Dylan gets a new airway.
I’m not sure if Kev V is still maintaining his blog (I can’t seem to find the link), but his kid Dylan is in surgery right now getting “a new airway made from his own ribs.” This is what Gosia tells me anyhow, so I don’t know what sort of whisper-down-the-lane nonsense is happening here.
If you have any downtime today, Kev, let us know how it goes and what, exactly, is entailed in getting a new airway from one’s own ribs.
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I’m going on hour 6 in the hospital surgery waiting room. So yeah, I’ve got nothing but time at this point.
Long story, only slightly less long: When Dylan was a baby he had to be intubated for long periods of time. For those of you who watch or have watched any medical related dramas you know that means a breathing tube shoved down your throat. When that is done, often what happens is you develop scar tissue in said airway/windpipe. Obviously the more scar tissue the less room for air to flow in and out of your lungs. Which is why he has a trach in.
Put simply, at his age, his airway should be the width of a thimble, but his is the width of a straw, or maybe a number 2 pencil.
So what they are going to do is make an up and down cut in 2 spots in his airway. Then the rib piece is put in there to keep the width open. Over the next couple of weeks his body will just absorb that in that spot and new airway tissue will grow over it.
But for the next week, to keep it propped open he’ll have to have a stent shoved down his throat to keep the airway open. Which means he won’t be able to swallow. He’ll have to be tube fed. He will be unhappy and angry. And we will be unhappy and angry because we’ll have to watch him go through this and be in pain. And we’ll be tired from having to alternate nights sleeping on a horrible vinyl covered recliner.
So is this a sure thing? Or is a “we hope it works” kind of thing?
Are you off work or are you trying to work on hospital wifi?
Just got word he’s out of surgery and all went well.
Nothing is a sure thing. It’s pretty sure that it will fix the airway thing but still have one or two other steps possible to get the trach out. Possibly another one of those jaw distraction things. Which if we can do without then great but if we have to do it, at least we have experience with it.
I’m off of work. Hospital wifi is pretty goddamn excellent so I’m able to keep myself occupied.
I’m not John Hutchinson levels of antsy and unable to sit still and even I have major issues with all this waiting and sitting around and not being able to actually do a damn thing. Your head would explode within the first few hours.
Wow sounds like an incredible operation.
Glad to hear the preliminary stuff went well.
good luck to dylan and your family. pics of that adorable kid when you get a chance.
Best of luck to Dylan and your family Kev.
Hope your night went ok, If there’s anything we can do, let us know.