Healing Levi's Heart

I am hesitant to write this as none of it is set in stone, but I wanted you all to know what is going on so you can be praying specifically.The cardiologist called this morning. They were going to meet tomorrow with the cardio/ENT team to discuss Levi's heart and tracheal conditions but they have postponed it until next Wednesday.  Reason being, they want to do a sedated echo next Tuesday to look at Levi's Arterial Valve.  People have 2 arterial valves. Levi only has one very large one.  They want to look and see if there is enough tissue to divide the valve into two working valves.  IF this can be done,  our little guy will be able to have two working ventricles. They would then patch two very large holes and do a Right Ventricle-Pulmonary Artery conduit to re route his blood.  (His pulmonary valve and aortic valve are not where they should be.) 

If the arterial valve can not be divided he will have to have the Fontan procedure which will produce a single ventricle heart. The RV-PA conduit would not have to be done.

While the 2 ventricle surgery is a longer, more complicated surgery, the end results are better.  Levi will live a normal life with two ventricles. With the Fontan his heart will only last 10-20 years before he would need a heart transplant.  So, please join us in prayer for his arterial valve to be able to be divided into 2 valves!!

Next, it looks like the tracheal stenosis may be dealt with before the heart.  Reason being, the doctors feel Levi's pressures are good enough right now to wait 4-5 months for heart surgery.  They are concerned that his trachea may not handle being on the vent for such a long surgery and then the recovery time.  If they do the trachea first they can do the heart 3 months later and his trachea will be good to go. So unless this changes next week, it looks like his heart surgery will not be until summer and his trachea surgery in the next couple of months.  They are also going to try and do his cleft lip and palate at the same time as his trachea.  The trachea surgery sounds pretty simple but the recovery does not sound fun. They will cut a slit in the trachea and then take a piece of cartilage  from Levi's ear and use it to widen the circumference of the trachea.  He will then be placed on a ventilator for 5 days to allow the trachea to heal in the correct position and not close back up.  This 5 days however will help with the healing of the cleft as well.

Our little guy has finally gained a pound and he has grown 1.25" since coming home!! Continue to pray for weight gain as he doesn't have much he can lose when the surgeries start up!

We will continue to update the blog as we find out more but for now be praying for the valves! We will know by next Wednesday!