Hunter had his appointment with the lung doctor today.
We got good news. Hunter was able to have his oxygen weaned from 1 liter down to .5 liter. Today's appointment consisted of medicine management and making sure he has the right dosage since my little man is growing so quickly.
There goal with medicine management is keeping the inflammation off of his lungs to keep them growing healthy and having Hunter breathe easier.
Hunter suffers with reflux. So, they increased the dosage on his Zantac. They also increased the dosage on his puffer. It is a medication called Flovent. It decreases the inflammation in his lungs. Both of his diuretics remained the same.
She definitely thinks that his lungs are growing. We hope and pray that one day soon he can come off the oxygen entirely.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
It is the best feeling to walk out of the hospital and be able to look down at the stroller and see my son there. It is the best feeling to drive home, look in my rear view and see him sitting there.
Hunter has been doing really well since he has been home. He might need Tylenol here and there. But, he has handled the surgery like a champ.
I can't wait until one day I can tell him and he can understand just how proud of him we are. He has endured so much. Yet, he still finds the time to be a content, little baby with such a big future.
I can't thank God enough for our little miracle.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Hunter did really well overnight with no events to list.
He is being discharged today. Yay!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Hunter had his surgery today. The surgery went well with no complications. They thought they were going to have a tough time getting him off the vent.
After the surgery, the surgeon met with us and he explained that they were having difficulties getting Hunter off the vent. We weren't able to see him at this time. We would have to wait.
About 20 minutes later, the told us that it was time to see Hunter. I was preparing myself to see him on the vent...again. It is so difficult to see him there. 
When we walked back to the recovery room, Hunter was on nasal cannula, off the vent and doing really well.
They admitted him for overnight observation. If there are no complications, he will go home tomorrow
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Let's start with the good news first. I mentioned that at Hunter's last hospitalization they found a heart condition called Pulmonary Hypertension. This can be a pretty serious condition of the heart, but thankfully they caught it and began to treat it. They prescribed viagra to him, originally a heart medication until some old guy found out it had benefits. They also increased his oxygen from .25 liter to 1 liter. (basic mathematics) The oxygen along with the viagra was the course of treatment for his heart condition. Last month the plan was to wait a month and see if there is an improvement. Hunter had a cardiologist appointment today. They did an echocardiogram. Guess what...big improvement! A month ago, Hunter's right side of his heart was greater than his left side. Hunter's right side is now lessor than his left side. They are not doing the cardiac catherization. They even talked about weening his oxygen to .5 liter. This is pending Hunter's pulmonary doctor's opinion. They think that his pulmonary hypertension is secondary to his chronic lung disease. This means that as his lungs are getting better, so will his heart. Yay! We aren't getting cocky yet though. Of course, they aren't sure that it is secondary to his BPD (chronic lung) yet. They are very optimistic. The cardiologist doesn't want to see Hunter back for four months.
Actually, I have double whammy of good news. The second part of my good news is that Hunter saw his pediatrician the other day. He said that it sounds like Hunter is moving air better threw his lungs. Hunter knocked his nasal cannula out of his nose the other night. His monitor sounds whenever his oxygen level falls below 94. They have to be strict about his oxygen level because of his Pulmonary Hypertension. In the past, when Hunter knocked his nasal cannula out of his nose, his oxygen level would fall fast and dramatically. It wasn't odd to say that he would quickly get to 70/60 and be blue. The other night, Hunter's monitor was beeping so I went into his room. I found his nasal cannula above his nose. But, his oxygen level was staying at 91 with no oxygen. I sat there and watched it for a minute. It remained at 91, then slowly dropped to 88, climbed back up to 91 (without the oxygen in his nose) but hovered between 88-91. I put the nasal cannula in after a couple minutes because his monitor was driving me crazy. But, hopefully that is a sign that his lungs are growing healthier.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
We had a scary last couple days.
Hunter had to get blood work done, which included a basic electrolyte check. His potassium came back high. The doctor called to tell me that having high potassium was dangerous, but I shouldn't worry about it. This was not his normal pediatrician.
I didn't settle with that answer and called the cardiologist. She ordered a repeat test ordered. Apparently, the way they do the blood draw can throw off the results. If they have a hard time, it can make the potassium look higher than what it actually is.
They did a repeat test and Hunter's potassium is on the high range of normal but it will not require a change in medications. They will monitor him.
Hunter seems to be doing well. God is watching over him.
