Double Switch Surgery Scheduled

Tuesday, March 12, 2013 I received a phone call from Diego’s Boston cardiologist, Dr. Marx.  He explained that he was pleased to say that Diego’s left ventricle had responded favorably to the PA banding.  In fact, it seems that the PA band had released pressure off the tricuspid valve and reduced his moderate regurgitation to mild tricuspid regurgitation.  One of the original possibilities, before the PA band surgery, was that Diego’s ventricle might not respond within a year.  If this were the case then possibly we would have to wait for Diego to go through a decent growth spurt in hopes that this would have a positive effect on the left ventricle.  I had commented several times throughout the previous year that Diego had not grown much in height.  Then sometime around January he started growing and it just hasn’t seemed to stop…he is growing, and growing, and growing.  God is good!

During our phone conversation, Dr. Marx explained that he needed to visit with the surgeon, Dr. Del Nido, before we could proceed forward.  The following Saturday, I received a call from Dr. Marx stating that he had a thorough conversation with the surgeon.  Dr. Del Nido felt that Diego would benefit greatly by waiting 1 year from the time of the PA banding to perform the double switch operation.   A few weeks later the scheduling nurse called to schedule Diego’s double switch.  The surgery date will be Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at Children’s Hospital Boston.  Bittersweet.