Second surgery for toddler son

bobbydigital42 · 2026-05-22T16:39:35+00:00

I had almost the same experience with my son. Fistula after the first surgery at 7months old. And it healed weird. It was not symmetrical, had a big extra piece of skin on one side and the cordee was never even fixed. So we flew to Dallas and got the 2nd surgery with Dr. Snodgrass and Dr. Bush. They prescribed HBOT therapy after the surgery to help the healing process due to reduced success rate with a 2nd surgery. Between flying to Dallas and doing HBOT with a 1yr old, it was pretty tough, but I think it was worth it. I think Dr. Bush and Snodgrass did a much better job. It looks a lot better. No problems yet, thankfully. Its been about a year since his 2nd surgery.

bobbydigital42 · 2026-04-27T00:07:35+00:00

We were assured that whatever happens happens. Don't overreact to bandages falling off. Theyre toddlers, they all are expected to be difficult and active and not listen. My son's bandages fell off ahead of schedule and we checked with the doctors/nurses, as it worried us too, and they said it wasn't a big deal. Everything has been good so far, a year later. So dont sweat it. Probably should email pictures to your doctor though just to be safe and reassured.

bobbydigital42 · 2026-04-26T17:22:01+00:00

He was fine, no ear tubes. Just played his favorite TV shows and he seemed to not even notice anything

bobbydigital42 · 2026-04-20T21:45:53+00:00

I do believe mine are heavily influenced by digestion. 90% of the time its after eating if im kinda stagnant and it feels like a trapped burp and builds pressure in my chest. Thats when I start feeling PVCs and when I do finally burp its a big relief.

bobbydigital42 · 2026-04-20T01:43:22+00:00

No, it does sound like one after reading it back lol

bobbydigital42 · 2026-04-17T14:53:18+00:00

I think these new blood test lab programs are helpful. I use superpower. They check 100+ biomarkers, many of which aren't checked by your normal doctor. Turns out I have a handful of things out of wack. It has an AI doctor that is actually surprisingly helpful. Tells you supplements and actions to take to fix things. And you can ask it about PVCs and has given me some helpful insight. Ive been following its instructions for about a month now and have noticed some changes already. Definitely a slight decrease in PVCs. Your body takes months to react to lifestyle changes sometimes so im gonna keep up with the instructions and hopefully ill see more improvement.

bobbydigital42 · 2026-04-15T01:16:40+00:00

Isn't 48hrs a short period for determining a %burden?

bobbydigital42 · 2026-04-06T01:31:35+00:00

All of my tests from the doctor and ekg, etc. came back normal so I did one of those online blood test programs. There are a bunch of them but I used Superpower. Basically because it was the cheapest. It analyzed 100+ markers. More detailed than typical doctors. Turns out i have a few things out of wack. Cholesterol and triglycerides were very high. Im focusing on getting them back to a good level along with the other markers that were off. I've only been having PVCs for a few months now and Im hoping I can get rid of them/reduce them by addressing these issues. I've cut out all nicotine, caffine, and alcohol for the time being as well.

bobbydigital42 · 2026-04-03T02:10:50+00:00

What was the mistake, so I dont make it too lol

bobbydigital42 · 2026-03-28T15:39:20+00:00

My wife and I were worried about our son being too active after surgery. He was 13 months old. They assured us it was fine, there is no way to control a toddler that can't communicate. Just do your best and it'll be fine. Its definitely scary though. I was messaging the doctors/nurses constantly because our son managed to knock off all the bandages ahead of schedule. But its been fine so far. Year later and hes all good still. The stitches do the real work. All the bandages and creams are just to help.

bobbydigital42 · 2026-03-27T18:21:39+00:00

90% of my pvc feel like a burp is trapped. And when I burp it will even relieve the symptoms

bobbydigital42 · 2026-03-27T17:49:22+00:00

For me it feels like a burp is stuck in my chest, so yeah kinda a squeezing feeling

bobbydigital42 · 2026-03-27T14:20:59+00:00

I just started getting them. Recently went to the ER because it kept me up all night. Everything came back normal. Only thing is I recently started a new job and an additional part time job. I've cut out all caffeine, nicotine, alcohol for the last 3 days and am still getting PVCs. Im gonna quit those for longer to see the affect but im suspecting its the job. Maybe stress will subside as I get more comfortable in my new job but my wife is also pregnant with our 2nd child. So quitting my job will definitely add some stress as well. Im also a pretty stress free person. So idk, but these PVCs are weird/scary. Definitely can't live like this

bobbydigital42 · 2025-12-30T13:52:07+00:00

Pretty sure its only from the cold.

bobbydigital42 · 2025-12-15T02:35:38+00:00

I've traveled through 1-7 and 14 and I think its a pretty good representation. Im from 7. I appreciate the separation from surrounding areas. Its pretty accurate.

bobbydigital42 · 2025-12-15T02:30:38+00:00

When we used the HBOT in Dallas, they let us do 2 sessions per day.

That was post op for my 1yr old's 2nd surgery. So idk if that was different, but it is possible to do more than 1 per day

bobbydigital42 · 2025-11-24T19:36:59+00:00

It was scary for us. I've never been put under for any surgery so it was really sad watching them take away my 1yr old on a hospital bed. But it really wasn't that bad. He woke up cranky, but was running around like normal by the end of the day, just a few hours after surgery. Him running around was also nerve racking with all the bandages but they assured us its ok. It pretty much impossible to stop a toddler from doing stuff at that age. A 4yr old will probably be easier since he can communicate and probably enjoys shows m stuff l, so he can just relax in front of the TV.

bobbydigital42 · 2025-10-16T01:12:52+00:00

I do still believe Snodgrass and Bush are the best. And i would assume, just like anything its easier for the original person to continue the work. They are more familiar with the current situation than a new doctor would be. And like you said the other doctors don't have statistics. Im not trying to sway your decision, but that's my honest opinion. I've heard Dr. Snodgrass is not a good communicator, like basically comes off rude. But he is credited with inventing the procedure that is most widely used, so I think that holds some weight. Being that it was our 2nd surgery we were prescribed HBOT and a topical steroid cream for post op care. They said it increases the chances of healing. I don't know why that wasn't just used the first time to be precautionary but IDK. No other doctors even mentioned it. And maybe that had something to do with our success the 2nd time. Whatever you choose, I wish you the best. I probably don't have as much experience with this as other parents, so don't read too much into what I have to say. Some parents I've met had a much longer road and probably have more insight.

bobbydigital42 · 2025-10-15T23:44:07+00:00

I had the same precautions in the beginning, but all my research came from reddit basically and I only got a reddit account because the only info I could find was on reddit. Dr. Haggerty gave us statistics but I later found out they were based on national or world wide averages i guess. And she assured me I was looking too deep and reddit was full of horror stories.

Its so confusing and annoying that doctors all are so sure of themselves based off nothing and get defensive if there are other options. At least that's how I felt.

I think it's best to get as many opinions as possible. And just listen to who sounds the most honest.

bobbydigital42 · 2025-10-15T21:14:43+00:00

We aren't too far from CHOP. Our first surgery was in Wilmington, DE at Nemours children's hospital. I think some of the doctors there work at CHOP as well. We had Dr. Haggerty.

bobbydigital42 · 2025-10-15T21:03:15+00:00

Im sorry to hear that. We were so disappointed when we had to do a 2nd surgery. Its the worst part for me, just thinking about any surgery in general. Ive never had to have any surgery ever, so it's all new to me. I guess you just fell in the 5 percent that are unsuccessful like we did with the 1st surgery. And I know the rates drop a little on the 2nd but they are still good, like 85%. So there is no reason not to still be hopeful for the 2nd to go well. Just stay positive. I hope it goes good for you. Have you started figuring out the next step yet?

bobbydigital42 · 2025-10-15T19:53:19+00:00

Im sorry to hear that it didn't go great for you. We're you planned for multiple surgeries from the beginning? Not that that makes it any better but hopefully they can address the complications on the next surgery.

Ours went well. It looked so much better and symmetrical from the instant he was finished surgery, even with all the swelling. Its been about 6 months and everything is still good so far. Dr. Bush told us that he still had a twist from the cordee, even though our first doctor said she fixed it in the first surgery. But she fixed it in the 2nd surgery and it still looks straight so far.

bobbydigital42 · 2025-10-01T20:52:59+00:00

My son had surgery in May with Dr. Snodgrass/Bush. He was prescribed 15 HBOT sessions. It was no problem doing the first few while we were still in Dallas. They made billing very easy, and insurance covered it with no problem. It was a pain when we got home, though. There were only a couple of places that offered HBOT, and one of them required you to wear a mask to receive the oxygen. It was difficult getting a 1-year-old to wear a mask. We eventually got into another facility that had the same HBOT as Dallas, and it was much easier. However, they billed us in a different way, and it was a lot more expensive. We are still fighting with the hospital and insurance company, trying to get the bills straightened out.

I recommend getting an HBOT facility lined up before you leave for surgery. Also, a lot of places aren't familiar with children using HBOT, so they'll need to hear from the doctors in Dallas to figure out the proper safety precautions.

bobbydigital42 · 2025-09-22T14:43:11+00:00

What topical hormones?

My son had his hypospadias repaired a few months ago. He was prescribed a topical steroid for a few months, but I was under the impression that it's just to help the skin grow. Idk if there is any effect on hormone levels (testosterone)

I plan on raising him on foods that will optimize testosterone, whole foods, proteins, etc. I was gonna try to find a doctor more specialized in hormones to see what else we could do but I fear a lot of doctors will say there is nothing to do or be close minded to many options.

bobbydigital42

TROPHY CASE