The Great Physician

Wow.

What.
A.
Day.

Today I witnessed a miracle unfold.
And stood beside a team of physicians that were left speechless.

It.
Was.
Amazing. 

I know that I am not even going to begin to do this justice but I am going to try
because so many prayers were brought before the throne on his behalf that I want to aim to show you how The Great Physician has healed our son.

But seriously
if you are a cardiologist
or are married to a cardiologist
or if you play a cardiologist on TV
try not to laugh too hard at my inadequacies in explaining.
I am a medical idiot....this I already know.
 
His diagnosis was/is Tetrology of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia.
What they expected to find was a stunted pulmonary valve that wasn't working properly and a whole host of tiny little collaterals or "branches" that his heart had created in a valiant effort to get blood flow and oxygen to his lungs.
The collaterals and what they looked like, how big they were
and where they were was of great concern.
Namely the question of if they were going to be big enough and functioning enough to group together or if they were not.
This was our mountain.

In addition there was the question of the pressures in each of his chambers of his heart and his lungs.
Because even if they could group together and form a functioning artery out of these collaterals the presence of pulmonary hypertension would have made him still inoperable.  
That was our other mountain.

But God.
Oh. but. God.
He is bigger.
So, so much bigger.

The result of today?
The report of the cath he had done in China at 9 months when they deemed him inoperable
was wrong.
Very wrong.
Correct diagnosis.....
but

THERE ARE NO COLLATERALS.
NONE.

Which left the question of how then was his body oxygenating.....albeit poorly....his body.
A duct.
The duct.
The duct that closes shortly after you are born.
The duct that should have closed after he was born.
The duct that can easily be closed surgically after birth in kiddos just like Joey who had that exact procedure done in his ASD/VSD/Patent DUCTUS arterious(PDA) repair.
The duct that they have to use meds for  in certain cases of heart newborns to keep that duct open
remained open in Joshua for 7 1/2 years. 
No medication.
No intervention.
None but the hand of Almighty God.
That open duct should have closed at birth and thus ended his life soon after.
It didn't.
It
stayed
open
giving him life.

THAT is how he was moving oxygenated blood around.

In addition the artery's that they said looked good on the echo looked indeed fantastic.
Amazing actually that since they have had virtually no blood flow (as blood was being mis-routed elsewhere) they are in perfect condition.
Heart valves gain strength and form from training so to speak.
The correct volume of blood flowing through them over time creates the needed space.
He had no flow going through there
yet they remain.
Perfect.
Waiting.
Just waiting for the day when the hand of a surgeon here will put them to use for the very first time.

And his pressures?
Miraculously normal in every way.

They have never seen this.
Never.
It is a miracle in the truest sense of the word.

So the plan.
The new plan is that he will remain here in the PICU until Monday when they will operate.
They will patch his large VSD, close that duct and form an artificial shunt to direct the blood around his non-functioning pulmonary artery and out into the aorta...or the lungs....or wherever the heck it is supposed to go....it was around this point that I couldn't absorb any more info and all that was ringing in my ears was

Glory
Glory
Glory
Glory
Glory to God.

Open heart surgery
yes.
But a whole heck of a lot less risk and unknown.

We stand amazed.
Humbled
and overwhelmed by the love of our Creator.
Our Healer.
Our Savior.
Praise you Lord.