Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The storm before the calm


We knew we couldn't get out of here without a little bit of drama. Graham is doing great, but the attending on today thinks he has a bit of a heart murmur. A murmur isn't that big a deal, and especially not the kind of murmur she believes he has, which is a physiologic pulmonary stenosis (PPS). There is nothing actually wrong with his heart in PPS - it is due to either the artery going to his lungs being a little small (since he is a little small) and therefore the blood is a little turbulent, or it can be due to anemia and thus increased blood flow through a normally small space. However, she wants to get an echocardiogram just to be sure. So, just one more nail-biter to get through in our quest to get our little Grahamchop home.

In addition, he's got lots of little hoops to jump through between now and then. He has to have a repeat head ultrasound (all preemies have them on day 30 of life, but since he is getting ready to go home, they are jumping the gun a bit), his hearing test, his carseat challenge test (because some premature babies breathe less easily when sitting in a carseat) and his eye exam (checking to make sure he doesn't have retinopathy of prematurity) - all probably between now and Monday. So I think this will be a very calm, relaxed week for Joe and I.

2 comments:

Jay said...

Jules has got a heart murmer too. No big deal, but as a parent it is just one more thing to worry about...

CBGB said...

Just catching up on the life of Graham - thanks for the posts - its a great way to keep in touch and I'm sure a little theraputic for you. Don't worry about the freak out when you bring him home. They do have a freak out number - its called a pediatrician. And those nurses that call you back are just as wonderful as the ones in the hospital. I've used it on more than one occasion.
Plus, there is this instinct that takes over and you'll be fine, promise. The one thing I've learned about being a parent is that ALL the cliches are true!

Love, love, love, Candice