*there's a little cooperator continued...

One of the EMTs had heard of TOF so she asked questions and talked to me during the trip which made it go quickly. Before leaving on the stretcher Will had been getting oxygen from a little mask and sometimes from what they call blow-by. Meaning they just hold the oxygen near his face. I don't think he had any oxygen during the scene on the stretcher, but when we got in the ambulance he was given a little tiny oxygen mask. It was so cute. I would compare it to a walnut cut in half. By then his sats were in the 90s and he was back to looking and acting like himself.

We waited in the ER a short while and Will got an IV. They aren't using the IV for anything but drawing blood but they leave it in in case they need to give him medicine quickly. Which makes sense because it takes upwards of 20 minutes to get one in him. He also got some X rays and we were asked several times to describe what happened during the Tet spell. Then we were transported to his room. That is a fancy way of saying I carried him while we walked behind someone who led the way.

Since then he has been in a crib with a mobile hanging overhead that makes him ridiculously happy. He smiles and kicks for hours at the mobile. His naps and feeding are smiliar to what would happen at home but just like us, he doesn't sleep quite as well. We can get him out of the crib to hold and rock him but we can't walk too far away from the monitors he is attached to with cords. Thankfully the nurses on the night shift feed him for us so we can get some sleep. There is a couch bed for sleeping and Chris and I are taking turns spending the night.

Will getting a feeding. You can see the bag of formula hanging over the pump on the right. Also, you can tell he is mesmerized by his favorite thing - the mobile!

Other events here have included an EKG, more echos of his heart, and his pediatrician coming by to visit (on a Saturday!). The hospital stay overall has been good. We are more comfortable and know our way around. Will is old enough now to appreciate toys and will sit very still while being read to in the rocker. We have enjoyed the nurses assigned to Will this time around.

Right after being admitted, we were asked if a student could take Will's history. This was the student's first case so he was excited. The next morning he presented Will's case during rounds and the resident and attending cardiologists quizzed him about different things: what are the four parts of TOF, what would be done if Will had another Tet spell, etc. By hearing the answers we get to learn along with the student. For example, a typical heart with TOF will be shaped like a boot. Sometimes it isn't but conveniently this student got to see one first hand from the echo taken of Will's in the ER. Just another example of how cooperative Will has been! ;) A textbook case study in the boot shaped heart. Also, we've been told that he has a "classic" sounding murmur.

Day 1
The green sock is covering the IV port in his arm.

Remember: pictures with smiles will also be blurry due to his excited body movements.

This so-called gown was useless. It made him sweaty and stayed bunched up behind his head. When he was lifted it resembled a cape. Despite being a pain it was fun to call him Super Will With A Yellow Cape.

Taking a nap Saturday. A nurse will periodically flush his IV to make sure it isn't clogged. That day it was clogged so it was removed and he got a different one in a different spot - his foot. In the meantime he got really comfortable for his nap.

Is anyone else noticing how chubby he is looking???

Surgery will be early tomorrow morning. I will probably be on the computer some to pass the time. It should take between 4 and 6 hours and we will get updates every 1-2 hours. I'll try to share the updates here.