Karter getting EKG for 6 month PDA Ligation follow up.

Karter's 6 Week Check-Up

Today Karter had his 6 week check-up with the cardiologist. He had to have an x-ray and EKG. He did fantastic on both, only saying he wanted to go home a few times.

Everything looked good. He will go back in 6months for a Echo cardiogram to have a closer look and make sure tissue is forming correctly around the occluder.

In 6 weeks Karter has gained 3lbs, no longer requires more sleep than Kolton and has so much energy. He has always been active, but required about two more hours of sleep than Kolton and he ate but now he really eats.

It's know that children with heart issues sometimes have difficulty gaining weight, require more sleep or tire easily. I didn't think that Karter fit into that category before, I think I might have been wrong.

I'm so glad it's over and Karter is doing more than fine.

So Thankful

In spite of what I'm going through right now with this pregnancy I'm so thankful.

Thankful that Karter made it through his procedure just fine. We arrived at 9:00 that morning and got all checked in and sat down in the waiting room. We were surprised when one of our pastors showed up. He stayed with us awhile prayed and then he had to leave. After checking to make sure the PDA was present this time with and echocardiogram, the took him back at about 11:30. Unfortunately I was not allowed to actually go in with him while they sedated him as I had intended because I'm pregnant and Jimmy just couldn't do it. I had to stand at the door and he did cry and didn't want the mask put on his face, but I knew the more he cried the faster the anesthesia would work, he was out in about 30 seconds.

We moved to the waiting room were my dad was. My dad and I went to the cafeteria while Jimmy waited for us to return with his food.

Somewhere in there the nurse called to tell us things were going fine and they would be done soon. At 1:30 or so the Doctor came out to tell us things had gone fine. The reason his PDA was there sometime and not at others was because there was a bend in the vessel sometimes making it closed and others open. It was a pretty good sized PDA and they placed an occluder.

We were then sent to recovery to be with Karter as he woke. I forgot to mention that my Pediatrician was there as well because his child had to have a surgical procedure that day as well as was in the recovery bed across from Karter. So Dr. C was able to see Karter as he woke.

After an hour in recovery and after me having to climb in his bed so he wouldn't climb out, we were moved to the step down area. There we had to stay for 4 hours. It was uncertain if he would have to stay overnight at that time, but he was such a good boy and stayed still for the whole time that he had no problems and we were able to leave at 7:00p that night.

He was such a good boy.

They were both good boys. Kolton did great here with my mom, asking to call daddy from time to time. He was happy to see Karter when he came home and asked Karter if he could sit next to him on the couch.

Kolton is a little worried now and wants to make sure if he's going somewhere that Karter and Daddy get to go too.

I'm so thankful that's behind us, it was a huge stressor looming over our heads. Thankful that it went well and Karter is back to his normal if not more busy self.

__________________________________________________________________

On to something else. I've been reading this blog for awhile. They are having a really rough time with their baby Stellen, who is having some heart issues. I'm sure your thoughts and prayer would be appreciated.

Karter Update #3

We are home. Karter and Kolton are both in bed and Jimmy and I are going to crash in front of the TV for awhile.

He seems to be completely back to his old self.

I'll write a more in depth post tomorrow.

I did want to say I met Gavin's Mom today while at the hospital she was surrounded by lots of supportive family and her husband. Gavin was having a procedure done today by the same doctor right after Karter. It's a small world. Send your thoughts and prayers Gavins way as his procedure was longer than Karter's and from what I gather will be staying overnight.

Karter Update #2

Karter is recovering nicely. He is asking for juice and food and talking and interacting a lot now.

Possibly going home tonight.

So glad this is over.

Karter's Procedure Tomorrow.

Tomorrow we have to be at the hospital at 9:00 and his procedure is scheduled for 11:00. I'm getting a little nervous. I don't think anything is going to happen but the thoughts keep creeping in my mind. Thoughts like what if this is the last time we eat out together or what if this was the last time I tuck him into bed. I'm trying not to let these thoughts creep in but I suppose they are normal to some extent, especially for a parent who's kid is going under anesthesia tomorrow.

As I type this Jimmy is searching PDA ligation's and Occluders for the umpteenth time. Of course we research everything to death, thankfully Jimmy has not found a bad case yet.

I'm taking my laptop to the hospital tomorrow and if they have good internet there I'll try to do updates as I can.

Good thoughts and prayers are welcome.

PDA Update

Karter's procedure is scheduled for March 26th at 10:00 am. It's highly likely that he will stay overnight as his procedure is scheduled for the late morning. I think my mom is going to be able to come over and stay with Kolton as it was planned before on our first try.

Believe it or not Karter's PDA went MIA again. Last week at our pediatrician's office it was undetectable by stethoscope again. Dr. C listened several times and didn't hear it. When I got home and listened I didn't hear it either. Weird. Regardless whether it's heard on the the day of the procedure or not Karter will still have a heart cath and then depending on what they find it will be fixed.

This time around, while I still wish we didn't have to deal with this, I'm ok with having it done. It's a pretty safe procedure and I'll be glad when it's over.

Now for some pictures.

Last week the boys decided to feed each other. They didn't like what I fixed for dinner so they wanted one of their frozen kids meals. They pretty much did this the whole meal. It was so cute. Zeeo wanted in on it too.

The Post I Didn't Really Want to Write.

Hmm... I'm not really sure how or what I want to say. I do want to be honest though. Let's start with Karter was NOT healed by God. No matter how bad that sounds and how much I wish it were true, recent findings have proven otherwise.

Let me start from the beginning. Shortly after we and the doctor for that matter thought Karter's PDA was healed, I heard the murmur again. I say I heard it because I have a stethoscope that the boys play with sometimes and they were listening to my heart and each others. When they asked me to listen to theirs I did and I thought I heard the same murmur in Karter's heart, but I dismissed it thinking I didn't because how could I, God had healed him. However, being that I believe that it is my and Jimmy's responsibility to make sure our kids are safe and healthy I had to have it checked out.

This was in early November. The boys had a flu shot scheduled for a few days after I had heard the murmur and so I asked our Pediatrician to take a listen. He had just assumed we had had the procedure done, but when I explained that it had not been done and I was trying to have Faith and speak what I wanted. I told him that he had been healed, and then he heard the murmur. I felt kinda stupid. And a little mad at God, ok who am I kidding I felt a lot mad at God. I called Jimmy and told him the devastating news. We asked the doctor to schedule us another appointment to have another echo cardiogram.

The appointment was made for January 29. Over the two months or so I would periodically listen and I always heard the murmur. My mind was reeling how could this be? How could God give something and then take it back. That was not the God I knew. Was this an attack from Satan? Our pastor seemed to think so. So I desperately clung on to that thinking that it was just an attack, that his PDA was healed and the echo would prove to me that God in fact had healed Karter. However as time went by I began to come to the realization that this was probably not so. All evidence pointed to the PDA being there, but I hung on until about 2 weeks before his Echo appointment and then I just gave up basically. I gave up the fact that God had healed Karter in fact I have pretty much given up the idea that you only have to ask and you will receive. This has not been true for me or others in my family for that fact. I had more faith than a grain of mustard seed. We had done as God had instructed us to do in James 5:14. The Bible says that the are all ours to have, however we were unable to obtain it.

I have to be honest that this greatly discouraged me. The echo as Jimmy and I suspected showed the PDA in all it's glory. The doctor stated that he and his colleagues do not really know what happened. That according to his ear and the echo on October 16, the day of his procedure, the PDA was closed. He couldn't explain what happened, but thinks, as we do that Karter needs to have the PDA ligation. So Karter will be having a procedure to close his PDA sometime soon. The heart doctors will be getting back to us with that time and date.

I so didn't want to come back to you all after we had told everyone about God's healing hand and say that oops, God didn't heal our son. While I do believe that there are healing sometimes, I'm not sure they work as the bible says. I know that may worry my friends and family, don't worry I still believe in God. I still love God. I have a lot of thinking to do about this. I have a lot of questions that I need to find answers too.

I don't like that I've been confronted with this, that it has given me many questions to which I don't have answers. I feel a little silly for having said he was healed and if fact he was not. However, I felt it very important to be real about this to put it all out there. Don't think for a second that the thought didn't cross my mind to not write about any of it. To just let everyone think he had been healed and he is fine. I don't want to feel fake so this is our truth.

We have come to term with the PDA and the procedure. We have done our research on both and feel confident in what has to be done.

Doctors Dictation

Last week we requested the dictation from the doctors office. Basically we wanted the before and after not only for us, but our church would like us to do a testimony they would like to put on video and it would be nice to have that documentation for that as well. We requested snapshots of the Echo cardiograms, but have not received those as of yet.

I realize that there are those of you who are not believers out there who do not believe our son was healed by God, I also realize that there are also a fair amount of those of you out there who classify yourselves as Christians that do not believe me either. That's ok. I KNOW my son was healed and that's really all that matters. So I'm not posting this stuff to convince you otherwise, just to document a momentous moment in our families life and to maybe share with those of you the joy we have felt from this and the reality that God is real and He is awesome.

This is in doctor talk, but you can pretty much decipher what it's saying.

Finding per Dr. B via echo cardiogram on 8/4/08:

"There is normal segmental anatomy. The atrial and ventricular septums are intact. There is trivial, physiologic tricuspid valve regurgitation, which is insufficient for accurate quantitation of right ventricular pressures. No other valve stenosis or regurgitation is noted. The pulmonary venous and systemic venous returns appear normal. The aortic arch is unobstructed. There is a 4mm, small to moderate sized patent ductus arteriosus with a peak instantaneous pressure gradient of 85mmHg obtained. Subjectively, the left heart is borderline dialted. There is good ventricular function."

Findings per Dr. S(the surgeon) via echocardiogram on 10/16/08:

"The study today is compared to the study of a few months previously. There has been interval closure of a significant serpiginous PDA. There is no evidence of residual shunting between the aorta and the pulmonary artery by imaging or color flow doppler. Intracardiac anatomy is not visualized. The aortic arch is unobstructed and left sided. There is no branch pulmonary artery stenosis."

Impression:
"No ductus arteriosus noted on today's study; interval closure of the previous PDA."

God is good!

Our Miracle Story

I don't think it's a secret that I wanted Karter healed. I knew God could do it, my question was would he? I have personally been going through a confusing time recently. We have recently moved, we still have two houses on the market and no one is offering, Karter was diagnosed with a PDA and we started a new church. I have known God for years but it has been only recently that Jimmy and I have decided to recommit ourselves to the Lord and the life that that means leading. With all these changes things have been a bit confusing to me. I began to wonder if I had enough Faith (Matthew 17:20), if I was committed enough to the Lord, why were my prayers not being answered. I have prayed for the sale of at least one of our two homes, a smooth transaction.. After not having those prayers answered I began to get frustrated with God. What I realized is that I was trying to tell God what to do, I wanted him to prove something to me, although I'm not sure what.


All the while Jimmy and I had been discussing different things we had read in the Bible. He and I both wanted healing for Karter and didn't really see any reason biblically that he shouldn't have it. One day while in the shower, which is were I do my praying and deep thinking it's the only quiet time I have, I was praying and I was a little frustrated. I was just talking to the Lord and I asked why don't you just heal it Lord, you can close it, it's just a little 4mm vessel, you can raise the dead, you can certainly close this vessel, and I left it at that.

We had Karter anointed with oil and prayed for by Pastor Al at our church (James 5:14). Our church, family and friends were praying, though I don't think any of them knew we were specifically praying for healing. We felt we had covered Karter in every way we knew how.

It's here that I want to thank each and every one of you who prayed for calmness and peacefulness for Jimmy and I. It worked, at least for me, I'm not sure what Jimmy felt but he appeared to be ok. Yesterday, I was calm and had a peaceful feeling that things would be fine. My anxiety was gone.

I wrote the above to give you a little background of what has been going on in our house spiritually. Now we get to the really good stuff.

Today I got up at 5:20am got dressed gathered up some stuff, Jimmy got dressed and loaded the car with some stuff. At 6:00am I woke Karter put some shoes on him and we left. We had to be at the hospital at 6:30am when we entered the pre-registration room it was full at that early hour of the morning. Things were going rather smoothly, Karter was not cranky as I thought he might be and he only asked once for juice. We waited about 30 mins and were called back to prep him for the surgery. Here they did the usual, gave him something to change into, did the usual 50 questions, took his vitals and wheeled us to another room where we would speak with the anesthesiologist and the doctor. Things were still moving smoothly, we spoke with the anesthesiologist he told us what to expect and that one of us could go back with Karter as they put him to sleep with gas . Jimmy did not want to see Karter that way, so I was going to go with him. The last person we were to speak to before he went back was the doctor. He explained what he would be doing, showed us the devices that he would be placing and then he listened to his heart. It was at this point that he said, "I'm not hearing a murmur" he then stated that he would like to get a quick look by ultrasound. He left and we were taken around the corner, the tech looked for a little while, excused herself for a second, and returned stating she needed one more picture. At this point Karter had began asking to "go bye bye" but was still doing fine. She took us back to our room and at that point the doctor entered as he crossed the threshhold of the door he asked "have you guys been praying" to which we answered yes. At this point I believe he said it worked, but I'm not really sure because all I heard next was gone, it's no longer there. It was at this point I began to cry. It was just how I envisioned it would be if he were healed, how it played through my mind in the shower a month or so ago. The place began to buzz, Jimmy asked the doctor how often this happens, the doctor stated not much and that with the size of the vessel and the age of Karter they just don't close, he stated that it was a miracle. All the nurses were coming in and at one point one of them gave me a hug. It was all so awesome. The doctor said "your done, you can go, just follow up in 6 months." As we were dressing Karter and getting ready to leave the doctor stated that looking at his Echo from two months ago and looking at today's was drastically different, it was completely gone and it had been a pretty large PDA. The doctor made it clear, PDA's don't go away on their own, at Karters age nor at that level of severity...

It was a very exciting day, many, many prayers were answered from calmness for Jimmy and I to calmness for both Kolton and Karter. To my questions of if we were in the right church and on the right path. Although our houses have not sold, it's ok. I know God will take care of us and I will take a healing over a house selling any day. I fully surrendered today and I have no idea where it will take us but I'm excited to find out.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Karter's procedure. We have to be at the hospital at 6:30 am, I will have to get up at 5:30 to get dressed and get stuff gathered up. I have told both Kolton and Karter that tomorrow Mommy and Daddy are going to take Karter to the doctor to have his heart looked at, while he is asleep and that Nannie will be staying with Kolton tomorrow and playing with him all day. To this Kolton responded, "I go daddy" I'm sure that does not need a translation. Karter than responded that he was going to get his "heart looked at." My Mom is coming tonight to stay and be with Kolton tomorrow, it's going to be a hard day for him, he's the protector of the two and is extremely concerned if he is not in the near vicinity of his brother.

Karter is going to be hacked when he is awoken so early and is not allowed to have his coveted juice. He will at least be able to have his B(binkie) which he also loves.

I have a peaceful feeling about what has to be done. While I still wish it didn't have to be done at all, I believe that I have finally given it all over to God. He knows my innermost wishes. I'm sure I will have to hold back the tears as they take Karter away and when he is out of my site I will cry and grieve for myself having to go through this. Then I will get myself together to be strong for both Karter and Jimmy.

My Mom has arranged to stay on Thurs night if Karter has to stay the night in the hospital. We will deal with all that entails as we get closer.

As I awoke this morning a thought immediately came to my mind, I have been reading this blog for some time now. I thought of all she had to go through on the day she went to the hospital to meet her son and tell him goodbye, all on the same day. While my heart aches for her and her journey, it was also filled with thankfulness. I'm so thankful that I'm not having to be faced with that situation.

I fully expect to see my son wake from his procedure, be at his beck and call and take him home where he will no doubt drive me nuts with his demands. Demands I am thankful I can fulfill for him. Thankful that he is here for me to fulfill them for.

Pray tomorrow as we are taken through yet another journey.

(Since Karter is currently in the computer room turning the server on and off, pictures will have to be added at a later date.)

Feelings

As it gets closer and closer to Karter's procedure I find myself feeling many different things.

Sad- Mostly for myself. I'm sad that this is even happening. Karter has no clue, yet. I will probably tell him early next week that he will be going to the doctor and they will be looking at his heart while he sleeps. I'm sure he won't fully understand but I feel it is better to tell him something instead for just taking him there without his brother, early in the morning and him not understanding what is going on at all. Sad that I have to hand my baby over to doctors and nurses again. Sad that after all we have been through with their early birth we are having to deal with this.

Mad-I feel mad because we are having to go through this. That Karter is having to go through this. I realize that this is considered a very mild procedure I understand that, however when it's your child you just really wish you didn't have to deal with it at all. I must admit that I feel a little mad at God as well. I want him to just fix it, take it away so none of us have to deal with it. He can do it He is the master physician He can heal anything.

Thankful-I feel so thankful that my boys survived their prematurity with really no lasting affects. I feel so thankful that Karter does not have something more serious. There could be so much more that it could have been, yet it is something that can be easily fixed. I am thankful to God for their lives.

Karter has had and will have many people praying for him. He is in good hands. I ask that you do send prayer and positive thoughts mine and Jimmy's way as we hand our child over to someone other than trusted family members. Someone who will be putting something in our sons heart. The very heart that beats and gives him life. I know that a lot of people don't understand that life changing ride that prematurity and the NICU is, it changes you, it changes the way you would have parented. It robs you of the experience that you were supposed to have, that you were entitled to have and it throws you into a situation that you don't really know how to handle. No parent should have to see their hour old baby who is not even supposed to be out of the womb yet have a tube shoved down their throat. Or needles stuck all over their bodies, needles that are literally almost as big as their fingers.

I only tell you this because while I realize how blessed we are to have these two wonderful boys it does add insult to injury that this is even happening. Granted it is mostly Jimmy and I that are still "injured" from their birth and following months, but none the less it stinks.

I'm sure a year from now I will only be remembering this time as I remember their NICU time. Just something that we went through that made us stronger. Stronger as a family, stronger in Christ, just stronger.

Update on Kolton's Doctor Appointment

On Friday Kolton saw the cardiologist. Everything is fine, he does have a slight murmur but nothing to worry about. He does not have an open PDA like Karter and the doctor does not need to see him again.

It's nice to know his heart looks fine and we don't have to worry about him having any procedures done.

Doctor update and ice cream

Things have been busy. I have several post brewing in my head but have yet found the time to write them down.

Everyone is fine. Kolton has a cardiologist appointment on Friday, just to check and make sure everything is good with him. His Allergy test came back negative, so I supposed that's good, but he sure did have some sort of reaction. The doctor was sure to inform me that he didn't need to eat nuts anyway because he could choke, which I'm well aware of. It's not like we gave him a nut and said there you go, run around and play, but be careful not to choke. I know he was just informing me and we will not be letting him have anymore nuts for awhile anyway.

The boys are napping, who knows for how long, I have ice cream calling my name so I need to get to that.

Doctor Appointments

Yesterday both the boys went to the doctor. Karter to the dermatologist because his eczema on his feet has gotten pretty bad and his current meds don't seem to be helping much. He ended up getting a new ointment for his feet to use for a couple of weeks.

Kolton went to the Pediatrician for two reasons, first to have his heart listened to, to see if he needed to be seen by the cardiologist. Dr. C listened to him for quite a while and decided that he should be seen just to be safe. He did hear a murmur, but Kolton's murmur is unlike Karter's. Dr. C said it is more like the "normal" murmurs that you hear, but since Karter has an issue just to be on the safe side he will have him looked at. He is referring us to someone besides the doctor that saw Karter. So we will be taking Kolton to have and echo cardiogram and EKG too. If I go off what I feel, I don't feel that Kolton has an issue that will have to be dealt with. Hopefully my feelings are right. Secondly, Kolton went to get tested for a nut allergy. Last week Jimmy was eating cashews and gave both Kolton and Karter one, they have both had cashews before, actually several times before. About five mins after Kolton ate the nuts he began to cough and wheeze, I watched for a minuet more and he began to cough more. I immediately thought that he was having a reaction to the cashew. I gave him Benadryl and an Albuterol Nebulizer Treatment and watched him for four hours. After 30 mins his breathing became normal and he showed no other respiratory signs, however he did have diarrhea the next day. Jimmy searched online and we found out that some kids after the age of two can have reactions to things that they previously didn't, Dr. C confirmed this. We also found out that had I taken him to the emergency room they would have done the exact same thing I did. They would have given Benadryl and a nebulizer treatment. Of course I would have immediately gone to the E.R. had his breathing not improved quickly, thankfully it did. I suggest everyone have Benadryl and know the correct dosage to give your child as this medication comes in handy for many reactions, just follow your doctors orders on when and how to give it. Anyway, he had blood drawn and we should have those results in about a week. I don't think he is allergic to peanuts, just cashews, which thankfully are easier to avoid. Dr. C did give me a script for an Epi-Pen just in case we were to need it. I hope we never, ever need it.

With all that said I have to tell you, I really do have the best kids in the whole wide world. Kolton's appointment was at 9am, they were wonderful in the waiting room and the exam room. I no longer use strollers when taking them to the doctor, they don't like to sit in it for long and it is so hard to get them in and out of the doors, how brave am i? They allowed the doctor and I to talk without much fuss. After Kolton's appointment we had to go to the lab to get his blood drawn. Now Kolton is a bit more dramatic with that kind of stuff than Karter so I knew there would be some tears. They poked my poor little guy 3, yes 3 times and still didn't get blood. Kolton was so brave, he cried but didn't freak out. Karter just watched. We decided that we would try again after Karter's appointment because someone else who was a better stick with kids would be there. Once again the boys were wonderful in the waiting room and the exam room and in the waiting room of the lab for the second, well actually fourth attempt. Thankfully they got blood and Kolton was once again brave. After they were all done he said "Karter's turn" and believe it or not Karter actually wanted a turn. I just asked if they could give Karter a band-aid, which pleased both boys.

I actually wanted to buy them the world. They are normally good, but with all the waiting we did I was just so proud of them.

Procedure Date Set & Then and Now Pics

We got the call yesterday that October 16 will be the date that they do Karter's procedure. I'm OK with the date, it's after our March of Dimes Walk, after Daddy's birthday and after his eye appointment on Oct. 3rd and my birthday on the 8th. We have to be at the hospital at 6:30am they will talk with us, answer all our questions, I'm assuming do some blood work and then the procedure. We may be able to go home the same day but we may end up staying overnight, it all depends on Karter and how he reacts and how quickly he wakes up. I'm sure as the date gets closer I will have more things to say about how I feel about it. For now I feel peaceful about it. I wish it didn't have to happen but I don't really feel all that worried at the moment.

Than and Now August Edition

August 17, 2006

August 9, 2007

August 13, 2008

PDA Part II (Patent Ductus Arterious)

We have heard from the doctor who examined Karter, via e-mail. She has informed us that she has consulted with the doctor that will be doing the procedure. The doctor that it would be the same risk weather we do it now or next summer and he prefers to do it this summer, so his office will be calling us to set up the first round of appointments.

Jimmy has found a website that explains what the procedure involves and all the risks.

To find our more information click here.

PDA

Karter's appointment with the cardiologist was this morning. They did an EKG and a echocardiogram. They found that Karter has a PDA or Patent Ductus Arteriosus. This is very common in preemies and is usually diagnosed while still in the NICU, however for some reason ours wasn't. I remember the doctors speaking to us about PDA's and I can only assume we were lead to believe all was well or we just didn't remember to ask about it again. The cardiologist says that sometimes they just leave them alone until the child is older and stronger to treat the problem. You know here's were the instinct things comes into play again. Two weeks ago when we visited his Pediatrician I began racking my brain to try to figure out what it could be, the only thing I could come up with, and I'm not doctor mind you, it that it was an undiagnosed PDA. I said this several times to Jimmy and even researched it. I just knew this is what he had. As the doctor began to tell us what she thought it was, I asked, are we dealing with a PDA and she said yes she believed so. She thought that it has always been there, while I think it has always been there I wonder if it has always been so easily detected by stethoscope. He has had his heart listened to at every doctor visit by every doctor and no one up until recently has said anything about it. The cardiologist said that sometimes murmurs go undetected for awhile due to it just being plane ole loud in the exam room.

While we were not to fond of the doctors bedside manner, I am confident in her skills. Thankfully she will not be doing his procedure. Speaking of procedure he will be having a heart catheterization either before the Summer's end or next Summer. It will all depend on the doctor whom will be doing the procedure. We have yet to speak to him as the Cardiologist need to speak with him first and give him all details and test results, but we should know something shortly.

While I don't really want Karter or us for that matter to have to deal with any of this, I'm thankful that it's not something worse. We don't need to limit his activity and we don't have to worry about it messing with any electrical parts of his heart, at this point anyway. If it were to be undiagnosed for a very long time then those things might come into play.

Thank you for all your prayers and well thoughts. God is good.