Saturday Update / Facial Surgery Report
The ventilator was dialed down a few more clicks, signifying continued improvement in Shea’s lungs. Jesse spent the night with friends in Atlanta and Luke wrote a beautiful song on his guitar.
As Dave Anderson would say, “It’s been a good day in Macon.”
Shea was very active during the 8:00 AM bed change on Saturday morning. While we all agree with Steve when he says, “I just want to see her eyes and hear her say something”, the doctors do not want her to fight the life support systems, so they increased her sedatives to quiet her down.
At this time the doctor is recommending that an MRI be performed on Monday to be sure that everything is OK in respiratory function. If the MRI shows no problems, the plan is to proceed with a tracheostomy on Monday afternoon.
The big event for the day was a two hour meeting with the doctor that will do the first surgeries for Shea’s facial reconstruction.
The diagram shows the seven areas that need procedures, with some procedures being done on both sides of the face. Each procedure will take from 1.5 to 2 hours to complete, although the hinges of the jaw are the most complicated and could require more time to repair.
The numbered sequences on the diagram show the order of the reconstruction. There may not be seven surgery sessions since multiple procedures can be done during each surgery. The length of each surgery will be determined by the anesthesiologist. The goal is to get as much done as possible, but only within Shea’s tolerance. At this time the doctor is planning on doing most of the procedures through her mouth. This will minimize scaring on her face from incisions and minimize nerve damage.
The order of the procedures are planned to be:
1. Wire the teeth together. This is the foundation for the reconstruction.
2. Repair the lower jaw area.
3. Stabilize the hinges of the jaw. This is the most complicated step. If he cannot do it through the mouth he will create incisions next to the ears. This is not desirable due to the nerves of the face that are in that area.
4. The outside left area of Shea’s eye globe will need a titanium plate attached to repair the bone. This will be done by a small slit on the eyebrow.
5. The area under the eyes is paper thin. In Shea, this area has been crushed. The doctor will replace this bone under both eyes with a titanium mesh to support the eyes. This procedure is particularly complicated due to the fact that both eyes have to be aligned exactly. Any misalignment can result in blurred or double vision.
6. Repair the roof of her mouth and buttresses of the checks.
7. Repair a deviated septum. The sinus area is shattered, but the hope now is that this area will repair on its own. At some later date if sinus infections become a chronic problem it can be addressed then.
As you can imagine, there are significant risks to all of these procedures. Continue to pray for wisdom and guidance for the doctors as well as strength for Shea and her family.
We’ve only just begun.
As Dave Anderson would say, “It’s been a good day in Macon.”
Shea was very active during the 8:00 AM bed change on Saturday morning. While we all agree with Steve when he says, “I just want to see her eyes and hear her say something”, the doctors do not want her to fight the life support systems, so they increased her sedatives to quiet her down.
At this time the doctor is recommending that an MRI be performed on Monday to be sure that everything is OK in respiratory function. If the MRI shows no problems, the plan is to proceed with a tracheostomy on Monday afternoon.
The big event for the day was a two hour meeting with the doctor that will do the first surgeries for Shea’s facial reconstruction.
The diagram shows the seven areas that need procedures, with some procedures being done on both sides of the face. Each procedure will take from 1.5 to 2 hours to complete, although the hinges of the jaw are the most complicated and could require more time to repair.
The numbered sequences on the diagram show the order of the reconstruction. There may not be seven surgery sessions since multiple procedures can be done during each surgery. The length of each surgery will be determined by the anesthesiologist. The goal is to get as much done as possible, but only within Shea’s tolerance. At this time the doctor is planning on doing most of the procedures through her mouth. This will minimize scaring on her face from incisions and minimize nerve damage.
The order of the procedures are planned to be:
1. Wire the teeth together. This is the foundation for the reconstruction.
2. Repair the lower jaw area.
3. Stabilize the hinges of the jaw. This is the most complicated step. If he cannot do it through the mouth he will create incisions next to the ears. This is not desirable due to the nerves of the face that are in that area.
4. The outside left area of Shea’s eye globe will need a titanium plate attached to repair the bone. This will be done by a small slit on the eyebrow.
5. The area under the eyes is paper thin. In Shea, this area has been crushed. The doctor will replace this bone under both eyes with a titanium mesh to support the eyes. This procedure is particularly complicated due to the fact that both eyes have to be aligned exactly. Any misalignment can result in blurred or double vision.
6. Repair the roof of her mouth and buttresses of the checks.
7. Repair a deviated septum. The sinus area is shattered, but the hope now is that this area will repair on its own. At some later date if sinus infections become a chronic problem it can be addressed then.
As you can imagine, there are significant risks to all of these procedures. Continue to pray for wisdom and guidance for the doctors as well as strength for Shea and her family.
We’ve only just begun.
posted by admin | 10:01 AM
3 Comments:
Dear Steve, Sue, Luke, Jesse, & Shea,
I am so sorry for your families tragedy. I can't even begin to imagine how you all are feeling. You all have been in my constant prayers since I heard. JESUS is so BIG I will continue to pray for your family.
Love, Christine Conner
I just want to let you know that you are being prayed for in New York. I go to Houghton College with Liz Wisniewsky. She has kept us updated about what has been happening and now she has a link to this blog. I have professors that ask for prayer requests before we start classes and this situation has been lifted up many times and will continue to be lifted up as long as is needed. I may never meet you but I believe God has some amazing plans for your life. Stay strong for God is faithful!
To our dear friends: Steve, Susan, Shea, Luke & Jesse...
Another day of beautiful progress and we continue to praise our God for his faithfulness...for answering all our prayers and for always being the source of our hope.
We loved hearing Shea's "gift". Its been a while since hearing those songs we did. How refreshing and wonderful it is listening to that angelic voice. As I said on an earlier posting..."Be strong Shea...there are so many more songs God wants the world to hear you sing"!
God bless you guys...we will continue to pray as you guide us on the specifics.
Don, Hartley and Preston
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