UPDATE Tuesday 9pm: When we got back to Hardings hospital room after his pulmonary exam, the cardiologist was waiting for us. He wanted to run just one more test, a live X-ray of him breathing with no air support, on Harding to make sure that they had truly covered all of their bases before taking him off the bi-pap mask. We walked right across the hall and got it done, and it was there that we found the answer to why Harding has been struggling to breath on his own. Hardings live X-ray without air support showed that his diaphragm was not functioning. There are two nerves that run over your heart that control your diaphragm and the doctors now know that both of those nerves were paralyzed or permanently damaged during the first or second open heart surgery Harding received. Typically, when you take a breath your lungs fill up and your diaphragm moves down to allow the lungs to fill up all the way. Hardings diaphragm doesnt move at all, thus creating pressure on the lower part of his lungs and not allowing them to fill up all the way. This is why the doctors have been unable to successfully wean him off of the bi-pap mask. It is unclear, and impossible to tell at this point, whether these nerves are permanently damaged or just paralyzed. The only way to tell would be time. It would take months of Harding in the hospital on the bi-pap mask, just waiting to see if the nerves regained function. Unfortunately, that road carries a lot of risks and is not a road the doctors want to take with Harding. The most favorable road is surgery. This surgery is called Diaphragm Plication. They would go in (either in between his ribs on either side of his chest or through his heart surgery incision)and pin Hardings diaphragm in the downward position so that when he breathes his lungs can fill up all the way. This would be a permanent fix, and would not prevent the nerves from healing and regaining function over time if they are just paralyzed. The diaphragm could still function normally in that downward position. They would be able to tell within 24 hours of Harding coming off of air support whether or not the surgery worked. This would extended his hospital stay for about a week. There is also a possibility that this surgery may not work. In that case, they would have to give Harding a tracheotomy and give him air through that for an extended period of time. This would extend his hospital stay for a few weeks, but he would eventually be able to come home on a ventilator. Surgery will most likely happen this week, but we dont know for sure yet. We are meeting with the surgeon tomorrow. We dont have a lot of information yet, but again, we will get more information tomorrow. We are discouraged by this information, and we are struggling with it. Theres no way we can explain all of our emotions and feelings on the subject. But we can ask you to pray as we try to rest in Gods comfort and truth. Please start praying that this surgery will be a huge success and that Harding will respond perfectly to it. We will share more information with you as we receive it. Thank you.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 01:36:55 +0000
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