Eli's chest x-ray this morning revealed a large pleural effusion. That means there's a pocket of fluid in his lung cavity. Dr. Abraham has decided to proceed with the "diaphragm plication" Friday morning. He will make an incision in Eli's right side and use a few stitches to tack down the diaphragm in hopes of allowing more room in the chest cavity. That will allow Eli's right lung to more fully expand. That should help keep his oxygen levels up & help him get rid of any future fluid accumulation. While he's in the OR, Dr. Abraham will drain the fluid we know is there and may opt to place a chest tube as well.
The surgery is scheduled to start between 7 and 7:30am. Eli will be taken from his room on the Peds Unit to the pre op area around 6:30. The procedure itself doesn't take very long, but he will likely go to the PICU afterwards for the remainder of the day and the night before returning to the general floor sometime Saturday. The nurses on our current floor are pretty certain they can hold our room for us and we won't have to take everything out for a one night PICU stay. That's a stress reliever for me!
I know we just asked this Wednesday, but if you could wear your shirts Friday to show your support for Eli we would appreciate it. Even more appreciated are the prayers and well wishes! Please pray for Eli's safety in the OR and during recovery. Pray that this will resolve the issue of fluid in his chest and make him stronger. As the day goes on, it's obvious that his breathing is getting more labored. He's fine, he's crazy and he's active so he is not in any distress, but that fluid is pushing on his lungs and needs to come out.
Thank you so much! Hopefully the next time we ask you to wear your shirts it will be discharge day! I will update as possible on Friday.
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