Surgery Day!

Garrett went into surgery at 7:40 this morning. I was able to stay with him up until they wheeled him into the OR and we met 8 of the surgical staff that will be working on him today. 

Waiting to go into surgery...

Garrett will be in the OR for 10-11 hours, and in recovery for 2 hours before I can see him. The wonderful doctors and nurses have been giving me updates on him every two hours, and everything is going well. As I write this, they are doing the vascular work on his arm.

The doctors told us today, that tomorrow (Friday) will be the hardest day for Garrett. Today, he sleeps through everything, but tomorrow the pain will set in. Please pray for Garrett as he begins the recovery process this week. They are planning on him being in the hospital for 5-7 days, depending on how his recovery goes. 

Garrett's pre-op appointments on Wednesday went well, and faster than expected, so we were able to enjoy an evening out together last night. We went to the Gateway Arch and out to dinner. St. Louis has lots of history and we really enjoyed 'discovering the gateway to the west'. :) More than anything, it was a great time to relax and spend time together. 

I will continue to write updates throughout the week. Thank you so much for your prayers and support as we walk through another surgery and recovery. Your e-mails, calls and texts have reminded me that although we are away from all of you, we are not alone... and that is priceless. Thank you for your friendship and constant encouragement.

Much love, 

Sarah 

Garrett's Next Surgery...

In March, Garrett went to St. Louis for an 18 month, post-surgery follow-up appointment. Instead of seeing Dr. Mackinnon, who had done his previous surgery, he saw Dr Tung, one of her associates. Dr. Tung, who specializes in brachial plexus surgery, gave Garrett some ‘bad’ and some good news. Apparently, the nerve graft that was done 18 months ago was not successful. In other words, the nerve didn’t grow down his arm. While discouraging, Dr. Tung encouraged Garrett that the nerve graft could still be used for another surgery. 

Garrett, after his nerve graft surgery, 2 years ago.

This time, Garrett will have a free muscle transfer (NOTE: this is not a free procedure! It actually costs a lot... they are just using a muscle that is "free" because it is from his own body and transferable. Please see bottom of blog for financial needs :)) done on his arm. Dr. Tung will take a portion of muscle out of Garrett’s thigh and lay it the full length of Garrett’s arm. The previous nerve graft will be ‘plugged’ into this strip of muscle, which contains working nerves, and the brain will relearn how to use these nerves for his arm. 

Dr. Tung believes that if all goes well Garrett could regain the use of his elbow and wrist. 

In September, we will be going to St. Louis for the surgery. The surgery will be 8-10 hours and Garrett will be in the hospital for a week of recovery. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this trip and as Garrett is in surgery and recovery.

Financial Needs:

Many people have been asking us what our needs will be for the surgery. Thankfully, the surgery and hospital stay will be covered by our insurance. However, all other expenses will be out-of-pocket (i.e. travel, food and hotel). If you would like to give toward our expenses or if you have frequent flyer miles that you would like to donate, please contact us! Thank you so much for all your support and prayers!