3/15 Successful Surgery

I thought about titling this entry "Beware the Ides of March" but thought the chosen title was more appropriate. Yes-- you're reading that right. Madeleine was transferred last night to Children's Hospital in DC as Dr. Lotze at Holy Cross was convinced that surgery was a likely option and she didn't want to delay the transfer any further. Make no mistake about it: this decision likely saved Madeleine's life and is yet another blessing we've received. Kirsten and I showed up at Children's around 10:30 last night and were told that we shouldn't expect much changes in Madeleine's care over the weekend as the doctors intended to monitor her condition to determine when surgery should be conducted. At a little past Midnight, we were getting ready to go home for sleep when the attending surgeon, Dr. Chahine, stopped by to examine Madeleine and to review her X-Rays. Much to our surprise, Dr. Chahine told us that he wanted to operate immediately. He explained that it was an extremely complicated decision and while he respected the previous decisions to hold off on surgery, he feared that waiting provided few benefits-- he was convinced that at least a small portion of the intestines was damaged beyond repair-- and the negative side of waiting posed a huge risk of infection. Kirsten and I were initially skeptical of this decision but after a lengthy discussion, Dr. Chahine convinced us that his argument made sense. He essentially argued that Madeleine was as stable as she was going to get last night and that while waiting might have allowed them to learn more and better prepare for surgery, he couldn't predict a tipping point where a potential infection and/or heart issues would make the intestinal surgery more risky and/or impossible. Faced with these choices, we agreed with Dr. Chahine's decision to operate last night.

This was the second lucky decision of the night as the surgery revealed that Madeleine's entire lower intestines were damaged beyond repair and needed to be removed immediately. This removal sounds (and is) pretty major and honestly, we're still trying to determine the long-term impacts of this removal. While there is no doubt that this presents future challenges, we're convinced that Dr. Chahine saved Madeleine's life last night and we can't help feeling extremely lucky.

In any case, we just wanted to get a note out to everyone so that you're up to date. We should let you know that while Madeleine is stable right now, this surgery poses a large infection risk and we've been warned that for the next 48-72 hours, Madeleine will be in a critical state. We're confident in her ability to recover but know this is a going to be a very lengthy recovery-- the initial diagnosis is that she'll be hospitalized in the NICU through June or July. They don't know if this is accurate but they wanted us to be prepared for the months ahead. On a brighter note, the doctor was absolutely convinced that

I'm sure many will ask how we're doing, so let me address that question before signing off. Madeleine is doing as well as can be expected-- the nurses have already begun describing her as "feisty" without her prompting. (seriously) Kirsten is a rock-- she absolutely amazes me. I won't lie about my condition-- this new dad is having some serious emotional issues-- I held up okay through surgery but I'm near a nervous breakdown right now... this dad stuff isn't near as easy as TV portrays it.

Have a good day-- please enjoy the weather and keep our little girl in your thoughts and prayers....

B & K