Saturday, September 8, 2012

Rejoicing in the Moment

Will is now resting in ICU.  All of his vitals are good, and his color has returned to his cheeks.  He did have to receive one blood transfusion during the surgery and then during the night last night it was looking like he would need a second transfusion but at this point his blood levels are rebounding so well they have decided to let him recover on his own.  The IV's are pouring into him, so he's getting the sustenance he needs through that.  He has had some juice, but does not have any appetite yet and has a bit of an upset stomach.
Dry lips in recovery!


When signing our consent prior to the surgery, the doctors made sure that we understood there were serious concerns that Will could have weakness on the right side of his body, as the area they were removing was very close to the motor strip in his brain.  At the same time, they were optimistic that it would not be affected.  Thankfully, immediately after surgery and before any temporary swelling could happen, Will had full motion and plenty of strength, proving that the motor strip was not impacted by the surgery.  It actually took 4 of us to hold him down to keep him from pulling out his arterial line.  He was so strong immediately after the surgery that he actually bent one of the immobilizers they had placed on his arms to keep him pulling out IV's.  We are so happy to see him with a full range of motion, and also so determined and full of fight despite everything that has happened to him over the past week.

The doctors have been streaming in this morning, and the entire team is very impressed with what they are seeing.  His strength and recovery so far have been astounding.  The entire team seems very pleased with how the procedure went - there were no surprises and results were the best we could have hoped for.  They are very optimistic that he will now be able to learn to talk and progress forward with his development.

Will's field of vision is almost certainly completely gone on the right half of both of his eyes, and we can definitely tell when standing on that side of his crib that he has lost visual field.  He will have some adjustment to deal with over time, but nothing insurmountable.
As long as I have my Mom, I'm OK

Overall, we are exhausted, depleted, and a bit giddy with excitement and joy - but always with a measure of caution.  We were told in November that surgery was a success, only to have our elation come crashing back to the ground in an instant.  We are way too far along in this journey to think that can't happen again.  Regardless, given all our little Buster has been through, it feels really good to feel hope and optimism for our little boy, and right now...we are going to rejoice in this moment.


5 comments:

  1. What a strong little man!! He is a fighter! Keeping the positive thoughts and prayers coming your way!!

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  2. The last few days you guys have been on my mind constantly. I keep sending healing thoughts to Will and pray that God will help you find comfort as you go through all this. I constantly was checking yesterday, as the operation was going on, to see if anything more was posted, continuing with prayers and asking God to please help Will. All of you will remain in my prayers for a longtime to come. May God Bless you all and keep you safe and calm through this trying time.

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  3. What an absolutely amazing family - the Slatterys and McClellands! I too was constantly checking FB and the blog for updates. It is no wonder Will is doing so well after now, his third brain surgery. He has incredible genes on both sides! God Bless You All and know that everyone is being continually prayed for and blessed. (friend of Grandpa Dan)

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  4. So happy and full of hope for Will! Love you guys...

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  5. Looking forward to the day Will and Cully can get together and ride bikes at the playground. Confident we will each pull it off too.
    Cully says "Hi Will"
    :>)

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