Pictures from Stage 2, the Glenn
Pictures from Stage 3, the Fontan Please note - these pictures, for the most part, are "safe". If you're interested in post-op pictures from the Norwood, please email us at us@babysamson.com for access.
Doctor Visits
Fontan
General Updates
Glenn
Life with Sammy
Norwood
Other HLHS families
Support
Surgery & Recovery
Surprises
Test Results
Worrying
Four years old
Happy holidays!
Home, home, home!
Recovery
Unexpected Open Heart Surgery
Fenestration-closing cath
One year post-Fontan!
NSTAR's Walk for Children's Hospital Boston
3 years old & cardiology visit
Wild Man
Update and Santa
Blue episodes and a cardiology appointment today
Ellie's Fontan
Post-Fontan Cardiology Visit
"You've gotta just let him be."
Sammy's Recovery from the Fontan
Life Post-Fontan
Bump from home
We are home!
Fontanized - Day 6 Update
Day 4 Post-Op 2:30pm Update
Fontanized, Day 4 Post-Op
Bump #2 - Pneumothorax
Little Bump
Fontan Post-Op, Day 2
Extubated!
Fontan Post-Op Update
Fontan Day
Fontan Pre-op Done
Checking in
Update, 2 years old, Fontan date, more
And we're free!
Pre-Fontan cath DONE.
Cath Day
Day 1, Pre-Fontan Cath Prep
Pre-Fontan cath
Twenty-three months: chatterbox, the holidays and the cath
Twenty-two months
Cardiology visit
Eighteen months
Seventeen months
Early Intervention Assessment
Fourteen month update
Miles for Miracles - Together in Heart.
Sedated echo
Look who's one!
One year.
11 1/2 months old!
Almost 10 months old!
Cardiologist Visit
Just about nine months!
Who is this kid, and what did you do with my baby?
Eight months old!
7 months old!
Coming up on 7 months
Six month update
Post-op Checkup & Life post-Glenn
And we're outta here!
Waiting to go home & a few firsts...
Truckin' along
Step-Down!
And the lines are OUT!
Happy updates
Post-Glenn, Day 4
Post-Glenn, Day 3
Post-Glenn, Post-Bronchial Spams, Day 3
Not fun - post-Glenn, night 2
Post-Glenn, Day 2
Post-Glenn, Day 2 - morning
Post-Glenn, Day 1, part 2
Post-Glenn, Day 1
He's out!
In surgery - updates
the wait
The night before the Glenn
Preparing for the Glenn
Update & Surgery
Milk Allergy Fun
Chatty Sammy
Cath Hospitalization
Catheterization
Gasmonster!
Teaching Sammy about the world.
Miles for Miracles
First bath!
Gassy infant prodigy
Rockin' Sammy
Revelations about mamahood
Babymoon, Part 2
Babymoon, Part 1
Home Sweet Home
Discharged!
Rumor has it...
Stepdown, Day 2
We have step down!
Today was pretty mellow
No step-down for you
Time to buy stock in St. Joseph's
One step closer
Extubation!
One step at a time
Done with the closing
Chest Closing
Birth story
Chest Closing & Mama in Triage
Recovery
Out of Surgery
Welcome, Sammy!
Samson Arrives
Labor update
Of due dates and inductions
Baby Grace
Snow baby?
Welcome to the jungle
Getting closer...
37 1/2 week update
Fighting the bad thoughts
Getting bigger - and closer!
31 weeks with Dr. Brown, CHB
31 Week Appt. w/ Dr. Johnson
One big monkey!
Starting to Get Ready
30 Weeks and Full-blown Panic
Silly Pregnant Lady
27 Week Visit
Fears
EFO Shout Out
Weird Pains & an Early Morning Trip to the Hospital
Fetal Echo at Boston Children's Hospital
DiGeorge's - Negative!
Evil Genetics Counselor
Full amnio results
22 weeks and Life Now
Pediatric Cardiologist
Redefining Normal
FISH Results
Embarrassing the poor boy already
The Baby's Name
Post-Amnio
Pre-amnio, Baby痴 name riddle
Reiki energy, and not being alone
Friends and Tarzan
Trying to get through the day
The diagnosis
Trying to stay positive
Pre-Diagnosis
Things took a really scary turn right after my last post. I'm hazy on the details because I spent most of the time in a daze, wandering the halls and trying not to throw up.
Apparently, Sammy has had a lot of "gunk" in his lungs - we can hear him trying to cough it up. He was agitated and having a hard time clearing his throat. With heart conditions, the lungs tend to get full of fluid. His nurse went to suction out some of it, and because his lungs were already irritated, he went into spasms and couldn't breathe. By the time I made it here, he was severely mottled. He could take a breath in, but he couldn't exhale on his own. It was building up a lot of pressure, so they gave him albuterol, and that didn't do the trick. Then the head cardiologist was bagging him (assisting him with breathing with something much like a bellow, forcing air into his lungs). Because he was having such an acute reaction, a lot of his blood gas readings were high.
They gave him some more morphine and have him on oxygen and isopril now. He was wheezing and grunting with each breath, and that stopped the moment the isopril hit his system. He was finally able to both breathe in and out.
The whole ordeal was about an hour long. It felt much longer than that.
The plan is diurese him some more, try to get the fluid out from his body and his lungs. They put him back on the pacemaker to give his heart a rest, and they'll keep an eye on his breathing. The key is to dry out his lungs. We'll be staying in the CICU a few more days.
Jay was with him the entire time... so was my sister. I'm glad she was there to make sense of things and to help explain them to Jay. She was great in relaying things to me, too. Gotta love having a doctor in the family.
Please - I know you're praying and everything already - but he could really use some extra love tonight.
Previous entry :Post-Glenn, Day 2
Next entry: Post-Glenn, Post-Bronchial Spams, Day 3
We are thinking of you all and keeping Samson in our prayers. Ruth and Gil
Posted by: Ruth Rinardrinard.net at July 22, 2006 8:51 AM(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
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This Hope for HLHS site belongs to Erika, Jason & Samson
"HANG IN THERE BABY SAMSON". WE WILL SEE YOU HOME SOON. OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. WE KEEP BABY SAMSON IN OUR PRAYERS.
Posted by: khal &siya at July 22, 2006 2:12 AM