This week is a big week for Ethan. This Thursday he will be admitted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in preparation for a large, multiprocedural surgery on Friday. At least two of these procedures will disrupt the peritoneum which is the lining around the abdominal cavity that serves as the filtering body for dialysis. If the peritoneum tears or an infection occurs, Ethan’s current dialysis regime could potentially be rendered useless. We’ve put this surgery off for months now, but the benefits of each of the procedures currently outweigh the risks so the time has come.
Ethan’s doctors are working hard to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible and that all possible complications are avoided. We know that he will be in the best hands possible. If everything goes completely smoothly (which we trust will happen) we will probably be admitted to the hospital for around a week as we slowly restart dialysis and slowly reintroduce feeds.
(Hopefully) when Ethan leaves the hospital, he will have a G-tube in his belly for his feeds and medication, instead of the NG-tube on his face. He will have some urological issues and his bilateral inguinal hernias repaired. Finally, he will be ready to start bladder cycling to begin preparing his bladder for transplant. Each of the multiple procedures in isolation aren’t considered overly complicated procedures, but when you combine them all together, the surgery as a whole gets a bit more complex.
Ethan is a tough cookie. His doctors and surgeons are all brilliant and care deeply for him. This week, as you go about your lives send him so extra loving vibes and strength.
If you have donated to COTA for Ethan’s Fight, we thank you extra hard, as we will definitely be using COTA funds for lodging and food over the coming week.
Written by Sandy Mount