The Glenn...(the short version!)

As we prepared for the Glenn we had mixed emotions. On one hand, we knew he needed this next surgery, which would make him much stronger, but we dreaded sending our baby off to the OR again. From all we had learned about other kids who have the same condition, we figured that this surgery would be much easier on all of us. We were told to expect a 7-10 day recovery. This was not the case. Much like his first open-heart surgery, this one was very hard on him. He went into surgery very weak & had a moderate tricuspid valve leak that also needed repaired to improve the function of his heart. The surgery was a success, but the anesthesiologist told us that he had a difficult job keeping Josh stable. He said that Joshua kept him on his toes, the whole time.
When we were taken back to see him after surgery it was very emotional for me to see him in that state again. But I instantly noticed that he was pink! He had been so blue leading up to the surgery, so it was nice to see the results so suddenly. But he hit every bump in the road this time around too. First he had gotten staph a infection, then his rhythm was off, then he had severe anxiety attacks, he had damage to his glads etc, etc. After nearly 5 long weeks of recovery in the PCICU, eventually he was taken back to the OR, his chest re-opened & had a pacemaker placed in him.
Then finally after 6 weeks at UCSF we were able to take him home again! So much for a 7-10 day recovery! But this time we were able to bring home a baby who was stable for the first time in his life & we couldn't wait to watch him learn & grow!