Yesterday: We're here. We were admitted around 1 this afternoon. They did an xray and an EKG, throughout which Sammy screamed his head off. He finally calmed down when we got up to the floor, but he's been off all afternoon. Can't blame the poor kid - we're in a hospital. All the sounds and smells can't bring back good memories, I'm sure. He finally fell asleep on my chest for a while, all decked out in his Red Sox gear with his team kicking Yankee butt, 4-1.
We're doing okay. Oddly, I'm comforted being here. At home, I'm always on edge - what does this cry mean? Is his heart beating right? Here, on monitors, the control freak in me feels safe. And here, should something happen, I know he's in the best hands and those hands are just a short yell away. When we were here after he was born, after his first surgery, I almost didn't want to go home. We're taken care of here. He's taken care of here.
On a happy note, Sammy broke the 11 pound mark and now weighs a chunky 11lb 2oz and is 24 inches long. That's almost a FIVE POUND gain since we came home two months ago. This is fantastic for a heart baby!
Knock on wood.
Today around 11: They took Sammy into the cath lab this morning around 7:30. We didn't sleep much last night, but Sammy ate like a champ yesterday, sucking down almost four ounces more than he normally does - and he slept like a, well, baby. Jay sat with him this morning until he had to go in for anesthesia -- he wasn't the happiest camper considering that he hadn't been allowed to eat for the past 4 hours.
We got an update about 40 mins ago saying that he's doing really well. They have him under sedation but he's breathing on his own and not on the respirator. They've gained access to his heart and are running some hemodynamics tests before starting with the pictures and balloon dilation.
Today at 12:30: They called us to let us know Sammy was all done. We're sitting with him for a while in the cath lab while he comes out of the anesthesia. He's groggy and unhappy about being sedated, and he keeps fighting against it. His cries are kind of funny - they're normal cries sort of dragged out over a longer, medicated time. He hates the IV board on his hand and kept whacking himself in the face, so he's swaddled all snug while they monitor his heartrate, oxygen sats and respirations.
Apparently, they had to do the ballooning a couple of times - they weren't happy with the first few attempts. From what we know right now, everything went okay - I guess we'll see what the next few weeks bring. If the stretching didn't go as hoped, it's something they might need to work on during his next surgery (the Glenn) in July.
They're going to keep him for observation, and as along as he's doing well, we should be discharged tomorrow.
Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts.
Just checking in to see that all is well ...????
Posted by: Tricia at June 2, 2006 02:30 PM