Surgery adventure

(writing from the hospital) Caleb had an adventurous day today! His surgery was delayed because it took over an hour to place the IV, so the poor little guy finally had it placed in his neck! One IV went bad during surgery so they placed another one on the other side of his neck. He looks like he could be a line-backer with his swollen little neck! We expected the surgery to take an hour and a half, but it took 3 times as long. The end of Caleb's esophagus was in pretty rough shape, so the nissin procedure was quite complicated. His surgeon said they rarely see esophagus's in that condition,and he lost more blood than they they anticipated. The good news, it definitely confirmed that the nissin was the right thing to do because the damage was likely caused by reflux. The bad news, It was a complicated procedure and the g tube was placed a bit lower than the surgeon would have liked. As a result, the surgeon is worried that the g tube that is placed is going to impede his ability to empty his stomach. So, in a month after he heals, he is going to switch it for a different one that is smaller and will work better for a child in Caleb's condition. The good news, it only has to be replaced every year or so instead of once a month like the other one. The bad news, I can't do it myself, it has to be done at the hospital under anesthesia.
Caleb is stable now and has been settled in his room for the past couple of hours. He was able to avoid the PICU and is in a special room on the floor for trach/vent patients. He doesn't have a feeding tube attached to his face any more, and he's being so brave. The plan for tomorrow is to start slow feedings and do some testing to see how his stomach is emptying. Hopefully he'll have a cozy night and he'll feel good enough for some snuggling tomorrow! I'll post a few pictures when I get home!
We love you Caleb, We are so very proud of you!