It was "go" time.

It was "go"time!!!

The day had finally arrived.  It had taken a lot of time, a lot of research, and a whole lot of effort to get to this point.  All the preparations had been made.  Christopher's surgeon had spoke with the doctor in Texas.  They compared notes and came up with the best plan for Christopher.  The surgical suite had been reserved, and the nurses had performed all the necessary pre-op procedures to prepare Christopher for the surgery.  It was "go" time.

Mike and I were so excited for Christopher.  I know that may sound a bit strange.  You might be thinking...how could they possibly have been excited for their baby to have surgery?  What is wrong with them?  It's not like this was a graduation or a birthday or something, but in reality it was.  The surgery, as strange as it sounds, was kind of like a new birth or a graduation into a new way of living.  It was a chance to live life without the constant threat of tube dislocation and infection.

The old system looked like this. 

Still, it was a surgery, and this was a BIG one.  It would involve redesigning his internal architecture.  The old system looked like this...there was an incision made into the side of his abdomen where a pliable plastic tube was inserted.  Another incision was made into the side of his small intestine.  Then the piece of tubing was threaded into the hole in the small intestine.  The tube was secured using a couple of sutures.  The system worked, but tube dislocation and infection were major complications.

 

The new system would look like this inside Christopher.

The NEW system would look like this...the surgeon would still create a hole in the abdomen, but he would also bisect a piece of Christopher's intestine.  One end of the intestine would be secured to the interior of his abdomen where the hole was.  Then a different type of feeding tube device called a Mickey Button (Jejunostomy Tube or J-Tube because it goes into the part of his intestine called the Jejunum) would be inserted into the hole and DIRECTLY into the intestine.  Then the surgeon would attach the other end of the bisected intestine to another piece of small intestine completing the new circuitry.  It wasn't the one he was born with, but it was a highly effective system.  There was no need to worry so much about tube dislocation.  The Mickey Buttons were designed to be taken in and out.  They are easily replaced, and we were trained to do it ourselves at home (as Christopher got older, he actually learned to do it himself!).  As far as infection goes, it was still a possibility, but this was a more permanent type of feeding tube.  The tubes were designed for this purpose, and the rate of infection was lower with proper tube hygiene.

The new system would look like this on the outside of Christopher.  This would be his new J-tube.  It goes directly into the part of his small intestine called the Jejunum.

BUT...here's the cherry on top!  No more putting NG tubes down his nose to drain his stomach!  I was very excited about this part because there is just nothing worse than having to hold your child down while you cram a tube down his nose.  I absolutely hated having to do that to him, BUT we had a plan to solve that problem too.  The surgeon would make an incision through his abdomen and directly into his stomach.  Then another Mickey Button (called a Gastrostomy Tube or G-tube because it goes into his stomach) would be installed giving us DIRECT access to his stomach.  From now on when his stomach filled up with saliva, gas, and bile we could just attach a tube to the Mickey Button and drain out the contents of his stomach into a bag.  No NG tubes needed!  It was a dream come true for me, and I'm sure if Christopher could have talked he would have wholeheartedly agreed with me!

The top one is the G-tube.  It is used for draining the stomach,and the bottom one is the J-tube.  It is used for feeding him into his small intestine (into the Jejunum).

All of us waited with Christopher in the pre-op area.  The familiar pangs of anxiety and fear began to well up inside me.  What if something went wrong?  What if this didn't work after all?  I looked down at Christopher.  He was so small, and he had already been through so much.  My heart broke a little more because I knew that there was a long and painful recovery to come.  Doubts started invading my mind.  Was this really the right thing to do?

This is a model of how a Micky Button is installed for use as a G-tube or J-tube.  It is held inside the patients abdomen with an inflatable balloon.  The balloon can be inflated with water or deflated using a syringe.

Mickey Button with syringe to inflate/deflate.

My thoughts were interrupted when the surgeon came into the room.  He asked if we had any further questions or concerns.  I was full of concerns, but I knew in my heart I needed to put them aside for Christopher's sake.  We gave him lots of hugs and kisses, and I watched as they wheeled my sweet baby through the doors of the operating room.  It was "go" time.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can pray like this:

More tomorrow...