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Friday, January 25, 2008

Day 8: Some progress, some new information, some poop

I know that technically Liviana is a week old today but I still consider this her 8th day since she was born only 54 minutes into the 18th. Some may say, Day 7 but I say Day 8 and as the haggered mother I hope nobody will be bothered by my counting.

Some Progress: After a very rough couple of days Liviana is starting to do a little better. They ended up adding Nitric Oxide in addition to the high frequency vent after her pulmonary pressures came back way too high at 70 following an echocardiogram. Following the introduction of the Nitric her pulmonary pressures went down to 38, which is great. it is doing just what it needed to do.

Her MAPP, which is the oxygen pressure she is getting is getting weaned quite a bit. She is down to 15 on her pressure and currently 38 on her oxygen percentage. Her blood gases have been great so they are able to move forward on her weaning progress as long as her Sats maintain (the oxygen saturation in her blood).

Liviana was running a fever of 101.6 a little over 24 hours post-op. They were unable to pinpoint the source of the fever so they called in Infectious Disease docs to rule out something viral. Her temp has since returned to normal but they are still wanting to make sure they have all of their bases covered. I know that both Aria and Miles have run temps when they were teething (although some docs swear that is not possible) so it would seem quite possible to me that her temp could have been the result of having major organs in her body relocated.....I'm not a doctor though.

Some New Information: It was discovered on the echocardiogram yesterday that Liviana has a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) in her heart. It is very small, which is why it was not discovered before, and both docs (the surgeon and neonatologist) have said that they usually close themselves within the first 6-months to a year. In addition, she has what is called a Hemivertebrae, where she has some abnormalities in her vertebae, estimated to be around T3-T5. The CDH, combined with the VSD and the Hemivertebrae is pointing to this being a the cause of a genetic disorder. We will eventually be talking with the geneticist in the next few days/weeks to help address this issue.

I have been assured that the VSD and vertebrae issue are not huge concerns but it is still hard to not worry horribly about our daughter's future health as it relates to the CDH and these additional concerns.

Some Poop: I was talking to Dr. M. yesterday afternoon and asked him at what point could we expect to see some bowel activity so we would know that it was working properly since the "move". He said he would not expect anything for 3-5 days so I should not be concerned at this point. It was no more than 5 minutes later, as they were getting ready to x-ray Liviana and were changing her diaper that she left a nice, big, mess for the nurses. They loudly announced, "We have Poop". I was so excited. She continued to poop even more on the blanket she was laying on as they were trying to change her. It was a magical moment and I know the CDH parents out there know exactly what I mean :).

I think that is all of the updates for now. As I have been here typing I heard them call the Respiratory Therapist to come lower the settings again for Liviana, as her blood gases are great again. I am eagerly waiting to see what she is graduating to this time.

Please keep her in your prayers. The doctor told me yesterday he would not say she is in the clear yet but she is making progress in the right direction. I told him to me, she is not in the clear until I take her home with me.

Please keep Little Ned,who is scheduled for his repair surgery today or tomorrow. You can follow their progress on the link at the side for Baby Dellinger. Also, please check our Cadenne's blog. She has moved to a new hospital and is making the lovely progress of going home soon.

Thank you all for your support and caring.
Amy

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so glad to read your updates. This is so overwhelming and you are handling it so amazingly well. My prayers and thoughts are with you all!

headofthetribe said...

Oh I am sooo happy to hear this. Ya'll are in our thoughts & prayers. Love to read the updates.
Peace & Blessings
Angel AKA AngelDust Aka headofthetribe from CafeMom

Anonymous said...

Was so relieved to read your update today. Was fussing a little. So glad that things are better..........I will continue to pray and watch for your next progress report. Linda B.

Anonymous said...

It sounds like Liviana is holding her own, that is great about being able to reduce vent settings! Keep heading in that direction, little girl. :) I remember we had to "encourage" Leah's first poop with a suppository a few days post-op, so that is great she went on her own.

Kristyn

Shash said...

Yeah!!! She's such a strong little baby!!! and you are such a strong Momma!!! I look for your updates everyday and say a little prayer for Liviana, you and the rest of your family. I can't even imagine what your heart has been feeling. Stay strong :)

Anonymous said...

Oh.. I am so so happy to have read this!!! YAY! You have to be feeling so much better now. I know there is still progress to be made, but the thing is... she is making progress already! YAY for poop (even thought my boy isnt here yet, I know how important that is after the "move"). Still.. Livy and all the other babies in need will be in my thoughts and prayers. Congrats again on the beautiful addition to your life and family.

Anonymous said...

I am so happy to hear that Livvy's doing well! I check the updates as much as I can. Kevin and I continue to keep you all in our thoughts and hearts.

Anonymous said...

Yay for poop. Livi is gaining strength every day, she must be getting that from her mother. :)

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear of baby Liviana's awesome progress thus far. What a lil' fighter you have there. She is just a precious little angel and I have been thinking of you all and will continue to pray for each and every one of you.

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