Ya never know how vitals are going to go. Owen stepped on the scale, beep beep beeped backed up straight against the wall, and sat pretty still for his blood pressure. All was within range for his age. Then the sat check... You would think a sticker with a light on it would be thrilling to a 3.5 year old but it was not inviting. He finally calmed down and his O2 sats were 83% at the highest :(.
All went well with replacing Owen's g-tube. Chris switched it out for a new one with the instruction from our GI doc. It will come out after potential surgery per cardiology. We still haven't used it in a year and a half!!
Then we waited and waited... The echo tech was running late... Owen went on rides on the hydraulic exam table... Up and down. He watched pictures and videos of himself on Chris's phone. We had snacks. We played with toys.. We waited. We did get to see my old co-worker Tracy and catch up for a bit during this time.
Then Owen laid down on the table, and we put in monster trucks for him to watch and hopefully stay still. He did great and it was quicker than usual, about 40 minutes.
Then he was still for his EKG and picked out a few stickers for the road. We went back down the hall to the exam room and waited for the Riv to come chat.
Here's what's happening: heart stable but right ventricle still small and not doing much work. During the cath next month they are going to place a balloon in his atrial septum to see how his heart functions with it closed (it was re- opened during his second surgery at 8 months old). If it functions better and sats come up they with close it up during the cath. If it didn't make a difference then it's off to get the Fontan surgery. Choose your own adventure!
We learned more about the Fontan... We were in the mindset that recovery would be faster, but the Riv said it's usually a harder and longer recovery as his complete pumping/circulatory system is being re-routed. This has many physiological implications and can have complications like ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdominal area), pneumonia, or just positive fluid in general. Ugh. The end result should be worth it though, with higher sats and a longer lasting shunt (decades!!! Sounds sweet to me!)
After our long day we got some chipotle, let the kids nap in the car, then went to explore the sad puddle that is Folsom lake. It was a good family day but a hard day with many questions still unanswered.
1 comment:
I'm sorry, I know it's hard when so much still remains pending/yet to be determined. I know Owen's a fighter, though, and will handle whatever's yet to come with the strength and awesomeness that he's always shown. Brave little boy!
On a different note, how depressing to see Folsom so low! I'm scared for the coming months if we don't get some torrential downpours soon! Fingers crossed for rain, maybe we should wash our vehicles! Always seems to work for us.
xoxoxo
Post a Comment