Following 48-hours of confusion -- a surgery date for Tyler has been set - canceled - set again - canceled again - and set once more.
It all began with a simple naughty hand. Unfortunately for Tyler - the naughty hand struck during the middle of the night which caused irreversible damage.
Long story short - the small hole in his trachea holds a curved plastic tube which allows him to breath easily. It also allows me to administer his breathing medications directly into his lungs. This gives the best benefit of the drugs.
When the tube came out of his neck and remained out for more than a four-hour period -- the hole in his neck closed up.
Today Tyler and I spent the day at Scottsdale Healthcare-Osborn Hospital with the hopes of him having surgery at 4pm.
Literally at 3:55 pm a new Ear, Nose and Throat physician came into the room to evaluate Tyler and prepare for surgery. Being he was a new physician to care for Tyler - he had a long list of questions. He came to different conclusion than previous physicians which, in turn, canceled the surgery.
What will happen now is Tyler came home with me Friday evening with a surgery date scheduled for Monday, September 13 at 6pm.
What the new physician is planning on doing is to create a new trachea for Tyler using cartilage from his neck. He will also decrease the amount of scar tissue surrounding the hole which may cause ongoing discomfort for Tyler.
This new trach will be considered a 'permanent' trach where all previous have been considered 'temporary.' If, in the future, this trach comes out it won't close in a matter of hours. It would take weeks for the hole to close. Using the cartilage instead of skin to build the hole in his neck causes this effect.
If all goes well -- Tyler will stay in the hospital for two days following surgery. We should be home by Wednesday or Thursday next week.
As you can see by the pictures posted above -- Tyler is taking it all in stride.
