2nd VEPTR--Ready or Not!

On November 8, Brody returned to Primary to have the VEPTR placed on his left side. The procedure lasted about 2 hours, as normal. Everything went very well and he was placed in the PICU to begin his long recovery. So far, so good! His chest is noticeably bigger. (time for new shirts) No major complications to speak of at this point. (knock on wood) He's had some very minor things mostly because of his nephrotic syndrome making his kidneys a little out of whack. Also because he has some abdominal distention. X-rays show that its just gas causing the sudden swelling of the belly. I'm confident that it is because he has an NG tube for his feeds. I've convinced them to let him try taking liquid orally to help resolve the matter. They have taken away all of his "drips" so he is no longer in a steadily medicated state. He gets pain meds and sedatives through his feeding tube as needed. Today the attending physician said that they are hoping to advance his diet and get him home real soon. I'm not holding my breath. But lets keep our fingers crossed!