Preparing for surgery

Well...we think Garrett heard us talking about the ventilator challenge, so he told us in his own way that he wasn't ready. Last night, he would try to let the ventilator do all of the work (which meant only breathing 20 times in one minute), so his heart rate and oxygen saturation would both drop. When the doctor examined him again, he could hear the heart murmur. They did another echo-cardiogram and could see that the PDA was open. it

I didn't think it could open again once it was closed, but I learned that with such immature lungs...it probably either appeared to be closed or with the push of fluids during his infection it could've been pushed open again. So, we are now preparing to have surgery to close the PDA vessel. It is a pretty "routine surgery" and I have talked with a lot of NICU mom's whose child has had this surgery...but it is a lot different when it is your child who is about to have surgery.

They have taken him off of his feedings and have started a blood transfusion to help him get ready. The surgery is supposed to be sometime tomorrow, but we have not heard a definite date or time. We are praying that the surgery goes well and that this will help prepare Garrett for the day they actually can take him off of the ventilator.