Monday, December 6, 2010

Today's cardiologist appointment was a good news/bad news kind of day.

The good news is that I can read my baby. The bad news is that his oxygen saturation levels were low as I had suspected. For the most part, he was at 70, but he dropped into the upper 50's while he was screaming during his EKG.

The good news is that he is growing well. The resulting news (not really bad) is that we have been fast forwarded about a month. His heart catheterization will probably be next week, not in January. His next surgery will probably be the middle of January, not in February.

Caleb's cold is playing a part in the lower saturation levels, but they feel that his growth is the bigger factor. The cardiologist feels that Caleb is on the mend from the cold and we will just keep an eye on him to make sure he is not having to work too hard to breathe. So far, he still looks ok.

If Caleb's cold is gone by next week, the plan is to do the heart catheterization in Grand Rapids on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Caleb will be checked in to the hospital the night before to get IV fluids to avoid dehydration. He will have his heart catheterization and will stay the night after in the hospital. Some of the other babies we know that have traveled to Ann Arbor for their heart catheterizations were in and out the same day, but with Caleb's previous experience with complications, we are not complaining about the extended stay.

Caleb had both an EKG and an echocardiogram today. Both looked fine for him, so we are not dealing with any new complications.

The Early On therapist came today as well. Caleb was not very cooperative because he was so tired from his marathon doctor's appointment, but she was able to evaluate his sucking skills. She is quite confident that with some work, we can get him to drink from a bottle and maybe even breastfeed.

Overall, today was a good day. It is scary knowing that Caleb is on the lower end of where he is supposed to be (and is likely to go lower), but this really is a result of his good growth. The best part is that when the next surgery is over and he has recovered, the load on his heart will be greatly reduced and he will not be nearly as fragile as he is now. We will not have to be as terrified that every cough or sniffle will send him to the hospital.