March 5th 2012
I stayed the remainder of my time at Krystal’s house and on Tuesday we checked into CIMA. Dad had to stay back and finish some work up and he was also moving all our things into our new home. This was a very big job!! Last summer little by little we have been working on a one floor home. My dad moved everything out of our old home and into the new as the plan was for me to come home from my surgery to my new home. I am so looking forward to going home already!
Once inside the hospital, we ran some blood work for the anesthesiologist and another Complete Blood Count. Everything is coming back clear. My cardiologist Dr. Rafael Gutiérrez came by that evening to run an Eco Cardiogram before the surgery. I have a slight miscommunication between my left and right ventricle. Dr.Gutierrez wanted to make sure that everything was okay with me before I was put under anesthesia. That night three out of the five doctors came into my room to talk to my parents. They explained to them all the risks and complications of the surgery. They were all very much concerned that once they intubated me they I would like the ventilator breathing for me and not be able to come of the tube. Ny lungs were not in the best of the shape. In order to do laparoscopic surgery my stomach will have to be filled up with Carbon monoxide. Sometimes kids have a hard time with tolerating the gas and then open surgery will have to be performed. Even after all the risks were put in front of my parents, they decided the benefits outweighed the cons. I was scheduled for surgery at 7am the following day.
That night around 9pm I began to have the hiccups. This lasted for an hour and then the phlegm and trouble breathing started. Before I knew it I was on 6 liters of oxygen and having a very hard time breathing. Mom went out to the nurses station and asked them to call Jose my respiratory therapist. Jose has been working on me since I have been 1yrs old. My parents totally rely and trust him. After 20 minutes had passed mom went back out to the nurses station and asked for Jose and Carolina told us that he was in Emergencies with a patient in very bad condition. Ok, my mom says how long will that take? There was no answer. After another 20 minutes had passed and mom and dad working on me things really had not improved. Mom told Carolina that I needed to be aspirated and mom really did not want to have to do that. Besides, she is just my mom not the professional and hey we were in a hospital paying!!!!! Why was there not another therapist on the floor????? The nurse Carolina suggested that she could aspirate me. So at that point mom did not care and said yes do it as I really needed to be suctioned. She began to aspirate me just when Jose walked in the door. I have to say my mom was a little mean when he walked in the door she pounced on him as she and my dad were very frustrated that no one was there to take care of me in a very crucial time… Heck I have surgery tomorrow! I need to sleep!!! Finally at 12:00 am I was finished with therapy! Time for bed now.. No one really got any sleep.
Malia xo