Monday, September 3, 2007

Labor Day



The article below explains what the doctors are suspecting that Jack has. There are two aortic arches that form a ring around his esophagus and trachea. The Doctors believe that this is the cause of the difficulty in ventilating him properly. When Jack is agitated the vascular ring clamps down on his trachea which in turn blocks the air from the endotracheal tube trying to enter his lungs. From the article it appears that there are very few cases in which this is found in conjunction with transposition of the great arteries, however the article is 8 years old. This necesitates another operation order to redirect the aorta from the trachea and esophagus. Dr. Hawkins told us this is the first time that he has ever seen both the transposition and the double aortic arch in the same patient and he has done almost 200 arterial switch operations. Normally the two defects present themselves separately. He has explained that this shouldn't be something terribly difficult for him to correct, however, there is a nerve that is very close to the aorta that leads to the vocal chord that if disturbed can make it impossible for Jack to breathe on his own. In order to avoid this the surgeon will enter on the side of Jack through his ribs. They would like to get Jack weened off all of his blood pressure medication and as stable as possible prior to the surgery so we don't anticipate this happening at least for a few days. We will keep you posted.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=101111

12 comments:

Street Fam said...

You guys are in our thoughts and prayers. Jack is a tough little guy!
He is a cute one too. Hang in there!

-Sunny

Chris Jackson said...

We want to let you guys know that you both and little Jack are in our prayers.

rdd said...

Dr darren, you are earning your medical degree and spending enough round-the-clock shifts to wear the greens. thank you for the explanation. Sir Jack is a miracle and is making history, future TGAs, VDSs, double AAs, etc will benefit from his experience. love you, S and Jack

shar said...

Sarah I have wanted to call you but I am so glad that you are trying your hardest to keep us all updated on him. He is so cute I know that you guys are tough so just hang in there

sharilyn

Heather and Dave said...

Thanks for the updates! I can't believe that all of this is happening, but your doctor sounds amazing! Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I'd love to bring you guys dinner to the hospital, or water your flowers...you name it & I'm there!
You guys are such great friends, we love you and we pray and think of you every day! xoxo, Heather & Dave

Matt said...

So glad they are honing in on the problem. He's strong and will do great!

Tenley, Robbie and Brooks said...

I can't believe what your little Jack has gone through in his short life. You are in our thoughts and prayers. I hope it continues to go well.
Tenley

Breea said...

You do a great job explaining all the conditions and procedures that Jack has to go through! Poor little guy! Good thing he won't remember any of this! I am so glad that they figured out the problem, I bet it feel good to know he has such a great doctor! We are praying for all of you!
-breea and family

emily a. said...

Hi. I'm Matt's sister Emily- he passed along your blog. Jack is such an adorable little baby. You are all in our prayers!

MelanieBrenchley said...

Hi Sarah,
I just heard tonight about your new little guy. First of all, congratulations! I can't believe how adorable he is.....well actually I can. The tears flow freely at my house these days, so of course they have been streaming as I have been reading every word of his little story tonight. I am so impressed by your family's strength and knowledge of his progress. It goes without saying that I just love you, and I will utilize my little boys' "magic prayers" in your family's behalf. Everyone at work is praying for you, Darren, and Jack to have peace and comfort.

Love you lots,
Melanie Brenchley

Unknown said...

Sarah and Darren, You are so well loved by so many people including us. You and Jack are in our prayers. For years we've been in awe of the miracle of the human body and the power of its healing. What an amazing gift we have from Heavenly Father. What an amazing time we live in to have the technology, skill, talent, and knowledge to help our bodies perform miracles.
We appreciate your time and effort to keep us all informed. May the Lord continue to bless Jack, you, and his medical team. Love you, Nancy and Ella
P.S. During the lowest times please remember Grandpa's blessing.

The Reids said...

Sarah

What an amazing journey you and Darren and Jack are enduring. You are so strong and faithful and that little guy is one lucky dude to have such great parents. I am a converted blogger and eagerly look for updates each morning. My boys are always curious about how Jack is doing and love it when there are pictures. Know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and we miss you tons!