Our little fighter continues to prove his strength every day.  Surgery went well and after 2-3 days of expected pain and discomfort, Theo was back to his smiley self.  After undergoing surgery on August 8th, he spent a total of eight nights in the hospital and we returned back home to Rochester on Saturday the 17th.

Since we’ve been home, we’ve had a few post-op visits.  We had a virtual follow-up with Boston Children’s during which they checked Theo’s incision and went through a series of questions regarding his recovery.  All is healing beautifully and he has been recovering well.   We also visited Theo’s Rochester cardiologist, Dr. Kuebler, who performed an EKG and follow-up echocardiogram.  All results were favorable.  Lastly, his trip to the pediatrician was also a success as we learned that he’s putting on weight like a champ.  We’re on our way to the 15 pound mark any day now.

For the time being, Theo is on three different medications; a blood thinner, a blood pressure medication, and a diuretic.  The hope is that as his body adjusts to this new circulation, we can eliminate one or two of those.  The good news is that we have graduated from the home monitoring program, and no longer need to check his oxygen saturation levels and weights daily.

Three months from now, Theo will have another echocardiogram as well as a lung scan done at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.  At this point, we hope to see his heart pumping strongly and a nice blood flow to both lungs.  We find ourselves “cautiously optimistic” that Theo’s next and final intervention as a child will be the Fontan surgery in Boston.  This would take place between the ages of 2 and 4.  If some adjustments need to be done before then, we will take it as it comes as we continue to “trust the path”.

Each and every step of this journey, we grow more and more grateful for the care that Theo has been given, for the prayers and support that surround us, and most importantly, for the “divine gift” that our little boy has been.

 

 

 

The Becker family arrived in Boston this past Sunday welcomed by our gracious and familiar hosts in Beacon Hill. We’ve spent the last few days preparing for Teddy’s first surgery, which is being performed this morning. Again we’re optimistic that all will go well and we’ll provide periodic updates here as we have them.

This procedure is called the Glenn. It is an open heart surgery during which doctors will detach the superior vena cava from Teddy’s heart and reattach it to his pulmonary artery. Doctors will also expand the size of Teddy’s left pulmonary artery to allow for more blood flow to the left lung and remove the stent that was placed in June.

While we’re certainly nervous of the risks, the Glenn has been characterized to us as a fairly standard procedure and we’re confident in the amazing team of doctors and nurses here. As long as all goes well, Teddy’s recovery will be around 7-10 days. We’re wishing our little man good luck and we’re thankful for the thoughts and prayers that have been sent our way.