Today we went in for a fetal echocardiogram to check out Jellybean's heart. Turns out it was a good thing we did. Looks like he (it's a boy!) has some issues, including a VSD. What the doc saw could be any number of things, so we don't have an official diagnosis. Instead, I have to go to Detroit for more tests sometime in the next few weeks. They will get more and better pictures (not sure how), and come up with an official diagnosis. The doc today did say that she thinks Jellybean will need surgery shortly after birth--not with hours, but within the first week. Because of that, she thought it might be better for me to birth at the Detroit hospital. Obviously, we have lots more testing and follow-up before we reach this point, but this adds way more degrees of difficulty to the delivery. On the plus side, she didn't think it was anything that would require early delivery or a C-section. That is, she thinks Jellybean can tolerate labor and delivery. So, that's good news.
The doc today is contacting Lil' Bit's pediatric cardiologist, in part because that's who Jellybean will see after birth, but also because Dr. S is affiliated with Detroit. The doc today is affiliated with UofM, but we are more comfortable dealing with Detroit since we already know the folks there. Dr. S is going to work on the fetal referral process to get me on the schedule for the additional testing. As we go along, I will likely have OB visits with my regular OB, my high-risk OB, and a new OB in Detroit so I will be familiar with them before delivery.
All of this news is frightening, frustrating, and overwhelming. However, I have some small semblance of calm in that I know how some of this works because of Lil Bit's surgery. This time, we know the surgeons, we know the hospital, we know the area, etc. We also have the benefit of knowing early, rather than finding out 6 months in, so we can prepare (Read--plan!!! Always look on the brightside, right?) Still, I had been hoping and praying the Jellybean would be "normal." Instead, it looks like he is already trying to outdo his sister. This sibling rivalry thing sure starts early!
So, to sum up: We know there's something wrong, but we're not sure what. We should find out soon, but we don't know when. There will be lots of planning required, but nothing I can do yet. And I'm not supposed to stress. Yeah. Good luck with that.
Showing posts with label added degree of difficulty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label added degree of difficulty. Show all posts
8.27.2012
Added Degree of Difficulty
Back before they changed the scoring system in the Olympics, there was a phrase that was tossed around by the commentators a great deal--"That's an added degree of difficulty." It was a reference to when a dive or gymnastics routine had a particular start value, but because the athlete had added a few extra twists or whatever, it now had a higher total value because those moves represented "an added degree of difficulty."
We use this phrase around our house a lot. Anytime something is harder than usual for some reason, we say it's got an added degree of difficulty. Now, having children is always an added degree of difficulty. But sometimes, like the last few days, my child's medical needs (also an added degree of difficulty) give her an extra added degree of difficulty. See, for the last few days, Lil' Bit has been sick. Nothing outrageous, just the usual: green snot, rattly cough, and some vomiting.
Ah, but there's the rub. Vomiting. See, since she has to take her meds six times a day (plus now an antibiotic on top of that), and they have to stay down 20 minutes for it to be considered a dose, vomiting causes a big problem. Ultimately, if she can't keep her meds down, then we have to take her to the ER because she has to have her meds. Furthermore, because we have to tell the pharmacy how many pills we have left before we can get a refill, I freak out when we have to give a second dose because I know we are now short some pills and worry about whether the pharmacy is going to start giving me crap about it.
So, needless to say, I have spent the past two days totally freaked out. Fortunately, there is a wonderful medicine that helps control the vomiting, so we were able to get things under control and get Lil' Bit all of her meds without a trip to the hospital--just the urgent care. Still, I hate that even the simple problems of childhood sometimes become a much bigger issue because of her health condition.
On the plus side, however, we are getting much better at all of this stuff. We call it being stronger players. It's our paraphrase of a line from the movie Searching For Bobby Fischer, where one kid tells another, "You're a much stronger player than I was at your age." Anytime we manage to do something that would have overwhelmed us previously, we say, "You're a much stronger player," or "You're playing at a higher level." It's our way of recognizing how far we've come. And, although I still get freaked out and cry at the notion of having to take Lil' Bit back to the hospital for something simple and "normal" like vomiting, I have learned how to handle things calmly until the worst is over and *then* fall apart where she can't see me, so I don't make her more anxious.
Sometimes, I think back to when I was a new parent and got overwhelmed at the smallest thing. The challenges we face today would have seemed insurmountable to the me back then. Now, I can take things that used to terrify me in stride. I'm pleased to discover I am capable, but sometimes, I wish I didn't have to learn just how capable I am.
We use this phrase around our house a lot. Anytime something is harder than usual for some reason, we say it's got an added degree of difficulty. Now, having children is always an added degree of difficulty. But sometimes, like the last few days, my child's medical needs (also an added degree of difficulty) give her an extra added degree of difficulty. See, for the last few days, Lil' Bit has been sick. Nothing outrageous, just the usual: green snot, rattly cough, and some vomiting.
Ah, but there's the rub. Vomiting. See, since she has to take her meds six times a day (plus now an antibiotic on top of that), and they have to stay down 20 minutes for it to be considered a dose, vomiting causes a big problem. Ultimately, if she can't keep her meds down, then we have to take her to the ER because she has to have her meds. Furthermore, because we have to tell the pharmacy how many pills we have left before we can get a refill, I freak out when we have to give a second dose because I know we are now short some pills and worry about whether the pharmacy is going to start giving me crap about it.
So, needless to say, I have spent the past two days totally freaked out. Fortunately, there is a wonderful medicine that helps control the vomiting, so we were able to get things under control and get Lil' Bit all of her meds without a trip to the hospital--just the urgent care. Still, I hate that even the simple problems of childhood sometimes become a much bigger issue because of her health condition.
On the plus side, however, we are getting much better at all of this stuff. We call it being stronger players. It's our paraphrase of a line from the movie Searching For Bobby Fischer, where one kid tells another, "You're a much stronger player than I was at your age." Anytime we manage to do something that would have overwhelmed us previously, we say, "You're a much stronger player," or "You're playing at a higher level." It's our way of recognizing how far we've come. And, although I still get freaked out and cry at the notion of having to take Lil' Bit back to the hospital for something simple and "normal" like vomiting, I have learned how to handle things calmly until the worst is over and *then* fall apart where she can't see me, so I don't make her more anxious.
Sometimes, I think back to when I was a new parent and got overwhelmed at the smallest thing. The challenges we face today would have seemed insurmountable to the me back then. Now, I can take things that used to terrify me in stride. I'm pleased to discover I am capable, but sometimes, I wish I didn't have to learn just how capable I am.
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