The plan

So Jonah had the heart cath procedure on Tuesday.  He did not, however, have the MRI.  There were many reasons for this that I won't go into.  The doctors got the information they needed from the cath.

The doctor who performed the procedure and our cardiologist will present the information to the board this coming Wednesday.  For now the plan hasn't changed...he will have the Fontan surgery in June.  Our doctor is going to call us after the discussion with the board to schedule the exact date.  After looking at all the information they suggested we go ahead and have him "wired" for a pacemaker while they are preforming the Fontan.  His heart rate dropped quite a bit during the procedure and that made them a little concerned.  He does NOT currently need a pacemaker, but there is a possibility he will need one in the distant future.  Having the leads already there will ensure that he won't have to have open heart surgery if he does need a pacemaker.  We like this idea!

We stayed in the hospital over night and I'm really glad we did.  Now we know kind of what to expect.  We know all the rules, we know what is available to us and what is not, and we now know a lot of the nurses we will see next time.  I'm already making plans for what we need to take and how we will maneuver everything while we are in there.  We were also able to meet the surgeon who will be doing his open heart surgery and from what we have heard and read, he is amazing.  He is going to have a bit of a challenge because of J's situs inversus, but we feel confident he can do it.

Overall, it was a good experience.  J did great, but I know it was hard on him.  I'm really praying for next time.  I'm not worried about how he will physically handle everything next time, but I am a little worried about how he will emotionally handle everything.  So far he is doing well, but I'm always concerned about how certain activities will affect him.  While his attachment to us has been supernatural (only from God), it is easy to forget that he has only been home for 2 and a half months and we are still in the middle of the attachment process.  That is why we still haven't let many people keep him (only our parents) and we haven't left him for long periods of time. 

I'm honestly not worried about the procedure, I'm worried about life after the procedure.  My God is faithful though and He continues to give me peace.  I'm so thankful that I can cast my cares on Him!!

Katie