Cath day is here

     So . . . today is the big day we have all waited for.  Our day started around 6 and we are exhausted.  We had a huge group of supporters here today which included parents, grandparents, siblings, nieces and church friends.  Bailey went back to the cath lab about 7:30 and they began the procedure around 9.  Cath's usually last a couple of hours so I was expecting to be done by lunch.  Bailey, always the overachiever, was in the cath lab until about 4.  We had been prepared by most of the doctor's that they really didn't expect to find anything, so I thought we would be in and out.  When they got into Bailey's heart, they found something that they were not expecting. I am going to try to explain this the best way I know how:)
     When Bailey was 7 years old she had her biggest surgery.  The simplest way to explain Bailey's illness is that her heart formed in a way that the oxygenated blood mixed with the unoxygenated blood and so the blood with the oxygen wasn't getting to the parts of the body that needed it.  It is not good if these types of blood mix.  If you knew Bailey before she was 7, you probably remember her with a blue or purple tint to her skin.  After this big surgery when she was 7, they put something in her heart to prevent the blood in the heart from mixing.  This was called a Fontan device.  Basically they had to reroute her plumbing:)  When they went in today, they saw that there was a leak where the Fontan device had been placed all the years ago.  This leak can form clots which could cause an embolism or stroke.  The doctors said they couldn't say for certain if this is what has been causing all the trouble but it wasn't helping things either.  They called and told us they were going to try and repair it in the cath lab, but they weren't sure they could.  For any parents who have been through parenting a cardiac kid, you always get happy when something can be fixed in the cath lab.  It is much less invasive than surgery.  Dustin and I both tried to stay positive but it's hard not to get a little scared when they find something that needs to be repaired.  After 7 hours in the cath lab, they let us know that they were able to seal up the leak and Bailey was headed to recovery.  We just returned from recovery (7:50) and they are getting Bailey settled. 
     God is so good and we are so blessed by the outpouring of love by so many people.  Thank you so much for loving us and we continue to pray God's blessings for you and your family. 
Jackie

P.S. If you need Dustin or I, I think we will be sleeping as much as possible tomorrow:)