Did you know that 1 in 100 babies in the U.S. are born with a congenital heart defect? CHD's are the leading cause of infant death, and the #1 birth defect of live infants. The cause of most congenital heart defects are unknown, yet funding for research vastly lags behind childhood cancer and other genetic diseases.

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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Intermediate ICU

Today has been a busy one.  We started off the day with an xray and breakfast, then an echo.  We saw the doctors later in the morning and they said they are happy with the progress Nicholas has made.  They said we could remove all the IV lines, but we had to make a new one because the others are either unnecessary or breaking down.  So now Nicholas only has one IV in his foot.  He still has his chest tube too. 

We also got the o.k. to leave the CV-ICU.  So we transferred up to the Intermediate ICU this afternoon.  Nicholas is doing better; although he still seems on the sad side of things.  We were able to take a wagon ride, which he loved, and that perked him up a little.

We have another echo in the morning to check the banding.  Today they said it appears that the gradient isn't as high as it was during surgery.  It could be because all of the bandages prevent the tech from getting a good angle and not an exact accurate reading, or it could be that it hasn't achieved what it was supposed to.  If it reads low again tomorrow, then they will likely do more tests (I would guess an MRI and/or cardiac catheter) to get a more accurate measurement.  If it is lower than we want, we may be looking at a re-banding sooner rather than later.  More to come when I know more....
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1 comment:

  1. AndreaDecember 20, 2010 at 10:03 AM

    Hi Brenna,
    I am so sorry that I haven't been in contact sooner. I'm glad to hear that Nicholas is in the IICU--it's a little quieter there and better for resting. Hopefully you can get to the step down unit soon, that's even quieter. I've been reading your posts and my heart is heavy for you. I remember those days too well, it is very difficult to see your child so sad in the hospital. He will be back to his old self in time. Please give me a call if you'd like to talk (606-7180). I have a number for you, but I think it's your home number.
    Thinking of you and praying for your family.
    Andrea Himmelberger
    MLH of Sacramento

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