Brycen's Story on the Local News

Today we got to meet the nurses, Kristy and Judy, that found Brycen's murmur originally and then informed the doctor about it. This is a moment we've been waiting on since we arrived home from Children's, but it took us a while to track down Kristy, the nurse that heard the murmur.

Christy's mom and the administration staff from my office joined us in thanking these ladies and the staff at Willow Creek Hospital for the job they did and the role they played in saving Brycen's life. Two local tv stations were there as was the state newspaper. Below is the video from the news and the links to thier stations.

We continue to be amazed by the story that Brycen will live to tell.

www.nwahomepage.com and www.4029tv.com (no video yet).

Kristy and Judy, Thank You again for what you have done for our family!!!

Updated Pictures

As you can see Brycen was all smiles. He was up bright and early playing. His four month shots on Tuesday will probably hurt him worse than his heart procedure.

Back Home

Trip number 2 is said and done! Brycen is as happy and playful as he's ever been. He's doing excellent. I don't have the right cable right now, so I can't post pictures but he's all smiles.

We will go back for a check-up on Dec 1 to monitor how the procedure is holding up and see if we need more surgery down the road.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support! Have a great weekend!

Procedure Complete

The procedure is finished and Brycen is in a CVICU room. The procedure went well, but the problem wasn't fixed completely. Unfortunately, the recurrence of the coarctation wasn't caused by scar tissue. It appears that the coarctation is recurring at the point where a clamp was placed during his first surgery. Dr. Fontenot was able to open up the aorta most of the way and hopefully the area will stay expanded long term. But the area didn't open completely, and could be the cause for another surgery, and possible stint, down the road.

All in all, we're doing well. If you have called and we have not returned your call, we will do so within the next day or so. Brycen is in a room with a roommate, so we are restricted on cell phone use. We can't thank you enough for all of your support!

Progress

We just talked with the nurse technician and Brycen is doing well. The procedure involves going up the femoral artery into the aorta and taking a picture, then inserting the balloon, then going back and taking another picture. The first round of pictures showed that there was a larger difference in the gradient (blood pressure) on one side of the coarctation than the other, so the balloon was a little larger, but it has gone well so far. They are now in the process of withdrawing the balloon and will go back in and take the last set of pictures to make sure the area is expanded and to make sure that the gradient is equal throughout his aorta.

We should know more in about an hour. At that time the procedure will be finished and we will talk with Dr. Fontenot. We will update after we talk to him and get settled into our room.

Underway!

We met with Dr. Fontenot this morning and got to take Brycen back to the operating area. Brycen was hungry and fussy, but ended up falling asleep before we went back. We put him on the table and Dr Watkins gave him the laughing gas. Brycen was sound asleep and they are beginning the procedure.

We will be given hourly updates and the procedure should take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

We will post as soon as we know progress.

Off to Children's!

Brycen's procedure will be at 8:30 tomorrow morning. It is expected to take about 2 hours. We will post on the blog as soon as we can and will start the text message tree as well. If you get a text please pass the word along.

This procedure is MUCH LESS threatening than his original surgery, but has been twice as hard to handle emotionally. We can't thank you all enough for all of your prayers and support. You have been wonderful to us and we can't wait to share God's good news tomorrow!