The Burlingames

Chronicling the adventures of the B's

Category: Mr. Eli

July 12, 2011

Praise God!!!

by Megan

Dr. Moga (the cardiologist surgeon) just came in. He said everything went great. They did the Fontan procedure and put pacemaker leads in as well. Eli is on his way to his recovery room and we’ll be able to see him within the hour.

The reason for the pacemaker leads is because Eli’s heart rate does not increase enough when under stress or pressure. EX: His heart rate should be between 70-137 at normal, resting rate. Yesterday when he was having blood drawn (a slightly tramatic experience), his heart rate only increased to 130. Dr. Moga said the same thing today, during surgery his heart rate stayed fairly platonic. The leads are there for future purposes (just in case), so they won’t have to do another open heart surgery just to put the leads in.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers. We appreciate it very, very much!!

Leave a comment
July 12, 2011

Report

by Megan

Dr. Rios and Dr. Burton have both been in a few times. Dr. Rios is Eli’s pediatric cardiologist. Dr. Burton is the cardiologist who is in the surgery room (he is not performing the surgery).

Dr. Rios said everything is going great. He said Eli was doing really well. He said there have been no surprises, which is always good. :)

Dr. Burton just came in again and said they were getting ready to close him up, it should only be a few more minutes. They were going to finish up the surgery and take him back to his recovery room. Once he has had some recovery time (an hour or two) then we’ll be able to go see him.

Thank you for all your prayers!!

Leave a comment
July 12, 2011

Surgery Has Begun

by Dave

Eli went into the OR about 7:30 this morning. They spent the first chunk of time getting everything setup and all his lines in. The actual surgery started about 9:15. The plan is for about four hours of actual surgery followed by the time required to come out of anesthesia.

A doctor just came in and said things are going well. More updates to come later.

1 Comment
July 4, 2011

Two things…

by Megan

Today I decided there are two things that I really, really like; some could even say I love them.

1. I really, really like our new stroller. I took the boys on a 4.5 mile walk today and was just impressed at how smooth it rode, easy it was to push and how comfortable the boys were. Their seats are completely independent of each other, one can lay down while the other sits up. They each have their own snack tray and cup holder. Their umbrella shades are independent of each other as well. There is a big basket below the seats which is great for storage. However, there is a bar that prohibits us from putting the diaper bag down there, which is ok because we can still hang it from the handle bars like before.

Here is a picture of the boys in the new stroller. It only took me about 15 minutes to put it together. We got it from Walmart.com for $150. In our opinion, it was a ‘steal of a deal’, especially considering how expensive double strollers can be. We also wanted to buy a new one because we will have it and use it for years to come.

2. I did this with Eli and I’m doing it with Noah and I still enjoy it…A LOT! I am making Noah’s baby food. I found a good website, www.wholesomebabyfood.com; I’ve tried many of their recipes and I’m looking forward to trying more. So far, Noah hasn’t turned down a single food item that I have made for him. He has eaten everything and always wants more! I enjoy saving our family tons of money by buying fresh, frozen or canned produce and making my own baby food. I can buy a big sweet potato for less an a dollar and get 6-10 meals out of it whereas baby food sweet potatoes can cost from 50-85 cents a  jar. That’s ridiculous! Now, I’ll admit that with Eli, if the food was on sale and I didn’t have a ton of time, I did buy some baby food for him. I generally block off a few hours, puree tons of food, put it containers in the fridge and as the ice-cube trays are freed up, I freeze more. I love having a variety of food for him to eat. We were blessed with about 60 jars of pureed meat (someone bought a TON (at 92 cents a jar) and their child didn’t like it so it was passed on to us) and Noah loves it! Each meal consist of some meat, veggies and fruit for dessert. All in all, I enjoy making the food and Noah is a very good eater.

Those are just two of the things I like today. Enjoy!

Leave a comment
June 28, 2011

2 weeks

by Megan

In 2 weeks is Eli’s 3rd (and God willing – last) open-heart surgery. I have a lot of mixed emotions regarding his surgery and preparing for it. Part of me is just looking forward to getting it done and having it over with and the other part of me is completely dreading the entire thing.

My feelings…

– Scared: there are so many unknowns right now – how quickly is he going to recover, is he going to survive, are there going to be any complications (during or after), etc.

– Overwhelmed: I’ve been busy getting childcare lined up for Noah so he doesn’t have to spend his days (and nights) at the hospital (I want him there for part of the time but I also want him to get out for part of the time) and so Dave and I can spend our time at the hospital with Eli. There is just so much to prepare for because of the number of people who will be caring for him (thank you to all those by the way). I need to have clothes, diapers, wipes, breast milk/formula, food, etc. packed up and ready to go for each individual watching him (so far its 3 people but might be more)  before I leave for Eli’s surgery.

– Sad: my mom won’t be there to help me. She was going to stay with us and care for Noah so we could focus on Eli. I’m sad that she won’t be there to give me hugs and support.

– Nervous: I’m nervous about how everything will go – Eli and his surgery and Noah and his care (I’m confident in the care but I’m nervous how he will behave, he’s a good baby for us so I’m hoping he’ll be a good baby for others).

–  Dread: I’m just dreading the whole thing. I don’t want Eli to have surgery. I don’t want to find people to take Noah. I don’t want to do anything except stay home with my boys.

We covet your prayers for Eli, Noah, us, the nurses, the doctors and those watching Noah.

  • Eli – his recovery (that it be speedy), his ability to listen to his body and rest and his overall attitude (it would be nice of he stayed in good spirits)
  • Noah – he’ll be carted around from place to place during our hospital stay. Pray that he’ll adapt well and continue to be the happy little baby that he generally is.
  • Dave and I – that we can lean on each other and be supportive and encouraging. Pray for our mental health, our hearts and our attitudes.
  • Dr. Moga (surgeon) and Dr. Rios (pediatric cardiologist) – wisdom, strength, patience and understanding
  • The nurses – wisdom, patience with Eli and us, the ‘right’ words to say to us and understanding
  • Noah’s childcare providers – patience with my baby boy, understanding for any crabbiness he may display, lots and lots of love and flexibility

I know there is a lot more going through my head, but I’m struggling getting it out in words.

1 Comment