Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Zack's Surgery Tomorrow



Tomorrow is a big day for Zack. He will be having surgery on his nose so that he can breathe clearly. Zack has never known a clear nasal passage and thus breathes like he is asleep at all times. He also has a very tough time eating politely because he can't breathe with his mouth closed.

He has seen a Pediatric Ear Nose and Throat doctor who ordered a cat scan which showed that Zack's turbinates (as seen above) are so swollen that they nearly block his entire nasal passage. He also has one turbinate that is abnormal in shape causing further blockage.
Add to this that his adenoids are incredibly swollen and his left sinus is completely filled with liquid and blocked, and you have a little boy who needs some help getting past all of this stuffiness so he can simply breathe clearly and have clarity in his little head.

After months of trying allergy meds and changing his eating habits, we have finally found a doctor who is taking us seriously enough to get things fixed! In all fairness, the doctors who told me no surgery could be done and that it was simply allergies were all in California. My experience thus far is that the doctors in Texas are more prone to be proactive rather than wait things out to see if there's a change even when the parent is saying, "This is a REAL issue"!! :) Zack had a CAT scan within 30 minutes of seeing the ENT for the first time! Praise God!

The CAT scan showed all of the above and that his septum is deviated but that can only be fixed when he is a teenager so as not to cause any malformation of his nose as it grows. You know if he has a nose like Gina's he will need ample time to allow it to finish forming! :) LOL

Surely I digress. So tomorrow around 1PM TX time, Zack will undergo a 4 step surgery:

Remove Adenoids
Remove Abnormal Turbinate
Cynoplasty on the blocked sinus cavity (like an angioplasty)
Turninate Coblation (a procedure to shrink all of his turbinates)

The doctor says he will be in a great deal of pain for 2 days, but that on the 3rd day he should be nearly back to himself other than some tenderness and possibly continued drainage.

Please hold this little guy up in prayer. Since he has been home, he has had lots of major dental work, surgery at 5 years old, and now this one. It makes me very very thankful that he is ours and can get the health care he needs. We’d move mountains to take care of him.

As a result of the above, please pray and believe with us for God's provision. Our medical insurance will cover at 75% anything over $2,500 cash out of pocket. We could be looking at some stiff bills. Even the deductible has thrown a wrench in our budget. Sometimes, however, I think God throws "faith opportunities" our way for a reason. I'll surely testify when He provides in a miraculous way yet again.

1 comment:

Roxy said...

All the best to Zach! I'll be thinking about him tomorrow.
Sorry I have not posted but I have been looking and I love the pictures of the kids and the new house. I'll be e-mailing you with regards to sending things to NN and an update on our crazy world at school.