Very quick update as I am trying to enjoy some mommy time with my son (taking a break from the hospital and letting daddy spend time with Ava). Ava passed her swallow test. That means there seemed to be no problem with reflux or aspirations. The meeting went pretty well today. They will be pushing us out of ICU by Monday if things remain stable. We should technically be in Moderate Care already but because of Ava's history they've been watching closer. We still need to get her diuretics and fluid under control and we will start feeding her slowly again by bottle early next week. They think some of her other issues will work themselves out as she grows and gets older. If EVERYTHING goes well with no more episodes she may be able to come home within two weeks. We are VERY nervous about this as we don't feel prepared enough yet. They assured us that with training, etc., we would feel comfortable. They say that home is the best place for her, away from all the infections, etc. at the hospital. Praying that Ava does well and has no more setbacks. Also, praying that Jamie and I are capable of meeting all of her needs at home.
Brayden wants me to tell you all that he loves Ava. He was also excited to see nurse Amy. He says she is his girlfriend (along with Mommy and Aunt Heather)! So glad to have his lighthearted presence back in Ann Arbor! I have missed everything about him, even the crabbiness.
Thank you Jenny for keeping me company and making me dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Thank you Emilee and Fran for sending meals home with Jamie for he and Brayden. Once again feeling so fortunate for all the friends and family that we have out there! We know how blessed we are!
Our thoughts and prayers are with Lisa and Mike P. and their family during such a tragic time.
Friday, November 9, 2007
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Ava with Mommy & Daddy
Isn't she beautiful!
It's A Girl!
Hello everyone and welcome to Ava Christine's Blog.
First a little info about the new edition to our family.
This beautiful little girl comes to our family after many years of trying on her parents part as well as her being the first girl in 19 years. Yes 19 years! So to say that she is going to be a little spoiled is putting it very lightly.
Ava Christine was welcomed into this world on September 29 2007 by her mommy Jamie, Daddy Jamie, big brother Brayden, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and numerous friends. Shortly after Ava's arrival the wonderful medical staff at Memorial hospital of South Bend found what they called a murmur in Ava's heart. After some testing little Ava was transported to Motts' Children Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Jamie and Jamie were informed that little Ava has a heart defect that could be life threatening and that she needed to undergo open heart surgery to fix the defects. So, on Tuesday October 2 2007 Ava was operated on by the wonderful medical staff at the U of M. What this team of doctors did to Ava is incredible. First of all Jamie explained to me over the phone today just what problems Ava's heart has endured. Ava's heart has a couple of different problems. The first is known as Interrupted Aortic Arch. The following info about interrupted aortic arch is best explained by the U of M Cardiac website, "Interrupted aortic arch is a very rare heart defect that occurs when the aorta does not develop normally while the baby is in the mother’s womb. It comprises about 1% of all congenital heart defects. It usually occurs along with other heart problems such as truncus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, transposition of the great arteries, and aortic stenosis.The aorta is the large blood vessel that arises from the left side of the normal heart and takes red blood out to the body. The first part of the aorta, called the ascending aorta (1) arises upwards. It then curves leftward forming the aortic arch (2). The aorta then curves downward towards the lower body, and this part is called the descending aorta (3). Three blood vessels exit from the aortic arch and supply the head and arms with red blood. These vessels are called the innominate artery (4), the left carotid artery (5), and the left subclavian artery (6).In babies with interrupted aortic arch, there is a complete blockage between the ascending and the descending aorta (1). This means that there is no direct way for red blood leaving the heart to reach the body parts that are "downstream" from the blockage. The site of the defect varies (2) and may or may not involve the take-off of the head and neck vessels. In most babies with interrupted aortic arch (70-90%) there is also a large ventricular septal defect (3).In newborns with interrupted aortic arch, the only way for blood to bypass the blockage is via the patent ductus arteriosus (4). Prior to birth, this small blood vessel permits blood to by-pass the baby’s fluid-filled lungs. One or two days after birth, this vessel usually closes on its own. In a baby with interrupted aortic arch, if the duct closes, blood can no longer reach the lower body. This can cause the baby to suddenly become very ill. Therefore, after the diagnosis is made, a medicine called prostaglandin is used to keep the ductus arteriosus open until surgery". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
So how did the doctors fix this? "Interrupted aortic arch is a serious heart defect that requires surgery soon after birth. The goal of surgery is to create remove the blockage. This used to be done in a two-stage operation but is now done most of the time in one stage. The two ends of the aorta are sewn together (1) and the patent ductus arterious (2) is tied off. Sometimes a patch is needed to reinforce the repair. If present, a patch is sewn over the VSD (3)". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
In #1 of the picture below is the part of Ava' heart that was repaired.
First a little info about the new edition to our family.
This beautiful little girl comes to our family after many years of trying on her parents part as well as her being the first girl in 19 years. Yes 19 years! So to say that she is going to be a little spoiled is putting it very lightly.
Ava Christine was welcomed into this world on September 29 2007 by her mommy Jamie, Daddy Jamie, big brother Brayden, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and numerous friends. Shortly after Ava's arrival the wonderful medical staff at Memorial hospital of South Bend found what they called a murmur in Ava's heart. After some testing little Ava was transported to Motts' Children Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Jamie and Jamie were informed that little Ava has a heart defect that could be life threatening and that she needed to undergo open heart surgery to fix the defects. So, on Tuesday October 2 2007 Ava was operated on by the wonderful medical staff at the U of M. What this team of doctors did to Ava is incredible. First of all Jamie explained to me over the phone today just what problems Ava's heart has endured. Ava's heart has a couple of different problems. The first is known as Interrupted Aortic Arch. The following info about interrupted aortic arch is best explained by the U of M Cardiac website, "Interrupted aortic arch is a very rare heart defect that occurs when the aorta does not develop normally while the baby is in the mother’s womb. It comprises about 1% of all congenital heart defects. It usually occurs along with other heart problems such as truncus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, transposition of the great arteries, and aortic stenosis.The aorta is the large blood vessel that arises from the left side of the normal heart and takes red blood out to the body. The first part of the aorta, called the ascending aorta (1) arises upwards. It then curves leftward forming the aortic arch (2). The aorta then curves downward towards the lower body, and this part is called the descending aorta (3). Three blood vessels exit from the aortic arch and supply the head and arms with red blood. These vessels are called the innominate artery (4), the left carotid artery (5), and the left subclavian artery (6).In babies with interrupted aortic arch, there is a complete blockage between the ascending and the descending aorta (1). This means that there is no direct way for red blood leaving the heart to reach the body parts that are "downstream" from the blockage. The site of the defect varies (2) and may or may not involve the take-off of the head and neck vessels. In most babies with interrupted aortic arch (70-90%) there is also a large ventricular septal defect (3).In newborns with interrupted aortic arch, the only way for blood to bypass the blockage is via the patent ductus arteriosus (4). Prior to birth, this small blood vessel permits blood to by-pass the baby’s fluid-filled lungs. One or two days after birth, this vessel usually closes on its own. In a baby with interrupted aortic arch, if the duct closes, blood can no longer reach the lower body. This can cause the baby to suddenly become very ill. Therefore, after the diagnosis is made, a medicine called prostaglandin is used to keep the ductus arteriosus open until surgery". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
So how did the doctors fix this? "Interrupted aortic arch is a serious heart defect that requires surgery soon after birth. The goal of surgery is to create remove the blockage. This used to be done in a two-stage operation but is now done most of the time in one stage. The two ends of the aorta are sewn together (1) and the patent ductus arterious (2) is tied off. Sometimes a patch is needed to reinforce the repair. If present, a patch is sewn over the VSD (3)". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
In #1 of the picture below is the part of Ava' heart that was repaired.
Before surgery
The Next Step
The next step in repairing Ava's heart was to fix what is known as Truncus Arteriosus. Truncus arteriosus is "characterized by a large ventricular septal defect over which a large, single great vessel (truncus) arises. This single great vessel carries blood both to the body and to the lungs". (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11073) Below is a picture of what Ava's heart was like before surgery.
Before Surgery
After Surgery
The above picture shows what the surgeon did to repair Ava's heart. "Surgery is required to close the ventricular septal defect and separate blood flow to the body from blood flow to the lungs. This is generally done early in infancy to prevent high blood pressure from damaging the lungs' arteries. A patch is used to close the ventricular defect. The pulmonary arteries are then disconnected from the single great vessel and a tube (a conduit or tunnel) is placed from the right ventricle to these pulmonary arteries. This is sometimes called a Rastelli repair". (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11073)
Blog Archive
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2007
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November
(21)
- ECHO results
- 8 Pounds Yet?
- "Status Quo"
- Just an Update
- Happy Thanksgiving from Aunt Trace
- U of M Report
- What will the future hold?
- Jamie, this post is for you. Ava WILL get through ...
- Jamie wanted me to blog something, but her last bl...
- Broken Hearted
- Not Quite Ready to Leave ICU
- Not Even A "Whiff"
- Team Meeting
- Finally Some Good News!
- Watching and Waiting
- Quick Update
- 3rd Time is a Charm?
- For Mommy & Daddy
- Rough Times at U of M
- To good to be true
- Out of ICU!
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November
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11 comments:
Jamie,
What great news! I don't have a doubt that you will be able to take care of Ava once you get home. You have been through so much already and have made it. Enjoy your weekend with your boys and thanks for taking the time to keep us updated.
Love,
Emilee
Jamie & Jamie,
WONDERFUL NEWS! I am actually in tears at the thought of Ava coming home so soon. See, we all told you, she is a FIGHTER!
Give her kisses from Aunt Trace
Love U!
Good night little Ms. Ava Christine! You may be home in a few weeks! How wonderful is that!!! Your mom and dad will be wonderful and do a great job. None of us doubt that for one second!!! I believe being home will be the perfect cure for all! Good night to the whole zimmerman family. Sweet dreams and we love you.
Granny and poppy
J~
Strength travels in numbers...and by the looks of the counter on your blog, you are thought of and prayed for by SO many people out there.
Thanks for always taking the time to update us on Miss Ava. Your news today has all of us cheering!
Your friends at Howard-Ellis are trying to keep up with the fast-paced school year. However, not a day or even an hour goes by when we aren't thinking of you. At any given moment, you can walk into a room and find someone checking on Ava's progress...ready to share her latest news. You are truly missed by everyone.
Just tonight, before I left work, I walked towards your door knowing that Friday nights were your late nights...habits are hard to break, and it made me sad not to find you sitting at your desk.
Knowing that all of you are together again tonight is the best place for you to be. All is well at Howard-Ellis, but we sure are missing you!
Have a wonderful weekend with your family. We're looking forward to your next update.
Love~
Kelley
HOME. It will happen! And you and Jamie will be able to take care of her BETTER than anyone ever could.
And aren't you lucky to have Heather, who isn't afraid of one thing to do with babies...
You are blessed Jamie and Jamie...
Molly
Jamie & Jamie,
My fingers are crossed.
I would love to help out when Ava gets home in any way I can. I am very familiar with PICC lines, I'm thinking I could spend a day with you and your nurses to orientate myself with anything else. Just for a little back up if you needed it. I know the two of you will be able to take care of all Ava needs. U of M will make sure of that before they send you home. Call anytime, we'll talk more.
Have a wonderful weekend with your family together.
This morning has been a "good read". Thanks Ava. You hang tough girl.
Love you, Carol XOXO
Hello Ms. Ava!!! How loved you are!!!!!!! Your Aunt Carol is cutting in on my territory!ha This is so wonderful you coming home!! We love you and please have a good day, today!
granny and Poppy
KEEP FIGHTIN' AVE! I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!STAY STRONG!!!!
-NICHOLAS
Good morning Ms. Ava. I pray you are still fighting!!!! Im waiting to hear how you are doing. I know your mom is busy. Granny is still sick. I just cant get rid of my cough sweetpea! oops-that is what I always call your oldest cousin! Well I best go. Your great gram will be here soon, and granny has work to do. I will check in later. Remember we love you veryyyyyyyyy much. Tell your beautiful cousin Nicholas James-your name doesnt have an e in it!ha But you know what? Nicholas is the one cousin that can mess up a little, for he has the biggest heart of all!!! Nickle will love on you till the end of the world!
love you
granny and poppy
Jamie! I bought you a diaper bag!!! Its pink and brown and nice. I hope you like it!
love you
Fran aka granny I am the granny to 10 beautiful perfect grandkids!!!
Hey Jamie & Jamie, I know your busy this weekend with Heath and everyone, but, can you post some new pictures? Sinc we haven't been able to get there I feel like she is growing and changing and I'm missing it. Take care and give kisses!
Love U,
Trace
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