Thursday, September 11, 2008

Four-month reprieve


Belly button fetish. Gotta be pushing it like a button at all times!

Elijah's cardiology check-up today went very well. Well, it was good in terms of news we got. It wasn't so good in the traumatization aspect. He freaked out about every little thing...getting weighed, getting blood pressure taken, being looked at by anyone besides Dan or me. His sats were at 99%, which is just awesome, and Dr. Gremmels was pleased with how he has been doing. The only issue right now is a slight murmur Dr. G could hear, which is caused by the narrowing he has in his pulmonary artery. A stent was placed in it during his surgery in April, so it is likely he is outgrowing that stent. Dr. G didn't see this as being a super pressing issue, but that we should address it within the next 6 months.

The plan is to have another heart cath done in January to make that stent bigger and also to check on his collaterals and how/if they have grown since surgery. The same day, right before the cath, he will also have a flow scan done of his lungs. This will show how evenly the blood is flowing to each lung. The hope is that there will be equal, or at least very similar, bloodflow.

He hasn't gained much weight since the last visit in June, but Dr. G didn't seem too concerned. Since he is moving around more, he is most likely burning off the calories quicker. He certainly doesn't have a problem eating food.

That was it! Our little man is doing great heart-wise and otherwise. I can't believe we have FOUR MONTHS before we have to see cardiology again. This is the longest reprieve we have ever had from them. Yaayyy!

There is one little weird thing we have noticed lately that we cannot figure out. Elijah has been getting these little red bumps all over his body that come and go within a matter of minutes or hours. They look like really small mosquito bites. They don't seem to bother him and the nurse we talked to said not to worry unless he gets a fever or has other strange symptoms. At first I thought maybe he had little bugs in his bed, so we washed all of his bedding. Nope, that wasn't it, because they were back the next day. Could it be an allergy to something? Does anyone have insight? It's driving me crazy! It's not like there are a ton of them, but probably 4-5 on his body at any given moment, and they usually come in clusters.

14 comments:

THE LYONS FAMILY! said...

What an awesome report!!

Krista said...

Yeah...for 4 months...that must seem like forever! So glad the report was overall good. He does look great and has made huge strides the past few months...considering everything.

Blessings for a great weekend.

mina said...

It's great that Elijah doesn't have to go back for 4 months, what a nice break!

Megan, are the bumps bothering him at all, does his rub or scratch them? I wonder if they could be a mild form of hives? I was wondering if you just introduced something new into his diet, or changed some product you use in the laundry. It might be totally unrelated, but it's just a thought....

Anonymous said...

I don't know about the bumps. I was wondering if you have changed anything up over there, too, that may be causing some kind of allergic reaction?

So glad you guys got a good report! a 4-month reprieve is a very good thing!

Enjoy your weekend and get lots of snuggling in with that cute little man!

Lots of love,
Cindy

Tina:0) said...

Yay for the report from the doc! Too bad that he had such a poor time there:0( Vaeh is getting sooo pleasant when going to the doc - which I NEVER thought could happen based on her visits early in life! Her card dubbed her 'trouble maker' from day one!

Sounds like you've gotten some good advice on the bumps already! Hope you all have a great weekend! Munch on those cheeks & that belly too, for me!

Unknown said...

What a great report from the PC. We didn't know what to do with ourselves when we were told to come back in 6 months.

I was just getting ready to tell you how jealous I am of his chub. I think he is the first and only heart baby I know that has rolls. :) Keep it up little man...or should I say...big man!

About the rash, not sure what it could be. Arianna had roseola awhile back but that didn't come and go...just stayed and got worse over a few days. Hopefully it's nothing and clears up soon.

By the way, just wanted to tell you I had the best dream ever last night. Not sure where it was but I was able to come and visit you, Dan, and Elijah. I was just smooching on him and having such a blast. I woke up thinking...man I really love that little guy. It's crazy because I've never even meet you guys, but I hold you all so close to my heart. Just thought I would share...

Much love,

Vanessa

Samantha said...

Yay for that wonderful cardiology report! That makes me so happy. He is such a great little boy!!! Four months..woo hoo!!!

As for the bumps...all three of my kids would/do get them and Micah still gets them very often. Do you notice it happening when he is warm? I know the weather is calming down up north, but when Micah gets really hot, he will get a heat rash where he gets raised bumps that are there for a few hours and then they are gone? Maybe??? The allergy thing makes sense too...these kids like to be little mysteries.

Anyway, have a fantastic weekend loving on that sweet chunky monkey!!!

Love,
Samantha

Kathy said...

Way to go Mr. Elijah!!! Four months...whatever are you going to do with yourselves???
That's the most wonderful news!

and the bumps...I think everyone has covered it. Isaac gets small ones, but it's eczema and sometimes he'll get larger ones, but they don't look like mosquito bites, they are about the size but dryer looking (crusty!). Joe gets hives ALL the time..and they DO look like mosquito bites. He'll get them when he's overly worked or tired, too hot, eaten an unripe banana, (any food that he's allergic to), or when he's having an asthma attack.
Maybe Elijah's is just heat related..they do still get really hot when playing.

Thanks for such a wonderful post!
Smoochy moochy on him!
love,
kathy

Anonymous said...

Woohoo!! That is so awesome! Congrats on such a great report :-)

Tracy said...

Yay for a good check up! My middle son had (and still has!) a love for his bellybutton. Instead of having a blankie or teddy, he had his bellybutton to play with :)!

As for the little red bumps, I, like the others who commented would think about any food changes or laundry detergent ... any extra exposure to animals or anything like that?

Sarah said...

Woohoo on the cardio appointment. Evan has little tiny red bumps on his face sometimes and the back top of his arms... his is eczema but they don't go and come. Hmmm... you'll have to let us know if you find anything out about that.

jencooper said...

Way to go Elijah!! AWESOME NEWS!! I love the belly button picture. It is super cute.

I got nothing about the bumps. Sorry!

<3,
Jennifer

Ann(ie) said...

YAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYEEEE is right. I'm so happy for you guys!!! 8)

Ben gets similar bumps from eczema. Could it be that?

Anonymous said...

4 months?!?!? That's awesome. That will allow you the holiday months without having to think about heart stuff. And, I will continue to pray for him and his precious heart.