Cath is complete!

Coley had his cardiac catheterization this morning. It was a longer one than last time - about 3 hours. He did great leading up to it - didn't seem nervous or scared. Everyone is so nice and comforting here! (The nurse he's with now returned back today from maternity leave after having twins! She's great.) He drank his "sleeping medicine" with very little complaint and it definitely worked! He seemed completely stoned within about 10 minutes and they wheeled him away at about 9am...

Reading before sleepy time.

Ted and I hadn't eaten because Coley couldn't eat and we didn't want to torture him. So after we sat and cried for a tiny minute, we went down to the lobby for breakfast and met my dad. We went back to my dad's office to read, watch the Wire, and wait for updates. Lovely 7th floor corner office with a view. Thanks Dad!

Watching TV, waiting for the meds to kick in.

Cherry popsicle after the cath.

He was finished by about 11:45. We had to try (*try*) to keep him still and his legs straight as he was coming out of the anesthesia, but he was pretty antsy. He really wanted to get out of bed; kept saying "I'm getting down! I'm getting down!" But the nurse let him lie in my lap in a chair and we watched an episode of Dora. Then he seemed to calm down and be still for a good hour or so. He finally got back in bed and had a popsicle. That seemed to perk him up a lot and now he's sitting up, having juice, and playing with a new toy the hospital gave him.

We just met with his cardiologist and the surgeon and they are very pleased with what they see. They say he's in a good position going into the Fontan procedure Monday. The pressures in his heart and the adjoining vessels are good. They coiled off (closed off) one collateral vessel in preparation for Monday. That will keep the pressure where they want it when they hook up his new connection Monday. (They'll be connecting the inferior vena cava to the pulmonary artery so the blood returning from the lower body gets oxygenated in the lungs before it returns to the heart).  

They told us we'll be able to go home tonight if he's eating and drinking ok and he gets a couple doses of antibiotics. He has to stay still in bed until about 5 or 6:00 though. And then we come back Monday morning. He'll be the first case, meaning into the OR at 7:30, meaning we have to be here at 6am!! That means no traffic, which is nice, and it's not like we're going to be sleeping anyway... Also, the surgery will take longer than last time, too, for a number of reasons. More like 4-5 hours. Last time it was only 45 minutes!

As for Ted and me, we're just relieved this next step is over. A cath is pretty routine, but it's heart surgery, too, and not without risks. So it's nice to check that one off.

Thanks for looking in on us and for all the love we know you are sending. We feel it, truly we do. Thank you.