Catheter Surgery

Emy’s catheter leaked every day last week and sometimes multiple times per day. We had a care conference for her on Thursday and it was decided that the best course of action is to have a different catheter placed. She is going to have surgery this week. This is a setback for her, but the nephrologist also said if Emy recovers well from the surgery, she should be able to be discharged in 2-3 months! This is the first time we’ve heard a tentative timeline for discharge. It’s a bit of a relief to see an end goal for our NICU stay.

Please pray that her catheter surgery goes well. They are doing a very similar placement, but tunneling the catheter through the left side of her chest instead of the right side. The surgeon is hopeful that Emy is big enough now to have it placed under the muscle instead of under the skin, so it is more secure. It will also have a cuff to help secure it in place. This catheter is meant to be permanent until she gets a kidney transplant in 2-3 years. Please pray that it endures and doesn’t leak. Please pray for Emy— that she doesn’t have any more infections and that she heals appropriately after surgery and that she avoids complications from the surgery.

While Emy heals from surgery, she will be on hemodialysis. Please pray that she is stable during this transition time and that her blood pressure is manageable. The last time she had surgery her blood pressure was very low. The doctors think she will tolerate the surgery much better now than she did at birth because she has gained a lot of weight. She’s about 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) now! She was 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs) at birth. Thank you for continuing to keep her in your prayers.