"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
--Jeremiah 29:11

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Cardio Visit

Today Connie went for his six week post op check-up. Really I think it's been seven exactly, but who's counting?! We started things off with bp and weight and all that stuff. He's gained two whole pounds in the last four weeks!!! We are so excited. Dr. Bromberg says that weight gain and appetite are a huge tell-tale sign of heart function and he predicted at our last visit that we'd see him packing on the pounds in no time. Sure enough, he was right. Isnt' he always?! Now his growth chart looks much better. It's finally trending upward again! Next stop was his pacer check. No interesting activity to report since the last visit (this is a good thing) and with that news, he feels comfortable adjusting the settings so that he'll go from his atrium being paced approx. 40% of the time to just 10% of the time. That should save some battery life too. Right now it is saying 5 years left with a range of 4.5-6 years, but Dr. Bromberg says now that he's adjusted it, it will be even longer. That's great news too! Then we went downstairs for chest x-ray and bloodwork. He cried for both, but the stickers he got in return were a huge hit (Diego, a scary halloween monster and Pooh Bear). Then it was back upstairs to talk about the x-ray and make a plan. No echo today as his echo 4 weeks ago was pleasing. X-ray shows marked improvement over 4 weeks ago so we're decreasing his lasix to 1X/day instead of twice. If, in 8 weeks, we notice no change with him (as in he's not laboring to breathe or clammy or swollen), we'll stop it altogether. We don't go back to the cardiologist for 4 whole months! Can you believe that the child who was in heart failure all summer and almost listed for a transplant now has a four month reprieve? Unbelievable. He is true testament to the power of prayer and what our Lord Jesus can do when we call out to Him. Dr. Bromberg sees no reason why he shouldn't start preschool in March like we're planning (we're a little freaked out about the germiness of it all) and thinks taking him to an indoor pool a lot this winter would be a good way to keep him active and burning energy. He also gave the okay for the H1N1 vaccine in a couple of weeks (if we can find one, hopefully!) and can't wait to see pictures of him in his dragon halloween costume. That's it for now. Keep tucking our little man in your daily prayers if you can. It's working!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Got the Shot

Connie and Mookie went to the pediatrician today for their flu shots. MK went first so she could show Connie how to be brave. She was very brave. No tears. He cried just watching her get hers! He kept saying, "Done, done." He got over it quickly once he was offered a popscicle. Then the doctor brought in another doctor from Children's who was working/studying with him so she could listen to his rather unique heart. I told him that Dr. Bromberg says it isn't nearly "as interesting" since the surgery.

Next up on the list is Dr. Bromberg for a cardiology check up on Thursday. We're taking the pic below to him along with some yummy treats for the office staff. Notice the words on his pajama top.