Monday 2nd Update

Well, this is what we have found out thus far.

The attending cardiologist is leaning towards Will needing a heart surgery. He said that although blood is getting through the shunt to the lungs, he doesn't think the shunt is big enough. They have talked about doing a heart cath, but there are some things we need to consider.

We really want Dr. Bove in Michigan to do his heart surgeries, but we don't know if Will is stable enough to be transferred there. Vanderbilt still has not found a replacement, but there are 2 surgeons on staff as well as a visiting surgeon who is currently overseeing the department. Right now, I don't know enough about their credentials or success rates to make a judgement call.

Another thing we have to think about is what surgery to perform. Although Will is almost at the point where he can have the 2nd stage operation, his lungs are so sick right now that the surgery would most likely not be successful. What they probably will do is go in and replace the shunt. We hate that, because he will have to go back in the next few months for another surgery.

We are also worried about the heart cath, because that alone is very risky for Will. As you may recall, he has a blood clot in his inferior vena cava. It is possible while performing the heart cath, the clot could get dislodged.

We will have to make some very difficult decisions in the next few hours, and I just pray that we make the right ones.

I have to be honest, it doesn't look good. I am just praying for a miracle.