"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!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What wonderful news! Yes, God is at work, and I will keep on praising and thanking Him. Be sure Connie and all of you are "tucked in my prayers."
Much love always, Sister Josephine

Annie Whitelaw said...

I am so happy to read that the doctors visit was full of such great news! He sounds like one healthy and happy little boy. I will never stop praying for Conway or the rest of the family because you have all touched my heart.