Post Fontan - Day 1

Audra is making great progress. It is hard to believe that she had surgery just yesterday. Audra is really ready to get up and going but we have to take things slow. 

We have known that Audra likes to do things her way or throw a tantrum. And this seems to be not too different. She has not been cooperating with having a nasal cannula. Whenever she is awake, she goes straight to her nose to try to rip it off. You can tell it is really bothering her but as the day has gone in, she has tolerated it better. Hopefully, it will come off tomorrow. 

Last night we had one of our favorite nurses which really calmed our nerves. She did a great job responding when Audra was clearly uncomfortable and we feel like she is getting the best care possible when in her hands. All of the nurses, okay most of the nurses, here are really great but it is especially nice to have one that you already have a trusting relationship with caring for your little one in the first night. 

Audra's oxygen saturation levels have been great! Although she still has a low flow of oxygen, she has reached sats of 96 and 98. This isn't much for most of us but for Audra who was at 82-ish pre-op, this is huge. She is going to have so much more energy once she is fully recovered, it will be unbelievable. 

Audra got 3 lines out today with another repeat nurse. One of the lines measured the pressures in her heart. This is one that is nice to have out because Audra is able to move more without fear of puncturing her internally. 

She has been weaned from most of her iv pain killers and is moving toward taking meds orally. This will allow her to get rid of another line so she will only have her iv. She also had been drinking a fair share of juice and milk but got an upset stomach and rejected it back out. So we are letting her stomach settle a bit

more since the anesthesia can cause an upset stomach. 

For a while today we thought that she was in pain because she was crying,

gritting her teeth and trying to roll over. But after adjusting her pain meds, we decided that Audra was just showing her dislike for the current situation (as her dad would say) and letting us know. As we weaned her from the heavy pain medicines, she began to do better. Her night shift nurses tonight even got a wave from her. Audra got to watch part of the Tigers victory tonight and is now sleeping. 

Thank you for all of the love, support and prayers we have received. 

Now we have to pray that The drainage from Audra's chest tubes clear up especially as she is on the move and eating here the next few days. We have heard over and over that the drainage from the tubes is what keeps kids here so we need Rhodes prayers that her drainage clears up and we have no other unforeseen issues. Thank you in advance!

All the best! We will update again soon.