"Well", I should have known that today was not going to be an easy day when the doctor came in saying well. It is that code word that I am a true believer that all doctors use to break news to you that you really probably do not want to hear. So we WERE on track to get surgery as soon as possible; however, they have now decided that the parts of Karter's hearts that they will be operating on are still too soft. They described it to us today by saying that the parts that they will be needing to put sutures in are still almost like tissue paper instead of being firm. If you can imagine having to stitch up tissue paper I would think that it would be pretty difficult. This means that they need her to age just a little bit more. She is big enough to withstand surgery now but she is not old enough to get a GOOD repair. THEREFORE, we have no clue what lays ahead of us for the next few days. They did come up with a new theory involving Karter's hemoglobin count. She does have a normal blood count but they feel that if they increase her blood count by putting in packed red blood cells (these cells help to carry and generate oxygen) then they should be able to keep more oxygen in her tiny little body. So today Karter received her first transfusion of blood. Thank goodness for blood donors! She was able to get this transfusion at about 3 this afternoon and so far it seems to be doing what they want.
They originally, this morning, had said that they would not be pulling out her nasal cannula (her oxygen supply), but then they came back in this afternoon and said that they will be lowering it until they are able to pull her off of it hopefully by tomorrow. I know she will be glad to have the cannula off of her face! Today has just been a roller coaster of information and new ideas from the cardiac doctors. I feel like every time they tell me something that no more than half an hour later they are coming back in to change what they told me. It can get very confusing but I do understand that they have Karter's best intentions in mind. I was very upset this morning when they told us the surgery was postponed indefinitely just because I think I finally had mentally prepared myself that she was having surgery soon. Sometimes it can be very frustrating when you have no idea what the next day will behold, especially when half of my family is still back in Tyler.
They would like for Karter to be AT LEAST be one month older before her surgery. This could mean several things for us. If they are not able to keep her as stable as they would like and avoid a lot of tet spells then we will be spending that month in the hospital. If they are able to make her stable then we could possibly be going home. Karter is still on a very high dose of Atenol (heart medication) in which the nurses are almost a little afraid to be administrating. If this medicine dose not show signs that it is working then it is very likely that we will not leave here anytime soon. This medication is suppose to make her heart rate stay between 90-120 beats per minute but it so far has not. Hopefully with the new blood cells we will see an improvement in this area. The doctor did ask for us to allow him a few days to "experiment" with a few things to see what they can do before making any more calls. So we are back to the waiting game. I do believe that this is all a sign from God showing me that all things will be done on his time. I am trying very hard to do this! It can be challenging and frustrating at times but that is what faith is all about. It is about believing that everything happens for a reason unbeknown to you but all apart of a greater plan.
Tomorrow Addison and Jeremy are coming to visit and I can not WAIT!!! I am so excited to see them! I miss them so much! My mom had to go home tonight so it is just Karter and I giving these nurses and doctors a run for their money tonight! :) I do believe though that my mom may have intimidated one of Karter's cardiac doctors today! It was really kind of entertaining to watch!
UPDATE ON KARTER'S BOW OF FAITH:
We donated about 35 bows today to the Bow of Faith organization and I can now proudly say that every little girl on the third floor is equipped with a bow! Thank you all so much for such a great job on making this a huge hit! The nurses were so thankful and said that a lot of the parents were very appreciative and we even brought some to tears. They LOVED them! Keep up the good work ladies!!!
Love,
The McHams'
I was thinking about something for the boys, what do you think about bow ties? here is a link to what I was thinking:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.beccasboutiquebows.com/product.sc?productId=35
or this:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/50114897/toddlerbaby-boy-clip-on-bow-ties-black?ref=sr_gallery_27&ga_search_query=baby+bowtie&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title
Would they be too much in the way? Is that something you would be interested in getting. I do some sewing and could probably make a few.
Those bow ties are cute. I looked at them. Tara I think that you are doing a wonderful job. It must be very hard being away from Addison right now. Thank goodness God makes children resilient. Addison knows that her Mommy loves her and seeing you love Karter will help Addy love Karter more too. This is a tough time and I can hear you holding on to faith. Remember it is ok to cry, it is ok to get angry, it is ok to be exhausted and it is ok to sleep. You are right about her surgery being in God's time. He knows when she will be strong enough to endure it and He will clear the OR books faster than anything you have ever seen when God is ready to guide the surgeons hand through surgery. Don't be anxious for this surgery. You know Karter but He MADE her. Trust Him. Love you girl and wish I could be there to hold your hand and help you with anything you need. But since I can't I will be praying for everything.
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