IT'S OUT!!

Well, the deed is done but Ammon is paying a very high price to get this accomplished. This was a lot worse and more complicated than we thought it was going to be. The surgeon didn't actually start the surgery until about 2:45 by the time they got him prepped, asleep, positioned and intubated. We do now know that Ammon is a very difficult patient to intubate. He will need to
have fiber optic help with each future intuabtion. Dr. Smith told us that Ammon did very well and he was pleased with what he was able to do but did say that he recognizes that we all took a risk to get this done.

Ammon has to keep the intubation tube in place until he can breathe on his own and they find some "leaking" around the tubing indicating that the swelling has gone down. Then they will take him back into surgery to take a look at things inside before pulling the intubation tube out.

They will keep him nearly paralyzed for a few days so the tube won't move, come out or anything like unto that. He will be very sedated. He saw us, knew us, cried a few little tears when he realized that we wouldn't be sleeping in his room (no where to stay), but then he went to sleep.

I have to admit that I have second guessed our actions a million times today. Is this really worth all the pain? And then I thought how happy Ammon will be to sing and talk regularly, go swimming, do a "Make A Wish" and be able to go to a friend's house without a nurse. We're talking all about quality of life for him. So we're going forward with optimism. If this doesn't work, we'll get that trach back in and not question any longer. At least we will know we have tried our best to give him that quality of life.

Goodnight everyone. Pray for him.