Yes, we had another cardiology appointment today. We visit every three weeks and I think Owen is starting to enjoy it a little too much. He smiles and laughs through all his procedures. Nothing bothers him anymore... even the once dreaded scale. Dr. Stock comes in the room and Owen gets excited. He helps him with the stethescope while listening to his heart, makes Dr. S laugh and even tolerates him feeling his liver. Every nurse, echo tech, cardiologist, and receptionist knows Owen and they shower him with love and attention. We never walk out of there without a few suckers and stickers galore.
Now, onto the appointment.
weight: 24lbs 2oz
height: 30 1/2 "
oxygen sats: 82 on 3/4 liter of oxygen
blood pressure: 77/44
ekg: perfect
Dr S says Owen looks great! We continue to go up on his Captopril until we hit 60ml/day (equivilent to 3oz), we will leave his other meds alone for now. Aldactone, Lasix, Digoxin, Asprin and Sildenafil are the others. We go back on 7/24 and we'll introduce the Carvedilol. Carvedilol is a beta-blocker and as explained to me... blocks adrenaline from the heart which slows the rhythm and force of the heart pumping. It is intended to lower blood pressure and help with the heart failure. It has not been highly successful in kiddos like Owen, but we're going to try. The downside is.. it can help his failure, or worsen his symptoms.
By his August 11th appointment, we should have his Captopril up to full dose, his Carvedilol at the full dose and we'll do an echo to see what effects it's having on his heart. Dr. S mentioned the possibility of another cardiac cath, but we won't know for sure until the echo.
Also, Dr. Rosenthal, our cardiologist at Lucile Packard Childrens, wanted Owen to see a Pulmonologist. They deal with the lungs. We have no reason to believe that there is a problem with Owen's lungs, but we need to be sure. He has been on continuous oxygen now since October. His appointment is scheduled for July 9th. Please let the lungs be perfect.
That's enough medical talk... let's talk 17 months because that's how old Owen is now. He is finally mobile and butt-scooting everywhere. He is starting to bear weight in his legs, so maybe he'll be walking by his 2nd birthday (this is my goal for him). He is talking a little more, but still no real communication, although we know what he wants. We are starting speech therapy soon and Physical therapy might get a little more intense now that he's feeling better. He still won't eat a whole lot of food. His problem is volume, not variety, he'll eat anything you put in front of him. I like to call him the two-bite wonder. After two bites, he's "Ah dun". I give him sippy cups all day long, but he takes one drink and then shakes the liquid out. He enjoys eating, he enjoys food, he'll catch on sooner or later. Most importantly, he's HAPPY and he's home. :)
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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8 comments:
always good to hear good updates!
So glad Owen's appointment went well! It's so much easier when you don't have to hold them down through the echo and ECG! We check in on your blog whenever there's an update - our five-year-old, Charlie, also has HLHS and is awaiting his Fontan surgery. I know what you mean about the food thing - we're very fortunate that Charlie's always been pretty well - but eating is still a BIG challenge! It's amazing how much Captopril you're having to give Owen now - Charlie was on Captopril originally, but has moved onto Enalapril now. It's much easier because the Captopril we had was oil-based and tasted (and smelled!) totally foul! The Enalapril is raspberry flavoured, and Charlie says it tastes like pop! Just wanted you to know that we think of you all often, and love to hear how Owen's getting on! With love from across the pond X
So great to hear that Owen is doing well! Keep it up little man!
GREAT news all around! Thanks for the update and we will continue to pray that Owen tolerates the Captopril & the new Carvedilol. And seriously, 24 lbs? That's awesome!!!
Stay cool down in the desert. I have no idea what 110 degrees feels like.
Very wonderful that he had such a good appointment. And it really is a blessing that he doesn't mind (even enjoys) them; I had a friend who watched a boy who was scared to death bc of all he'd been through. Owen seems like such a joyful soul.
I'll be praying for his other appointment and also for his development. My son is 2 now and, maybe I'm really wrong, but he doesn't sound much different than Owen in speech. I understand what he says, but he sounds so much more baby than toddler??
He just always is such a joy to hear about and to see; he seems to enjoy life so much.
That is so funny that you mentioned the "dreaded scale". Ethan is TERRIFIED of the scale both at home and at the Dr's office. What is is about the scale in particular that is so scary? I am so glad that Owen is doing as well as he is. I can't believe he is 24lbs. That is AWESOME!!
So glad to hear that the visit was successful. We continue to pray on your behalf every day!
When it comes to heart, nothing should be ignored. From your description, it seems that you are inviting a bigger problem (though not so recent) in your life. There can be many cases where you may feel such palpitations. Many diseases like Arrhythmias , Sinus Tachycardia , mitral valve prolapses, PVCs. I am not trying to frighten you, but make you aware of the situation.
Arrhythmias shows the symptoms of disorder of regular rhythmic beating of heart. And this can occur in a healthy heart and be of minimal consequence. And if this is the case, it indicates the serious problem and lead to heart disease, stroke or even a sudden cardiac death.
Sinus tachycardia is a disease where a person has a heart beat rate above 100. This is generally found in many people. Not so serious, but worth noting.
Having a blocked artery is something really very serious issue. You cannot take that lightly, and I seem your doctor is doing the same. There is nothing to feel confused. You are really in a big problem if you are having any artery blockage. This is quite good that your doctors are moving fast in your case, otherwise sometimes it happens to be exactly opposite, they usually tends to be so slow that we really feel very angry on them. I had got a similar experience in my medical checkup at Elite health medical centre at Los Angeles. They really gave a very good amount of attention to my health problems. I got these entire tests you described in same chronological order. But everything was just as fine as it could possibly be. I was found to be having a problem in the atrial valve, which is taken care of now. But the overall experience I have with all these test was quite satisfying. You can get some very good information on advanced diagnostic test of heart disease from www.elitehealth.com/advanced_diagnostic_testing.php.
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