Successful Surgery!!!

Our sweet girl is going to be okay! The surgery was a success. Thank God!

Initially, the surgeon had some difficulty getting started due to a tremendous amount of scar tissue that formed after her last open heart surgery. This was the cause of the hour delay this morning before they could start the actual surgery. They literally had to peel her heart away from her chest and take out all of the scar tissue. The surgeon said it was one of the worst cases of scarring he had ever seen.

After that, everything went as planned. He was able to get a large enough valve in place to be able to last her a lifetime. Her heart did not go into block so she will not need a pacemaker.

I'm just so thankful and praising God for such a good result!

We should be able to see her in ICU within the half hour.

Thank you all SO much for praying and letting us know how much you love us!

In Surgery

Noelle's surgery started at about 10:20 this morning and should last between 4-6 hours.

She was not a happy camper this morning. So much fear and anxiety. It was harder this time. The docs gave her Versed to mellow her out before they took her back to the OR but it took awhile to kick in (especially since she very forcefully spit out the first dose we attempted!). She's such a fighter and I could tell that she didn't want to give in to the meds.

We will be paged again when she goes on heart/lung bypass.

The support, love and prayers from everyone has been incredible. Keep it comin'! I know it's the only reason I can sit here reasonably calm and write this.

Please also pray for the Tiegs family. Their sweet little Mya is also here at the hospital and had heart surgery. Here's the link to their blog. Stop by and let them know you are praying for them.

***UPDATE***
Just got a page. Noelle is on bypass and all is going well so far.

Just hearing that makes my hands shake and I try not to visualize too much. Deep breath! Thank you Lord for the strength to do this.

Pre-op appointments done

We survived our busy day of pre-op appointments! Everything is good and we will check in to the hospital tomorrow at 7:15 am. The surgeon has decided that it would be best for Noelle to use a mechanical valve. He is hoping to insert a valve that will be large enough for her when she reaches adulthood. The doctor is also doing the Konno procedure which will create more room in the subaortic area. This carries a 25% risk of something called heart block and would require a pacemaker. Please pray that Noelle's surgery would be free of complications!

The Ronald McDonald House had an opening for us today so we are grateful to have settled in there and glad it is so close to the hospital.

I am so thankful for wonderful family who drove all the way to Seattle to be with us today! They made us all feel so special and loved.

Pray also for strength and peace for us tomorrow. I know God will give us enough for each day.

Love to you all!

Wow, that was quick!

Seattle Children's just called. The surgeons met early on Noelle's case and she is scheduled for surgery next wednesday.

Back Home

Well, we are back home!

Noelle and Zach are chillin' out watching cartoons, Joel is getting his braces off at the orthodontist and I am catching a little sanity time.

We talked to absolutely everyone at Seattle Children's that we possibly could to try to get the valve replacement surgery scheduled sooner so we would not have to make another trip back, but to no avail. Right now we are just waiting for the docs to call us with a surgery date.

I'm not sure what this will mean for Noelle starting 1st grade or for me going back to work at my school.

I don't want to think about it right now, I just want to relax and enjoy the peace that today holds. I am not up for worrying about tomorrow at the moment!

Love to all who have prayed for us and given us support! You mean more to us than you could ever know!

Surgery Update

Noelle is in recovery after her cath lab procedure. They had to put a stent in her aorta rather than just a balloon dilation. Everything went well and her aortic arch is looking much better. We did have to sign on to a research study on an emergency basis after the doctor went in and decided she needed a stent but the typical bare metal stents that they use was not a safe option for her. They used a stent that is covered by a stretchy material (like gortex) and is experimental at this point but Seattle Children's is one of a handful of hospitals that do this routinely.
The big news is that the rest of her heart is not doing as well as we thought. She will need a valve replacement within 1-2 months (as soon as they can discuss her case and find the first available spot in the schedule).
As you know, we were hoping that this would not need to happen for at least a couple more years but apparently she is more of a ticking time bomb than we knew. Pretty scary actually; that was hard news to hear.
We are in good hands here. Seattle children's has been amazing so far and we feel well taken care of and informed.
Please be in prayer for all of us but especially Noelle. I fear for the emotional hit she is going to take when we tell her that we will be coming back here soon for the big surgery.

Ready to Go

I just finished packing for our trip to Seattle!

Please pray for Noelle on Monday morning. She will go into the cath lab to have the balloon dilation done at 11am.

I have felt so loved during the past few days by the many people who have been praying for us and thinking about us.

God is giving us peace and strength.