We're in the stepdown room and Cody is recovering as expected! The fenestration is small but not closed completely. His pressure numbers (different from blood pressure) were very good, which was happy news at first, but then I found out that this news didn't surprise Cody's cardiologist. He says they're always good - even when other things aren't going so well - which is why the PLE (Protein Losing Enteropathy) has been a rather mysterious complication like in the past.
...I'm gonna get a little science-y next, but it's more for me than anyone reading because CaringBridge is also a place I can document details for future reference....
The surgeon did find that Cody's left innominate vein is fully occluded/clogged off. It's a large vein where the jugular and subclavian veins (from the very upper left body) join together before returning blood to the heart. This is not emergent, nor completely out of the ordinary, and most likely not even new. When veins get occluded the body compensates by creating new veins called collaterals. We've dealt with collaterals before. But, because of the direction that the cath was performed in Cody's body, they are unsure where those collaterals are actually traveling TO in the body. That information makes a difference to Cody's overall oxygen saturation numbers, and could influence decisions regarding the AFR device.
That could mean another cath in the future to find out, but that's not so necessary to find out at the moment. Especially since, at this point, the surgeon doesn't think Cody would even be approved for the AFR device with such good pressure numbers. BUT the cardiologist says that Cody's PLE isn't just a "pressures" issue; there's more to this puzzle. So right now we're going to just increase the med and watch his numbers closely. Not forever, just for now.
I've been experiencing flashbacks during these extensive conversations hypothesizing the effects various steps would create, weighing risks and benefits, thinking long and short term, and taking into consideration Cody's history with this 12 years ago. It's a tad overwhelming.
Soooo to escape the overwhelm we just come back to the present. Which is, as of 3:00, that they are now letting Cody sit up in the bed. We are making progress to getting home this evening! Just a few more things to check off the list for discharge.
Thank you for your prayers! It was a smooth procedure. 🙌🏻 Now the prayer request is for clarity as we'll need to make decisions in the future. ❤️
The pics are from before today's cath AND - for fun - from performances of High School Musical! For those who saw the play in person...surprise! Cody was the mascot too!!
