Over the past week or so, I've been spending a lot of time with Ella's tummy.
Her perfect, soft, squishy little belly.
Today she is having surgery. Surgery to place a g-tube (gastrostomy feeding tube) in her stomach. This will permanently replace the ng-tube that she has in her nose.
I know that this feeding tube will help her. It was continue to provide a way for her weak body to get the proper nourishment that it needs.
But it's hard. It's hard to bring Ella to the hospital to have a hole punctured through her abdomen. Permanently.
She will no longer have the unmarred tummy that she has right now. This is the first invasive procedure that Ella will have done as a result of her SMA. And it's a bit of a tough pill to swallow. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to her soft, squishy tummy as we know it.
So I've been enjoying every second I can with her adorable little belly. Don't get me wrong, it will still be adorable. It will just be different. And it will take some getting used to.
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| One last look at Ella's tummy with only one belly button. |
Enjoying some "tummy time"...
The surgery itself is very routine. It will be done at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
The risk for Ella is the anesthesia. Her pulmonologist explained that when a person has a general anesthesia, their lungs collapse a little bit. It takes a lot of chest strength to get the lungs breathing properly again after being intubated during surgery. Add the effects of the pain medication, which will make her muscles weaker than normal, and it will put a lot of strain on Ella's weak chest muscles.
She will need to be on her bi-pap machine to help her lungs immediately after surgery (and up to 24 hours straight following the procedure).
Because of the added risk as an SMA patient, she will need to stay in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) for at least two nights following the surgery.
We will keep our blog updated with her progress. Please keep our Squishy in your thoughts and prayers today :)
