Brayden came out of surgery

with lots of new hardware.

The early hours at the hospital were quiet this morning.  Brayden slept pretty well last night.  Yet, we were still not sure when Brayden's surgeries were going to take place.

After morning rounds and the posting of the surgery schedule, we found out that Brayden was scheduled for 3:00 p.m. in the OR to get his PICC line.

About twenty minutes later, he had been moved up to 10:00 for the PICC line.  A few minutes later we found out he could be wheeled from the PICC line procedure, with one team, right into another room to get his j-tube placement, with another team.  Then a few minutes after that, the surgeon and doctors decided to do a central line (instead of the PICC) and the j-tube placement during the same procedure.

All of a sudden things were moving and Brayden was wheeled into the OR.

Brayden's surgery was about 2 hours long.  The surgeon was the same doctor that had done his original g-tube/mic-key button almost exactly three years ago.

Today, the central line was done.  Brayden has a mic-key button for his g-tube (stomach) and a mic-key button for his j-tube (jejunum/intestine).  About a 2 inch incision was made so that the surgeon could cut and maneuver the jejunum for the feeding tube.

The surgery went well.  However Brayden has been in A LOT of pain.  The most pitiful gut-wrenching cry, like it hurts too much to cry.  His heart rate has been really high and very labored breathing.  It could have been because of a seizure at first so they gave him a dose of Ativan, in between the doses of morphine and they are keeping him on oxygen.  Yet his heart rate is remaining high and his lungs seem to be working way to hard.

His precious little body has been through so much the past several days.  His soft porcelain skin showing the effects of malnutrition, IVs, blood work, surgeries,...  His chest violently going in and out as he works hard to breath.  And all we can do is sit by him and try our best to comfort.

Brayden will be started on TPN through the central line tonight.  In a couple of days we hope to start fluids through his j-tube and work our way up to his proper formula mixture.  The g-tube was his original "hole" and we use that to drain and/or suction his stomach.  If all goes well Brayden could be home this weekend.

Please pray that his little body can handle all of this.  He seems so miserable.  Pray that his heart and breathing will level out without any more intervention.  Pray that Brayden's body can rest.