Today, Benjamin had his follow-up visit with Dr. Cortez. The doctor would like to schedule the next surgery for next Monday, February 4th. During this surgery, he will repair Benjamin's very enlarged urethra. He estimates the surgery will take about 3 hours and Benjamin will be at the hospital for 1 or 2 nights. Hopefully, Benjamin won't end up with another urinary tract infection. That is what really set him back last time. Actually, one of the main reasons for doing this surgery now is to prevent potential urinary tract infections. Currently, Benjamin's urethra has areas where fluid could pool and start to grow bacteria. During this surgery, Dr. Cortez will remove excess material and make it into a straighter tube. He does not anticipate that Benjamin will have to go to the PICU or intermediate care this time. That will be nice since the surgical floor is much less restrictive with no closing times and it has a very nice playroom. Benjamin pounded away at the tool workshop last time. I'm sure the surgical floor nurses will be surprised to see us again so soon.
Ultimately, it will be good to get these surgeries behind us, but it is hard to get ready to go back to the hospital for a few more days. 9 days was plenty the first time around. Dr. Cortez was considering scheduling him for the 11th, but he already had an 8 hour case booked that day. He doesn't want to wait much longer than that because Benjamin's first catheter will be due to be removed. After the surgery, Benjamin will have a second catheter for a short time. Then we will be able to begin testing of Benjamin's bladder function. We're very anxious to see how his bladder does.
We'll have to rely on more local help this time since my parents are back home. Grandma Mindy is always a big help and we're so happy she is around.
Thank you to everyone in advance for keeping Benjamin and the rest of the Buckley family in your thoughts and prayers. It's been a long road, but Benjamin is worth every bump!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Here we go again...
Posted by Julie at 8:40 PM
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3 comments:
Julie - thank you for the update. That does clear things up for me. I wish I were there to help you! It sounds like Dr. Cortez has Benjamin's best interest in mind in doing this next surgery so soon...Our prayers will continue to be with you all. I'm so glad to hear you say he is worth every bump...he is so blessed to be a part of your family. I agree with Melissa Mitchell who once told me that it seems like each spirit that comes to a less-than-perfect body is especially sweet. Benjamin is no exception. We adore him!
Good luck with the upcoming surgery. You are all in our thoughts and prayers. I hope everything goes smoothly and hospital time is kept to a minimum. Hang in there!
I know you weren't looking for another surgery so soon, but hopefully things will go as scheduled with a short hospital stay. Benjamin and all of you will be in our thoughts and prayers. Take care.
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