As you know we had an appointment up at UofM this past Friday, December 14th which also happened to be my 34th birthday. Like all of our visits we were very anxious and nervous but this time we received all good news! Everything was status quo - whew!
Our induction date has been set for Feb 3rd with the hopes that she will be delivered on Feb 4th (which happens to be my grandmothers birthday, she has passed now). Her kidney still has fluid on it but the tissue around it is healthy. The doctor we saw this time seemed to not be concerned with it at all and told us it's very common. The pediatric cardiologist said all with her heart looks the same and that they are prepared to schedule her first surgery with Dr. Bove. This has been set for first thing on Feb 8th. They also let us know that we don't need to be back to UofM for any appointments before relocating up there on Jan 25th. So all my check ups from now till then can be done locally.
It was so nice to leave there not having a heavy heart. We felt so relieved and now feel like we are ready to move forward and enjoy the next few weeks we have with Drake, each other, family, friends and continue to prepare for Soan's arrival. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. We were all smiles this day leaving UofM!
Sloan's Stats:
- 31 weeks, 6 days
- heart rate ranged from 150 - 170
- 4 lbs, 12 oz (75th %)
Monday, December 17, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
What is Tricuspid Atresia?
I know I had promised awhile back that I'd try to explain what exactly is going on with Sloan's heart, and unfortunatley I am just now getting to it! Things have been quite busy around here with doctor appointments, Drake's 2nd birthday and preparing for the holidays. We've also begun to work on putting together Sloan's room. My goal is to have it complete before I head to Ann Arbor in mid/late January. As soon as it comes a bit more together, I'll share photos!
Onto the purpose of this post....the definition of tricuspid atresia. Below is some text from the Univ of Michigan. Sloan's exact diagnosis is tricuspid atresia with transposed great arteries & a VSD. You'll see the article below talks about other issues as well, but those don't pertain to Sloan.
What is tricuspid atresia?
Tricuspid atresia occurs when the tricuspid valve fails to develop while the baby is in the womb. This problem is quite rare, affecting 1 in 15,000 births, and it occurs equally in boys and girls. In the normal heart, the tricuspid valve is located on the heart’s right side between the atria (the upper chamber) and the ventricle (the lower chamber). In babies born with tricuspid atresia, the tricuspid valve is absent (1) and the right ventricle is small (2). In about 25% of babies, the position of the great arteries is also reversed. In some babies, there is also a severe narrowing at the pulmonary valve (3), or there can be complete absence of the pulmonary valve. In all babies with tricuspid atresia, there is no direct pathway for blue blood returning from the body to get to the lungs to pick up oxygen. This is not a problem before the baby is born since oxygen is provided by the mother but after birth the baby’s oxygen levels are lower than normal so the baby’s lips and fingernails look blue or cyanotic. Cyanosis is the medical term used when the lips or nailbeds look blue from too little oxygen in the blood.
In a baby with tricuspid atresia, after birth, the blood must take an indirect pathway to reach the lungs. Most of the time, this pathway is through two holes in the heart. There is usually a hole between the upper chambers called an atrial septal defect (ASD) (4) and a hole between the lower two chambers of the heart called a ventricular septal defect (VSD) (5). Blue blood returning from the body to the heart’s right atrium flows across the ASD to the left upper chamber, through the mitral valve to the left lower chamber and then flows out the aorta to the body, as well as, across the VSD and out the pulmonary valve to the lungs. If there is severe narrowing at the pulmonary valve, the only way blood can reach the lungs is through a patent ductus arteriosus (6). This a small blood vessel that, prior to birth, permits the blood to by-pass the baby’s fluid-filled lungs. Normally, one to two days after birth, this vessel closes. In a baby with tricuspid atresia with severe pulmonary narrowing, closure of the ductus arteriosus removes the baby’s means of getting blood to the lungs and can result in very low oxygen levels. In this case a medicine called prostaglandin is given to keep the ductus arteriosus from closing.
We head back to UofM this Friday 12/14 for our next set of appointments. I have to admit that before each trip I get a bit sick to my stomach of what they might tell me. We are hoping and praying that they let us know her kidney has either gotten better or has stayed the same (we just don't want it to get worse), that the heart looks the same and that there are no other new concerns or issues. Please say a little prayer for Sloan this week and send your good thoughts our way on Friday!
Onto the purpose of this post....the definition of tricuspid atresia. Below is some text from the Univ of Michigan. Sloan's exact diagnosis is tricuspid atresia with transposed great arteries & a VSD. You'll see the article below talks about other issues as well, but those don't pertain to Sloan.
What is tricuspid atresia?
Tricuspid atresia occurs when the tricuspid valve fails to develop while the baby is in the womb. This problem is quite rare, affecting 1 in 15,000 births, and it occurs equally in boys and girls. In the normal heart, the tricuspid valve is located on the heart’s right side between the atria (the upper chamber) and the ventricle (the lower chamber). In babies born with tricuspid atresia, the tricuspid valve is absent (1) and the right ventricle is small (2). In about 25% of babies, the position of the great arteries is also reversed. In some babies, there is also a severe narrowing at the pulmonary valve (3), or there can be complete absence of the pulmonary valve. In all babies with tricuspid atresia, there is no direct pathway for blue blood returning from the body to get to the lungs to pick up oxygen. This is not a problem before the baby is born since oxygen is provided by the mother but after birth the baby’s oxygen levels are lower than normal so the baby’s lips and fingernails look blue or cyanotic. Cyanosis is the medical term used when the lips or nailbeds look blue from too little oxygen in the blood.
In a baby with tricuspid atresia, after birth, the blood must take an indirect pathway to reach the lungs. Most of the time, this pathway is through two holes in the heart. There is usually a hole between the upper chambers called an atrial septal defect (ASD) (4) and a hole between the lower two chambers of the heart called a ventricular septal defect (VSD) (5). Blue blood returning from the body to the heart’s right atrium flows across the ASD to the left upper chamber, through the mitral valve to the left lower chamber and then flows out the aorta to the body, as well as, across the VSD and out the pulmonary valve to the lungs. If there is severe narrowing at the pulmonary valve, the only way blood can reach the lungs is through a patent ductus arteriosus (6). This a small blood vessel that, prior to birth, permits the blood to by-pass the baby’s fluid-filled lungs. Normally, one to two days after birth, this vessel closes. In a baby with tricuspid atresia with severe pulmonary narrowing, closure of the ductus arteriosus removes the baby’s means of getting blood to the lungs and can result in very low oxygen levels. In this case a medicine called prostaglandin is given to keep the ductus arteriosus from closing.
We head back to UofM this Friday 12/14 for our next set of appointments. I have to admit that before each trip I get a bit sick to my stomach of what they might tell me. We are hoping and praying that they let us know her kidney has either gotten better or has stayed the same (we just don't want it to get worse), that the heart looks the same and that there are no other new concerns or issues. Please say a little prayer for Sloan this week and send your good thoughts our way on Friday!
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