So, Minnie was asking… “It’s number 53, right?”

I’m going with “its number last.” Tomorrow morning, they will Minnie around 0500 to put on EMLA creme and give her medication to help relax.  Around 0630, she’ll go into the O.R., and some time after that, they will start the procedure.  I think Dr. J said 14 hours.   He plans to leave the halo on to assist during recovery/rehab.  He will be cutting into the rib cage, and possibly removing a rib, just under the arm to allow him to collapse a lung and get to the inside of the cervical portion of the spine, where he will remove growth plates, and fuse vertebrae together.  Once done, they will begin working on the outside of the spine, and will work between her waistline and the base of her neck.  They will remove the tissue expander, install new rods along the spine, and attach them close to where the old VEPTR rods were.

They will hook up some cool spinal chord monitoring equipment that measures impulses in muscles to show that the ‘circuit isn’t broken/strained’, which will be critical to ensure any strain placed on the spinal chord is not too much.  She has had this sort of monitoring in the past, but we’ve tried to avoid it because it seems to make her hair fall out where they put the monitors on.  In this case, its really not optional.  They had another patient last week that they stopped the surgery because the alarm went off indicating danger of paralysis, and after two weeks they tried again without any issue with the spinal chord.  He did have another issue, but has since gone home and is doing well last I heard.

We’re pleased and impressed with the staff and their experience doing this procedure.  We’ve seen half a dozen or so kids come through doing the exact same thing, and its been nice to see them recover, so we know what to expect.  In spite of the experience of the staff and the impressive technologies used to protect Minnie, we still know that we need prayer and the Lord’s protection over this girl.  We want the surgeons to be hugely successful in this and all of their surgeries, and really want this hospital to flourish in their mission to help children by whatever means possible.

Please pray for:

  • Minnie Rogers
  • Dr. Johnston & Orthopedic Surgery Staff
  • Dr. Woerz & Anesthesiologist Staff
  • All other staff in O.R.
  • TSRHC

God has seen us through so much, He has been glorified through this little girl, and will continue to be, and that is my praise.

I’ll try and post tomorrow, but it will likely be late, as there isn’t really anything to know throughout the day, its just a waiting thing.  We’ll be praying w/you during this time.