Today, I got a call from Ethan's cardiologist himself. The pre-op nurse had called him yesterday to ask a question and that, evidently, was the first he had heard about Ethan's upcoming surgery. It's a long story, really, but it basically comes down to him not wanting Ethan to go into any OR until he has a chance to check-out his heart function. Not only do I respect and trust his decision, but I so appreciate him calling me, personally, to follow-through. (I was under the impression that he already knew about the surgery and had no concerns... again, long story.) He was deeply apologetic for the inconvenience, but asked if we could bring Ethan in tomorrow morning. Of course, I agreed.
So, we didn't make it to 2010 after all. Ethan will have a full work-up tomorrow, the very last day of 2009: chest x-ray, EKG, echo, and possibly have some blood taken. Based on the results of the tests (the echo, especially) Dr. I will decide if he thinks we should move forward with the surgery on Monday.
I would be a little disappointed if he told us it's a "no-go" but, then again, I wouldn't do ANYTHING to compromise the healing of his heart. Ethan is making-do just fine with his left hand, and it can stay that way for months if need be.
Here are some specific things I'd like for y'all to pray about, if you would:
-that God's healing power would be made evident during the echo tomorrow. Only He knows what's been going on in Ethan's heart over the past month and a half; I'm praying for restored heart function and low pressures in the spot where the conduit is sewn into the pulmonary artery. Not only would this allow "the show to go on" but, more importantly, it would mean Ethan's heart is making excellent strides towards recovery.
-that Ethan would be cooperative during the tests. It's going to be very important that Dr. I get good pictures during the echo, and that can be somewhat difficult when you have a squirmy/aggitated/busy baby.
-for wisdom for Dr. I as he decides what will be best, given the quality of Ethan's heart function.
I'll probably update my Twitter page throughout the day since it's gonna be a long one! If you don't have Twitter, remember that you can see the updates on the bottom right-hand side of the blog.
Even though we're a bit surprised by today's happenings, it's comforting to know that none of this was a surpise to God. I'm confident that everyone as Ethan's best interest in mind, and that He is perfectly orchestrating every moment.