Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Catheterization Complete

We are in Julianne's room now and she's resting peacefully, for the most part.  She wakes up a little annoyed here and there.   The cath went well.  Her "numbers" were good. :)

The cath revealed collateral arteries and veins which they closed up with coils.  The collaterals are something her body made because it knew that not enough blood was going to the lungs.  So, these collaterals brought more blood to the lungs for her.  These aren't good to have during and after the Glenn operation as it can cause problems with fluid.  Closing them up will hopefully help prevent fluid problems post-op.  However, closing these off causes her oxygen saturations to be lower.  So, she won't be discharged tomorrow as originally planned.  She'll stay here on oxygen to keep her saturations where they need to be.  Right now, they're hovering in the low 70's on a liter and half of oxygen.  That is fine for right now.

At the very beginning of Julianne's catheterization she did have an arrhythmia episode.  She came out of it on her own.  She didn't like it, but she did not become unstable. The electrophysiology team came in and tried to stimulate it again with the catheters, but were unable to do so.  That's good. Her doctors think that at this point its not something we need to worry about. They

Julianne's aortic arch had a very small amount of narrowing.  So small that they did not need to balloon it open.

She was VERY VERY hungry after the cath and took 10ML BY BOTTLE of pedialyte!  Of course she threw it up afterward.  But, hey, I'm just glad she hasn't forgotten how to suck, swallow, & breathe.  We were encouraged by that.

Tonight Julianne and I will try to get some sleep here at the hospital and Kent will stay at the Devon Nicole House.  Thank you for checking in on our little one and thank you for all the prayers. :)


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12 comments:

Julie Miles said...

I'm glad to hear the cath went well and things are still looking good with Julianne's heart as she prepares for surgery in a couple of days. It's also good to hear that her aortic arch didn't need to be ballooned! Praying for a good night sleep for all tonight.

Anonymous said...

I am glad she came through everything well today. It looks like things are looking good so far and I am glad to hear that she remembers how to take a bottle.

I will pray that her oxygen levels stay where they need to be.

Thank you for the pictures and video she is playing so well.

I can't believe how big she looks now in the hospital bed compared to her last visit. She is growing up so beautifully.

You all are constantly in my heart and prayers.

Love you all,

Aunt Suzette

Anonymous said...

Praise God for a successful first step.
She's such a trooper she will do great.
It was also good to hear she didn't have the narrowing in the aorta as they suspected.
Much Love
Aunt Naomi

The B Family said...

So happy that the cath went good for Julianne! Try and get some rest, Mom! We are praying for more good news on Thursday. She is just precious!!!
Blessings~ Rebecca

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear the favorable report from her cath. LOVE the new pictures, and those "Baby Legs" are a hoot! We are praying for y'all!
Love,
Meredith L.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your updates. I hope you all were able to rest last night. I wish you a peaceful day together as you prepare for Julianne's big day. It sounds like her little body gets stronger and stronger. Love you all Aunt Sarah

Anonymous said...

That's great information that she has made a smooth transition. We continue to keep you all in our prayers.

Luv

A. Stac

Jason, Denyse, Hannah and Carter said...

We are so glad the cath went well. We are praying for all of you as you approach the surgery.
The Englerts

G.W. Dauphinais said...

Dear All

Wanted you to know that the Dauphinais family is praying often for Julianne. God bless you all.

Bill Dauphinais

DESIWELCH said...

Jessica! We are so glad that you have all made it to Boston! We wish Julianne the best of luck during her surgery! We also hope that she has a quick and speedy recovery! I love the pictures of her that you posted and the video is so sweet. It made me go back and watch my videos of Christian when he was that age, because i had forgotten already how cute they are! And don't worry about the wedding hopefully we will meet each other one day! We just wanted to send the invite and let you all know that we were thinking of you guys! Call if you need someone to pass the time! Love always, Desi, Colin, and Christian

Carrie said...

I will be praying today and tomorrow for her surgery. So glad things are going well...will also be praying for you guys! She is just so precious! (Love your sling:)

Anonymous said...

So glad that things are going well. Julianne looks great! Get some rest and take care of yourselves too. Praying for all of you as her surgery approaches.

Love,

Leanne Cole