Surgery Update

Sorry it's taken so long to update everyone. It's been a long day, but Bryce is doing good. Not exactly the news we were expecting (well... actually it was exactly what my wife was expecting... some call it motherly intuition)... Bryce's subglottic hemangioma was back and bigger than ever. As you all know, we were only expecting to have an airway reconstruction today. When Dr. Woolley scoped Bryce, it was clearly evident that the hemangioma had grown tremendously. So much so, laser surgery wasn't an option. Dr. Woolley commented that it was one of the largest he had seen that close to the vocal chords, and he was surprised that Bryce was doing as well as he was considering the blockage of the airway the hemangioma was causing. In order to remove all of the hemangioma visible, Dr. Woolley had to split the vocal chords vertically in order to excise hemangioma that was growing under the left chord. While this may not result in any immediate harm, it certainly has the potential to cause problems down the road if the chords don't heal properly... could cause voice to be raspy and have winded speech (I've been accused of that without any such surgery!). Good news is that the stenosis was not as severe as expected, so the reconstruction/cartilage graft was not nearly as extensive. As a result, his airway (with any luck when he's healed) will be nearly the same size as other 9 month-old's. Bad news is that hemangioma caused this, so we still can't conclusively close this chapter in Bryce's life. Based on statistics, Bryce should not require another surgery nor should we have to get back on steroids. Statistically Bryce is basically at the age that hemangioma stops developing, but you really can't rule it out until about a year of age (and in some cases even later). So while we could be done with all surgeries, there is the potential for future surgeries to correct hemangioma or vocal chords or both. We're just glad that he's doing well at the moment. Currently, he's in the PICU and may remain there for the next 10 days. After that, we'll be sent to a private room for a few days and discharged when Bryce is "normal". We're hoping to be home sometime between the 28th and 30th.

To sum up, Bryce is doing fine in the PICU. He's on medicine that keeps him in a state of paralysis, so that he can't inadvertently pull out his breathing tube. He's on pain medication, so he hopefully is comfortable... and he's on some medication that will prevent him from remembering any of this. The biggest differences in what happened today vs. what we were expecting are... the reconstruction was not nearly as extensive; the hemangioma was back and still has some potential to grow (though statistically it should be nearly done) and Bryce could experience problems from the vocal chord incision. The best news is that this could be Bryce's last airway surgery, but the next couple months will tell the tale.

Through all of Bryce's trials, I've come to realize the expansive support group that Bryce, Brooke, and I have. To that end, I am forever grateful. For the last several years, I have been 10 ft tall and bullet proof, but as I type this blog entry, I'm 5'11" (OK... 5'8") and extremely humble. The out pour of presents for Bryce, emails, phone calls, cards, and prayer requests have been almost overwhelming. The power of prayer and positive thinking work... please keep it up b/c we're not back in Millbrook, USA, yet.

For the moment, we are good. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We'll keep you posted through the upcoming days. - ABD, Sr.