Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Success! With caution, of course...

The surgery appears to have been a success, at least so far. The catheter (drain tube) is in, and draining urine (which is initially bloody, as expected). The surgeon tried to push the catheter all the way into the ureter (urine output tube from kidney) but it would not go, confirming the theory of a blocked ureter at the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ).

Loki is waking from his general anesthetic, and has given a shot of morphine to control any pain. He is on a ventilator, which was needed to assure breathing while he was anesthetized. If his breathing is strong, then he will be removed from that in a few hours. Mom sits by his bed.

One big change is that the nephrologist and urologists (one here, one at the University of California, San Francisco [UCSF] hospital) are now leaning towards performing the real surgery - to truly fix the kidney - sooner rather than later. I have not heard why they changed their minds, as they originally planned to wait weeks, but perhaps the surgeon saw that his kidney was large enough to work on.

The advantage of this is that it may result in him coming home less late. As long as he has his drainage tube, Loki won't leave the hospital. Of course, this may make us worry even more! Also, he would be transferred to UCSF for this, and I suspect that he would then remain there until he's ready to come home. Although that is another top-flight hospital, it takes about an hour to get there by transit and 40 minutes by car.

For now, the electrolytes (sodium, potassium, etc.) and other chemicals in both his urine and blood must be monitored closely. The sudden removal of this blockage can cause the concentration of them to swing rather dramatically. However, the staff did not seem too concerned about this. And fortunately, the doctors planned to give him an arterial catheter - a process that had been difficult - while he was unconscious, allowing easy blood samples without any more pokes.

This mess is not over, but it seems that one hurdle has been crossed. We send our kudos to the hospital staff, and to Loki, the strongest baby imaginable.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a relief!!! I am sooo happy the surgery went well and that little fighter is going to feel better soon!!! Hang in there Loki, I miss you a ton but I am so happy to hear that you are on your way to feeling better, I will keep the three of you in my prayers! Big hugs for loki =)

Love
Nurse Amber

Anonymous said...

Dear Loki/Kathalijn/Jesse,
I am both extremely happy Loki has jumped this hurdle of urinating in some way again, and also praying that he does well in any future operations (and I hope there aren't too many). If Loki ends up at UCSF, let me know and if he's allowed visitors, sign me up. Also, if you need a ride to CHO or UCSF in the evenings, I am often free to play chauffeur.
Best,
Jennifer M.

Unknown said...

I knew you could do it!!! Great job, little guy. I'm so glad that everything is going in a positive direction. Hugs and kisses...nana

Unknown said...

I'm so glad to hear that this initial scare is taken care of successfully. He is a trooper. All the best for the next hurdles. More surgeries are clearly not what anybody would have wished for. But if it solves his problems and helps getting him home - and back on the boobs - sooner than later...

All the best and love and big hugs and positive vibes, as always.

Unknown said...

Good news - yes, he is indeed a trooper!! You are all on our minds. Love, A & J

Mascha said...

I just realized that my last blogs came from 'Matt' as he was signed into the google account.

But he wants to say that he feels for you and also sends best wishes.

Love,
Mascha

Unknown said...

Dear: Lijn, Loki and Jesse

I'm so glad to heard that the surgery went well and Loki's urinary track is functioning.

I will keep you in my prayers.Please let e know if any help is needed.

Lots of love and hugs!
Graciela, Isabella, Daniel and Alex

marieke said...

Another day to celebrate! I am so happy for you the surgery went ok. Go on little babylokisky and for you mom and dad, lots of energy to handle all of this. X

Unknown said...

Thanks for the update. Have been holding you in my thoughts since I read the post this morning. Knew Loki could do it! - with the loving devotion and support of his parents!

Our thoughts are with you... Please let us know if there is anything we can do to be helpful. Our love, Liz & Peter

Anonymous said...

Very Good Loki! Very Good Doctors! Very Good Nurses! Very Good Lijn and Jesse. Good Vibrations continue to be coming his way.
Love and hugs to you all, Frits.

Anonymous said...

Ah, first a sigh of relief and then tears of both happiness and compassion. What a rollercoaster once again! Love love love love

Kyra

About Loki Sky

Loki Sky is a special little man. He was a very early micropreemie, weighing only 610 grams (1 lb, 5 oz) after 24 weeks, 3 days gestation, born to an American Father and a Dutch Mother in Berkeley, California on October 18, 2008.

On January 11, 2009, while still in the hospital NICU, his one kidney stopped working. It was repaired after three surgeries. After spending time in three hospitals in three cities, Loki came home on February 17. He struggled with eating, and then stopped in July, leading to 8 days in the hospital, a failure-to-thrive diagnosis, and a NG feeding tube. On October 10, a minor surgery installed a G feeding tube. Another procedure replaced it with a new one, and then again with a Mic-Key button in Jan. 2010.

In August 2010, he and his parents moved to the Netherlands.

Read about his first name.
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