First night post-op: Success!!

Little Eli pulled through his first night post-op much better than expected thanks to the vigilant prayer covering that you all have made possible. Praise the Lord!

His chest is still open, which is SOP in these cases, to make sure that they have easy access in case something goes wrong and also because they have attached little electrodes on his heart in case they need to zap his heart back into rhythm if it should get off beat. He also has two drainage tubes underneath each nipple . Thankfully he only has minimal swelling, so the doctors are going to start giving him some extra fluid nutrition to see if he will start peeing some more. Having heavier and more regular urine output will indicate to the docs that his kidneys will be able to process and drain the excess fluid on its own and they will feel more comfortable closing his chest and pulling out the drainage tubes. If everything goes well and he keeps making excellent progress they expect to be able to close him up in 24-48 hrs and then the real hard work of recovery will begin.

Also, we were informed earlier that he would have to remain on the ventilator for a week or two post-op, but the nurse and doctor last night said that they would start to ween him off the machine only 24-48 hrs after they close his chest, so that was another piece of good news.

Again, we ask that y'all keep praying especially to help ward off any negative effects on his brain, heart and lungs from the surgery and being on the ventilator.

We love you all and thanks so much for your prayers and willingness to actively participate in Eli's life.