DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Today is the day

Kenleigh is finally having her surgery to complete the repair of her omphalocele. I'm sitting in her room at Pittsburgh Children's, waiting for her surgery about 1030 this morning. She was admitted yesterday for her bowel prep, which was pretty much awful.

I'll post an update later today once she's in her room. They say it may be a 2 to 5 hour surgery.

Positive thoughts and prayers be with you!

She's definitely in our thoughts and prayers!

God bless your family...

Prayers to your family and Kenleigh, 017. Please keep us updated as you can.

God Bless that little girl.

Let us know how things turn out. Hopefully this is the last one for her?

Prayers are on their way! Best wishes to Kenleigh (mom and dad too, of course )

She's definitely in my thoughts and prayers!

My thoughts are going to be with your family today 017.. please keep us posted..

I'll pray for her and your family.

Hope things go well today.

Well, everything went very well with the surgery.

She got back to her room about a half an hour or so ago. They were able to do exactly what they wanted, and yes, this should be her last surgery.

They pushed the liver back down out of the defect, which basically was the large hole in her abdominal wall. Now, it won't be where everyone else's liver is positioned, but it's tucked back. Once they moved the liver back, they were able to pull her abdominal wall muscles together without using any kind of mesh and close off that hole. Then they cut out the large scar on her stomach that was created when her skin grew over that hole. Finally, she attempted to make Kenleigh a little belly button. Which is what Kenleigh wanted.

She's been out sleeping since going into the recovery room. They didn't have to put the NG tube down (the tube in her nose) like she had last night. She cried all night last night with it in until they took it out early this morning. She won't be able to eat or drink at least until tomorrow.

She's got an epidural in for pain, and her catheter while the epidural is in. She has a drain in place which should come out before she goes home. They are thinking 4-5 days here, so we're hoping she is doing well enough to start on liquids tomorrow so we'll be home by Saturday or Sunday.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, they're all greatly appreciated.

Continued prayers.. its funny I can watch CSI and science shows that involve blood without batting an eye but reading a few words of your story about your girl.. somehow that's real and I couldn't read it. I just am thankful that everything is going well.

Glad to hear that everything went well. Hopefully your little girl can be finished up with all of these surgeries. She sounds like a real trooper though.

The important question is ..... did she get an "innie" or "outie"?

very glad everything is looking good. and really sorry she has to endure through it.

Don't know what your talking about but when it's about a child you always got my prayers and wishes.

She was born with an "omphalocele," which is a large birth defect. There was a large hole in the abdomen where some of her organs were formed outside of her body, including her small intestine, large intestine and liver. People that have been on here a while remember when she was born and me giving updates.

Regardless of all the medical jargon, I appreciate the thoughts and wishes.

Great news man.



Great News!

So glad everything looks OK so far. More prayers on the way.

It's funny that she is worried about her belly button. Gotta love the girls.

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Well, everything went very well with the surgery.

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Good news Bud!!! Glad to hear it.

With all the worries about LeBron and the Browns, etc., this puts things in perspective.

I'm so glad the surgery was a success. She'll be breaking hearts in no time!

Great news, 017, I couldn't be happier for you and your family!

It's good to hear good news.

Well after being out of it most of the first day of surgery, and scared and miserable most of yesterday, she perked up last night and started talking and went for a walk.

She had a liquid breakfast and moved her bowels, which means she may get real food later tonight.

She's still napping quite a bit, but looking much better than she did at this time yesterday. They'll be changing her dressing this afternoon, so we'll get a chance to see her new stomach and belly button she never had.

Glad to hear that she is doing well with her recovery.

The surgery sounded rather serious and involved for her to be up and walking around already?

Yeah, lying in bed doesn't do any good. She was in bed all of the first night. Your bowels become "lazy" after surgery, particularly if the surgery has anything to do with the bowels. Luckily, they didn't do much of anything with her bowels because they ended up not being in the way.

We got her up yesterday afternoon. Moving around stimulates the bowels, which is one of the key things that needs to get going in order to get her out of here. She ended up moving her bowels today, so now she'll hopefully get food tonight. If she tolerates the food, then tomorrow the epidural for pain will come out. If she's able to tolerate the pain with oral meds to go home on, then she'll be able to be discharged. So we're hoping Sunday she'll be home. Slight chance tomorrow, but I'm thinking Sunday.

Shame she couldn't have moved her bowels on Heath Miller.

Seriously Miller seems like a good guy.. it's cool that you got to meet him.

Well she is back at home today- I was thinking she'd be home tomorrow. But she did so well she was able to come home this afternoon.

She's been kind of uncomfortable though. She had an epidural up until noon, so once it started to wear off a short time before we left, she got a lot of the pain she was having the night of surgery and the following day.

But it's nice to be back home and have her here with us. She's got a little belly button now that she tells everyone about. She's still not her usual energetic self, but she'll pick up over the week. Just need to make sure her bowels move. She moved them on Thursday, but none since. She did have a bowel prep and only liquids up until Friday evening, so it may take time to get the rest going.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers everyone.

Glad to hear she's home! Keep us posted.

She sounds like a very tough little girl. Glad everything is looking up.

that sounds like very good news.. My best to the little one......

She woke up a totally different girl.....she's been running around like a nut today. Like she doesn't have an incision running pretty much the length of her abdomen.

Looks great!

That's great news.

Glad to hear that she's doing so well.

fantastic news. glad to hear she's doing well.