Thursday, November 6, 2014

Woot!

Dr. Baker-Smith says there is still no change in Addy's heart function since the repair--hallelujah!  She's growing like she should be, and her oxygen sats were at 98% .

We scheduled Addy another appointment for February for turnover, since we will be moving sometime in the spring, and will most likely have to switch to a different cardiologist :-/

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Another trip to Baltimore

Adriana was not happy when she was first brought back to the cardiac surgical unit at UMMC--she's terrified of anyone in scrubs or a white coat. She fought getting an I.V. and even ripped the first one out of her hand, forcing them to place one in her foot.  She then proceeded to fight sedation. Addy has always been a little scrapper though ;)

She finally gave in, and the echo plus the EKG took a couple hours. Dr. Chaves was able to get very good views of Addy's "problem area" (her pulmonary artery and branches), and told us some good news. Her branches are completely clear, and the mild narrowing of her PA has not worsened. Dr. Chaves said she has mild leakage in her valve, but no more than any normal person would have.

So, to recap, we're thanking our lucky stars that the repair has held up :-) No surgical procedures or meds are needed at this time. Adriana probably won't have to go see her main cardiologist for another 6 months, unless she wants an in-person follow-up.

<3

Look how comfy she was ;)

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Long time, no post.

We haven't had anything to update everyone about until today.

Before I get into the technicalities, let me just assure everyone that Adriana's heart function is looks great. Her oxygen saturation is at 98%, and she is having zero trouble keeping up with her older sisters. By looking at her, no one would ever guess she was born with multiple heart defects.


And now, for a more in-depth look at what's ahead for Addy:


Addy was not very cooperative during the echocardiogram today. This is not a new thing, but she is now older, stronger, and able to wiggle away from the doctor or a sonographer performing it. Though today the sonographer and her cardiologist got some good footage of her heart function, her cardiologist would prefer to have a better look into her pulmonary branches, since that is really the only area she foresees any future issues with. During her open heart surgery, Addy's surgeon did some patch work in her pulmonary artery, opening it up a little more than it had previously been, to ensure adequate blood flow to her lungs. It is possible some of that tissue obstruction (stenosis) could come back. However, since there is no leaking in her tricuspid valve (and the fact that her oxygen saturation % looks great), that indicates that she does not have a lot of built up pressure in her pulmonary branches. Of course, Dr. Baker-Smith always likes to cross her T's and dot her I's, so she is scheduling another echocardiogram for Adriana. This time, she will be sedated--that way, they can take their time and take a good hard look. We do not have the appointment date yet, but it will probably be in a month or so.




If Addy's pulmonary stenosis becomes an issue again, in most cases, they can open those areas back up with a cardiac catheterization (heart cath). That means a doctor will insert a long, thin, flexible tube with a balloon on the end, called a catheter into a blood vessel in her groin (upper thigh), and thread to her heart. They will then balloon the area to open it up more. Or, they may have to insert stints. There is a very small chance that they would have to do another open heart surgery.


Hoping and praying for the best. Adriana has surprised us all so far, and I am optimistic she will keep doing so.


We did a photo shoot with her Heart Hero cape last night. Enjoy ;)