothly, thanks to the best hospital, doctors, nurses, staff, and mostly to the prayers that surrounded us from our friends, family, school and church.

Matthew at 8 months. Look at those chubby cheeks!  You'd never know by looking at him that he is a "heart baby"!

Matthew will have his 3rd (and final) surgery, the Fontan, in the fall of 2000, right after his 1st birthday.  We are enjoying a "normal" 6 months between the surgeries.  He is enjoying his summer immensely.  Swimming in the pool, watching his sister and brother wrestle with daddy, and jumping around in his johnny-jumper are his favorite activities...not to mention eating!  Through it all, we know that God has been with us, and we thank Him for our special, precious Matthew.

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