Last Minute Consult

     When I think about getting the best care for my child, my wife, myself, or anyone else important to me, last minute is not a word that I would commonly associate with "best care."  However, in this case, last minute turned out to be a positive thing.  I'm sure there are many out there that want further explanation as to why Jude's surgery is being moved to next Tuesday (I know I was when the doctor first told me).  Although it is painful to have to wait another week, for both us and possibly Jude, it really is probably the best thing.
     Tracy and I met with the Ear, Nose, and Throat doctors yesterday afternoon to discuss details about the surgery and sign the papers for the approval of Jude's surgery.  However, we never got the papers and the discussion did not go the way we thought it was going to.  The attending ENT told us that as he was finishing up his preparatory work for Jude's surgery he had a fleeting thought.  This thought was whether or not he should call Radiology and consult them about putting in a catheter into Jude's carotid artery (don't open a new tab to google yet, I will explain all of this in more detail).  The doctor had originally assumed that since Jude was premature, his artery would be too small to fit a catheter in.  Radiology said differently.  So, with the approval from Radiology the ENT team decided that the catheter was the best way to go.  The downside to the catheter is that with everyone's different schedules (ENT, Radiology, Plastic, Neonatology) there was no availability to put the catheter in until Monday.
     You might be asking yourself "what is the carotid artery and why would Jude need a catheter in it?"  If you are like me, you need this dumbed down a bit for those who didn't go to med-school or watch House.  The carotid artery is the artery that supplies the head and neck with oxygenated blood.  It is divided into two arteries: the right and the left.  The left carotid artery supplies blood to the face and in Jude's case, the tumor.  The catheter will be inserted in the growing area and up to where the carotid artery splits off in the neck, the left going to the face and tumor and the right going into the brain.  Once the catheter is in place, the doctors will deposit a gel-like bead that will block the blood flow to the face and subsequently the tumor.  The bead last for twenty-four hours and then dissolves.  Doctors would put the bead in the day before surgery so that it is not completely cutting off blood flow but slowing it significantly.  They would do this so that the eventual bleeding that will occur as a result of removing the tumor will be lessened and more easily controlled.  So, we are once again just waiting, hoping, and praying.
      I can't help but think that God had something to do with this.  Not only just because the ENT decided last minute to check to see if this much safer approach would work but also because well...it will.  Based on Jude's size, his arteries were expected to be too small for a catheter but on a whim the ENT decided to check on it.  The ENT told us multiple times that he was sure the answer would be "no" when he called to check on the catheter procedure and was so surprised to learn that it would.  I like to think that this was God's way of nudging the doctors in the right direction and letting everyone know that He is still in charge and is present in all things.  Thanks for all the prayers and continued support.  We'll keep information as up to date as we can.

To God be the Glory,

-Chris