Tag: surgery

Monday, 27 Oct 2008

We arrived at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on Monday morning, shortly before the 08:15 “show time” for Ella’s 09:45 surgery. The “pre-surgical routine was brightened by the many friendly faces we have come to know over the past 18 months. Beth, one of our favorite PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit) nurses stopped by and played with Ella for about 15 minutes.

Four hours into the procedure, Ella’s surgeon sent word that he was unable to perform the planned procedure. Infection had compromised tracheal cartilage repaired in last April’s resection.

Instead, he performed a second “tracheal resection.” Thankfully, Ella was stable and safe through it all. The surgery concluded several hours later then originally scheduled. After debriefing with the doctor, I spoke with Lisa from the PACU. However, I could only bring myself to tell her Ella was safe. I called early the following day and told her the unhappy details.
Ella will remain in the hospital for two week. During which time she will undergo an IV antibiotic treatment regime of Zosyn (piperacillin/tazobactam, 1500mg/8 hours) and Vancomycin (254mg/8 hours).

Thank you for your prayers

Thursday, 28 Apr 2005

Gabriella spent three hours in surgery yesterday. During which, the doctors placed a plastic stent (hollow plastic tube) into the narrowing portion of her airway.

Unfortunately, Ella sustained a nasty burn on her lower lip (right side) and tongue (right front) – both her lip and tongue have large blisters. Although these injuries are clearly very painful to wee Ella, we are pleased the staff is working overtime to ensure she has ample pain medication available.

It appears the burn was caused by a piece of equipment which overheated. Thankfully, Dr. Cable discovered the problem before Ella sustained permanent damage.

A nasal feeding tube (NG tube) has been inserted so that food and oral medications can be introduced away from her mouth. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Thursday, 03 Mar 2005:

Gabriella met with her ENT doctors today, and as expected she received the green light from them for her surgery next Wednesday.

During the visit, Dr Cable answered ALL of the questions on Mum’s “pre-surgery” list. It is no small job being an effective advocate for Ella. Critical to that effort is gaining a thorough understanding of all aspects of Ella’s care prior to any procedure.

Mum is an outstanding advocate for Ella because she is not afraid to ask the doctors the tough questions.

Pictured left is proof that Dr. Baeger (left) and Dr. Cable (right) survived Mum’s many questions. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Wednesday, 23 Feb 2005:

Gabriella made her weekly visit to the Tripler ENT clinic today.

Dr Cable was pleased with her overall appearance as well the status of her trach tube and airway. Naturally, Ella showed no signs of having been ill over the weekend.

Instead, she was her bright and lively self.

The big news from that visit is that we set the date for Ella’s next surgery – March 9th. Now we just have to decide which surgical procedure to choose.

Pictured left is Lisa’s Mum, Sylvia, feeding wee Ella. All for now.

Thank you for your prayers.

Thursday, 09 Dec 2004:

Just seven days ago wee Ella underwent her follow-on surgical procedure. Once GG was sedated, her doctors visually inspected the portion of her airway which they had repaired on 10 November. After less than an hour, Dr. Cable (Gabriella’s ENT doctor) showed us photos of her WIDE OPEN Airway. Thankfully, the procedure was successful. Afterwards, Gabriella had a short stay in the PICU, before returning home. Since then, Gabriella has done wonderfully well. Mum and Dad are slowly getting used to living life outside of the medical crisis zone.

Last week we had our first family outing – we went to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in our little town of Kailua. The Marine Corps Band played Christmas carols. Father Christmas arrived on a trolley with all of his helpers…the Christmas tree lights looked spectacular. It was a wonderful event. We especially enjoyed the live nativity scene where Lucy managed to give one of baby goats a BIG HUG. As our family prepares to celebrate the birth of Christ, rest assured, we will be praying for you and your family. As always,

thank you for your prayers.

Tuesday, 09 Nov 2004 (5 pm):

The surgery to open Gabriella’s airway is scheduled for early tomorrow morning. Always the patient one, Gabriella tolerated the two-week pause in her treatment without complaining. However, the narrowness of GG’s airway and minimal treatment options available has had both Mum and Dad, on pins and needles for the duration of “the pause.”

On the bright side – the steroids Ella takes to reduce her airway swelling, has helped her “bulk up” – she has eaten like a wee horse over the past few weeks and she appears to be gaining weight. Ella will likely spend at least two-days intubated and on a respirator in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) following her surgery. We feel confident she will once again do well during her surgery and recovery period.

Thank you for your prayers.

Wednesday, 22 Sep 2004

Wednesday, September 22: Gabriella remains in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following her heart surgery yesterday. Her condition is stable and she looks a bit more pink than she did immediately after surgery. All signs indicate the repairs to her heart are successful. Additionally, no adverse reactions – such as a stroke, or damage to her liver, kidneys, or other organs – have been noted. Dr. Lamberti is pleased with her progress and he anticipates closing her chest tomorrow night or on Friday. The reason he decided not to close her chest is because her lungs are swollen with fluid – a condition not uncommon in this type of case. We have great confidence in her caregivers, especially the ICU nurses. They NEVER leave her side.

We are grateful for all of the emails of support and apologize that we are not able to respond to them. Several of you have asked for our mailing address her in Palo Alto, it is:

The Gentry Family
1812 Sand Hill Road Apt# 207
Palo Alto, CA 94304-2135

God Bless you all for your support and thank you for your prayers.

Tuesday, 21 Sep 2004

Tuesday, September 21 (Gabriella is Three Months Old Today!): At 0700 this morning we handed little Gabriella over to the doctors from the anesthesia team. We sent her off on her big adventure with lots of hugs and kisses and prayers – and more than just a few tears. She assured us that she is ready.

Over the weekend she was in fine form. She slept and slept and slept some more. It was almost as if she could sense the challenge ahead and was resting up for it. Finally, we were pleasantly surprised by her weight this morning: 5 Kilos or 11 pounds.

Thank you for your prayers.

Saturday, 18 Sep 2004

Saturday, September 18: Everyone will be happy to hear that Gabriella is doing well and her “numbers” (Heart Rate, Oxygen Saturation, Blood Pressure, Intake and Output, etc.) are all stable and within acceptable ranges for a little girl with her medical conditions. We are hoping for a nice quiet weekend so that all of us are able to rest prior to this Tuesday – the date of GG’s surgery.

The staff here at Stanford are all very busy and business-like. Although they do their best to make us feel welcome, it’s still not the same as being looked after by our Tripler family. Lucy can’t seem to understand why she can’t find “Nurse Bonnie” or “Nurse Kim.” The past few days were a bit hectic. We moved from the Marriott Residence Hotel which was several miles away from the hospital and not especially well suited to the needs of a two-year old, to an “executive apartment” that is almost right next to the hospital. The new digs are more like being at home – with room for Lucy to play (inside and outside).

Throughout all of the recent upheaval, Lucy has been a real trooper. We are truly blessed to have her, as she is a ray of sunshine.

On Wednesday, Dad and Lucy went to the Commissary and Navy Exchange at Naval Air Station Moffet Field for food and supplies. Both places were amazingly well stocked with goods – prior to our arrival – we put a sizable dent in their inventory.

Lastly, we will try to post updates more often now that we are settled. Ironically, Internet access here at the hospital is somewhat limited – hard to imagine that would be the case here in the heart of high-tech northern California.

Thank you for your prayers.

Wednesday, 08 Sep 2004

Wednesday, 08 September: GG returned to the hospital of Sunday, 05 September, for observation and adjustment of her many medications. Although she had a bit of a rough time on Sunday and Monday, as the doctors struggled to establish an intravenous (IV) line, she is now doing well and receiving medications via a central IV line (femoral).

Gabriella’s surgery is now scheduled for 21 September at Stanford. We will be traveling to Stanford early next week – as everyone agrees that it is prudent for GG to be closer to her surgeon. We will all breathe a sigh of relief once the wheels touch-down in the Bay Area. Rest assured, GG continues to receive the finest medical treatment – she is comfortable and doing well. Mum, Dad, and Lucy are scrambling a bit to keep up with the changes, but are also doing well overall.

As always, thank you for your prayers.

Tuesday, 31 Aug 2004

Tuesday, 31 August:

Big News # 1 Gabriella has topped the 9 pound mark and is still growing!

Big News # 2 We now have a date for Gabriella’s heart surgery at Stanford – 28 September 2004.

The surgeon who will perform the operation, Dr John Lamberti, is in Hawaii this week and we are scheduled to meet with him this Thursday. We have great faith and confidence in the Stanford medical team, as they are exceptionally skilled in this type of surgery.

Please take a moment to read the following story about an operation the Stanford team performed on a tiny baby: Packard Heart Surgeon Performs Operation on Smallest Infant.

This morning we headed to Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) to meet with Gabriella’s Cardiologist, Dr. Mahnke, regarding her elevated temperature and the associated tests. All of the tests came back negative, so it is doubtful she has an infection. Nevertheless, we continue to give her Tylenol to keep the fever in check and that seems to be working.

Thank you for your prayers.