Another Good Report

Mitchell saw his cardiologist today.
His weight was 11 lbs. 0.8 oz.- an increase of 6 oz. in 11 days; they'd like to see at least 5 oz. a week. He's on a steady growth curve, so they are pleased.
His echocardiogram was consistent with his previous ones- function of his right ventricle is good, and his shunt (conduit from his right ventricle to his pulmonary artery) also looks good.
His oxygen saturation varied from 85 to 89%, slightly lower than his trend; but quite acceptable given his condition.
Because of his feeding difficulties, his cardiologist called his GI doctor while we were there. He actually came and saw him in the same office, so we didn't have to come back another time. He was also pleased with his growth, and commented that it is likely for him to have an aversion to eating. He said not to worry about the oral feedings so much right now; once he recovers from his second surgery (in 6 weeks), we can be more aggressive.
Since he is having trouble with his continuous feeding at night, we are going to switch to more boluses and give him some time off. I think I'll try him continuous for 5-6 hrs (so I can get some sleep), then give him a few hours off before starting his boluses for the day at 5 a.m. We can still get our desired total that way.
Madison still had a fever of 101 today. She has spent the day at grandma's house- hopefully grandma will stay healthy! We are thankful that it hasn't progressed to more than a fever, sore throat & mild headache.
Thank you for praying for our family.
To all of our church family- we sure do look forward to being back as a family. We just need to protect Mitchell for now. He'll have a whole world to explore- the only thing he knows is our house & the doctors' offices.

Grandparents Day

Not so healthy after all

Madison has developed a fever today- 101; she also has a headache and sore throat.
We are hoping to keep this from spreading. Before she was feeling sick, she was holding Mitchell.

Thankful

This past week has been a bit eventful for us.
Anniversaries of events tend to bring back memories & emotions-
Friday, Sept. 11th marked 6 years since my dad passed away after having heart surgery. He was a wonderful man, and I was blessed to have him as my father. Ted was very sweet & brought lunch & roses home for me & mom yesterday.
Thursday brought a bit of a scare- Ted was returning from a business trip in Gainesville and was in an accident. A young driver was trying to turn left in front of a truck, didn't see Ted; and ran right into his drivers' side. He spends a fair amount of time on the road, so I spend a lot of time praying for his safety in travels. He had taken many an uneventful trip until now. I am so thankful that he was not hurt. He tried to convince me he was just fine, but I had to keep checking on him. Thank you to Pastor Cooley who brought him home (His accident was about an hour away, and our pastor happened to be right there when it happened.).
We are thankful that everyone is back to being healthy; we have gotten over the colds/flu that we had.
Mitchell remains stable- he looks great considering everything he is experiencing.
Since our appointment is Monday, we didn't go for the weight check yesterday. I will try to update progress after that appt.
He is still experiencing difficulty tolerating his feedings- his nights seem to be getting worse- more wretching/spitting up & just general GI discomfort. This has been a bit exhausting, but someone lets me get some extra rest when I really need it.
He also isn't making any progress as far as the oral feedings go- I keep trying, but he is just not interested. He needs some coordination with sucking & swallowing. I plan to take a bottle to his appt. on Monday, so his doctor can evaluate. He will likely need a swallow study to make sure it is safe to proceed.
Wishing all Grandparents a Happy Grandparents Day tomorrow!
We sure appreciate our Grandmas and Grandpas...that includes our adopted Grandma Carolyn & Papa Bob Humphreys.
Thanks for everything you do for us!

Quick Update

Ted, Madison & Mackenzie are almost completely recovered from their illnesses. The girls weren't much more than cold symptoms; they were under the weather a couple of days. Ted's was a more significant flu. Unfortunately, mine seems to be starting like his did. Hopefully the Airborne and vitamins will help.
Mitchell has had some cold symptoms as well- runny nose, sneezing... Thankfully, it has remained upper nasal congestion & not gone to his chest. Other than sounding "stuffy" the last couple of nights, he has been doing well.
His weight on Friday was 10 lbs. 10.6 oz.- only 2 1/2 ounces for the week, but at least it is an increase. We have managed to give him an extra ounce each day since then, and he has tolerated it fairly well. Still spitting up some, but not too significant.
Oh, and Madison celebrated her 8th birthday! Thanks to mom buying & preparing her dinner selection & cake, we had a nice family dinner including Juliane's family. Don't know what we'd do without Grandma! I have always been thankful for family, but even more so the last few months!
Mitchell goes for a weight/O2 sat/Blood pressure check on Friday; then his next Cardiology appt. is on the 14th, followed by his 4 mo. pediatrician visit for immunizations on the 21st.
His heart function has remained stable.
We continue to work on his bottle feeding without much success. We are thankful that he is able to get his nutrition thru his feeding tube, but would like to see him advance to oral feedings.
Hoping everyone is having a nice holiday weekend!
Thanks again for praying for our little Mitchell.

Germs

Right now we are working on keeping Mitchell healthy!
Madison came down with a cold Saturday and was sick thru the weekend; it is still lingering a little, but she is feeling much better.
Ted started feeling a bit under the weather on Sunday; by yesterday he was quite sick- looks like he may have a case of the flu. It takes a lot to keep him from the office (& the fact that he needs to accumulate more PTO for Mitchell's next surgery), so missing now 2 days says something about how he is feeling. He hasn't been out of bed since he went to bed Sunday night.
This morning Mackenzie woke up with a runny nose, cough & sneezing. She said, " I think I caught Madison's cold; How did I do that? Because I love her?"
So, Mitchell's room is off limits to everyone except mommy; we are holding him up in here trying to keep him healthy. So far he is doing pretty well; however, he is sounding a little congested, and his noises are a little hoarse. Going to keep up with the nasal spray & try to keep the germs at bay.
...and everyone is using a lot of sanitizer!

We are hoping that everyone will be healthy soon.

2nd Surgery Scheduled

Mitchells 2nd Surgery, The Glenn is scheduled for October 27th. We will head to Atlanta on the 25th to take him for pre-op the morning of the 26th; then we will take him back early on the 27th for his surgery. We don't have a surgery time yet; we will find out at his pre-op appointment.

Things are staying about the same, although he seems to be having more difficulty tolerating his feedings. In spite of his fundoplication for the reflux, he is spitting up more. He also seems to get more irritable with the feedings. The last several nights have been less than fun- needing to stop it periodically, some spitting up, ? gas pains... but we've managed his goal amount.
He is still getting 4 bolus feedings during the day- slowed them down just a bit to see if that would make him more comfortable. I have been holding him straight up during his feedings, and that seems to help. You could say I'm not getting alot done, and someone might be getting a little spoiled. His weight last Wednesday was 10 lbs. 4 oz; we are getting ready to go to the doctor for his weight/sat check shortly.

Thank you for your continued notes/prayers. We feel very blessed by your support.
We hope you all enjoy the weekend with your families.

Ted, Jodi, M, M & M

Update: His weight was 10 lbs. 8 oz. - up 4 oz. in 9 days- not quite as much gain as they'd like, but he's headed in the right direction. We're going to try to add a bit more to his feeding each day to get in a few more calories.
His oxygen saturation was 91 %.
His next appointment is September 3rd, which happens to be Madison's 8th birthday.