Oh, when it rains – it pours lol. That’s the
best way to describe the past week. This was a big week for us, as it was the
week we had to go up to Edmonton for some appointments, meet the NICU team and
get a tour of the Stollery, but other stuff decided to happen and make our week
even busier.
Last week on Tuesday morning, Freddy – our
cat, started meowing really loudly, so Nick went and topped up their food and
water (the usual reason why he would be bugging us), but it seemed to only make
him meow louder.
You see, back at the beginning of December
Freddy hurt himself, and has slowly been healing. His hind leg only bugs him
when he’s trying to lie down or trying to stand up, and he often needs a little
help getting up on the couch or on our bed, but he was improving, so we thought
nothing of it. However, this morning was different and Freddy was acting
extremely upset, limping even worse and overall was very distressed. After
discussing it, we determined that we needed to take Freddy to the vet and get
him checked out. Nick had just gotten home from a very busy shift and he was
very tired, so I told him to stay home and I would take Freddy to the vet
myself. I quickly got dressed, emailed my work that I was going be late, loaded
Freddy into his carrier and headed off to the vet. I got there around 6am and
was happy to see that no one else was there. We were seen pretty quickly, but
Freddy was not happy. The vet took him to the back to take some x-rays, and
apparently he had had it – he was done. The vet ended up coming out and asked
me if they could gas him, because he would not take the pain meds they were
trying to give him to help sedate him. I quickly agreed. Poor little guy.
Finally she was able to come talk to me about the x-rays and tell me what was
wrong.
Freddy has Legg-Perthes disease in not just
in one, but BOTH of his hips and would need surgery as soon as possible.
Basically Legg-Perthes is necrosis of the femoral head, and the femoral heads
needed to be removed.
His right side needed it first (as it was the
worst affected side), but his left side would need to be done soon after. The
vet sent us home with some pain medication and paperwork so I could discuss the
situation with Nick. The x-rays were going to be looked at by their other vet
who does this surgery and she would call us to confirm the diagnosis and an
estimate of how much this will cost.
I took Mr. Freddy home (who was now high as a
kite), got a little more rest (because I was now super tired) and then headed
off to work at 10am.
While I was at work, the other vet called
Nick to confirm the diagnosis and discuss the surgery cost. When I got home we
discussed the situation and determined that though it wasn’t going to be cheap,
because Freddy was young, and this was only going to be a one-time (not a
chronic condition) thing and it won’t affect his quality of life, we would
go ahead with it. We were able to schedule his first surgery for Friday –
the morning after we got back from Edmonton. Our only problem was that Nick and
I were going to be gone for the next two days and Freddy needed to be given
some medication, so timing was not ideal. Thankfully my sweet cousin and best
friend were able to help cover us while we were gone, and Freddy got all of his
pain meds!
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| Freddy before surgery |
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| Freddy after surgery |
The next morning Nick and I left at 6am for
Edmonton. Our first appointment was an ECHO at 10:30am and we got to Edmonton
with lots of time to spare. We got to the Royal Alexandra, but they were
running VERY behind. We finally got seen around noon, and it ended up being a very long exam. I found out that a
normal ECHO is only supposed to take about 30 minutes, but ours went for almost
2 hours! The reason – baby girl is a MOVER! I asked the examiner if babies move
this much, and she said no – that ours definitely moves more than average.
Again (like our past ECHOs) the tech had to bring in the specialist (Dr.
Hornberger) to view her live and it was definitely frustrating as she kept
turning away from them or moving when they were trying to look at something. At
one point they had me get up and walk around to try and get her to turn around
and calm down!
Finally we were brought into another room to
talk everything over with Dr. Hornberger (whom we liked very much. She is a
VERY smart lady and knows her stuff). Basically we know less than we did
before. Baby girl definitely does not have a Pulmonary Artery and does have a
hole between her bottom ventricles (VSD), but it’s the little details they are
having problems with. They’re not sure if they can see her ductus arteriosus,
and can’t confirm if she has collateral arteries. Essentially, we are dealing
with 2 possible diagnoses, and though they seem like they are very similar, they have quite different
surgery plans and timelines. The first is still Pulmonary Atresia with VSD, which means she would be started on the
hormone prostaglandin after
being born to
keep her ductus arteriosus from closing, stabilize her and perform open heart
surgery within a week or two of her being born. The second diagnosis she may
have is called Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary
Atresia, VSD & MAPCAS (yeah, it’s a mouthful). The difference is there
is no ductus arteriosus, and instead
she has lots of tiny “collateral” pulmonary arteries that are bringing blood
from her heart to her lungs, but these little artiertes are super small, are
very inefficient and a higher tendency to get blocked. With this diagnosis,
they would still start her immediately on prostaglandin just in case she
has a ductus, then take her over to the Stollery, run more tests and figure out
a surgery plan from there. With this diagnosis they may end up just inserting a
shunt, and as long as her oxygen levels remain high and stable, they may send
her home for a few months before performing open heart surgery. If they have a
hard time diagnosing her when she is born, they may even end up having to do an
Angiogram (Cardiac Cath), which are invasive, even for adults.
Now this may seem
like a “better” diagnosis, because she gets to go home for a little bit, but
let me clarify that it’s not. It just
means her heart defect is even more complicated, and they just want to wait
until she is a little bigger and older before performing her first surgery.
Both diagnoses require multiple surgeries, both within her first year of being
born, and as she grows up.
Anyways, I’m still
trying to wrap my head around everything, but we basically have to come to
terms with the fact that we won’t know anything until baby girl is born (which
is a little frustrating).
After our ECHO, we
headed over to the ultrasound clinic to have another ultrasound. I felt this
appointment went very well. Baby is growing very well (she is currently 3lbs,
13oz) and everything else still looks good. They still are having a hard time
seeing her Thymus gland, but again, it’s something we won’t know until she is
born. One little concern we’re now facing is my amniotic fluid level. At
the moment, it’s still within normal levels, but it’s on the higher end of the
scale, and something they’re going to continue to monitor. The reason why this
is a cause for concern, is it could indicate an early delivery. Both my mom and
sister had very high levels of amniotic fluid – so I am not surprised being
told this. If my levels continue to rise they may suggest I relocate up to
Edmonton earlier than planned.
Finally after
spending almost 7 hours at the hospital, Nick and I were finally able to leave
and check into our hotel. We rested for a little bit and then walked across the
street to this awesome restaurant that Nick had made reservations to for an
early anniversary dinner. The restaurant was called Continental
Treat Fine Bistro on Whyte Avenue, and Nick and I were very impressed with their service
and food - absolutely delicious.
After dinner we
went back to the hotel, watched a little TV, and then went to bed. I was really
tired as I had been up since 3am, and after spending so many hours at the
hospital and given so much new information, my brain just hurt.
On Thursday we
headed over to the Stollery to have our multidisciplinary team meeting, which
just summarized what is to come and expect when I relocate to Edmonton and give
birth. After all the specialists left, we talked with our social worker Amanda
about things to expect, etc. She asked us a bunch of questions about our
emotional state, family support and financial situation. She is going to write up a letter
for Nick to give to his boss (though they are aware of the situation – this
just makes it official and legitimate). She has also put in a referral to the
Ronald McDonald house (and they have already called and emailed me stating we’re
on the waiting list). She went over hospital rules and made us aware of their
role – basically they are a liaison between the medical staff and us, so if we
feel we aren’t getting our questions answered or we’re concerned with the
treatment plan, then they can arrange for a special meeting where our concerns
can be heard. Amanda then took us on a tour of the NICU, which I am grateful
for. I was pretty proud that I didn’t cry, but I had to tell myself to breathe
a few times because I could feel myself start to get choked up. We found out
how many people can be at her bedside, what visiting hours are for everyone but
us (the parents). Basically Nick and I will never be asked to leave the NICU, and can be there
all hours of the day (though they encourage going home to get some sleep). They
want us to be very active in her care, and can come and go as we please.
Finally around 2pm
we were done, and we were able to head home to Calgary. I was soo looking
forward to getting home to our kitties, as it had been a long two days, and I
wanted to see how Freddy was holding up. We ended up coming home to some
beautiful and cheery flowers from our friends Whitney and Spencer, and it was
just a lovely surprise.
However, from the
drive home, I started feeling ill, and ended up going to bed pretty early. I
ended up waking up feeling very sick and a pounding migraine Friday
morning. I somehow managed to get Freddy to the vet for his surgery
appointment, but then came straight home and back to bed. Friday was by far the
worst day for me, fever wise. My head was pounding, runny nose, sore throat,
sore muscles – I was miserable, and it’s been a long time since I have been
that sick. I ended up being sick all weekend up until about Monday afternoon.
In all, it’s been
a crazy week, and I am kind of glad it’s over with. Freddy still requires
surgery in a couple weeks on his left hip, and our weeks will become even
crazier leading up to and after baby girl is born, but the countdown is on and
my due date is getting closer!
How far along? 32
weeks (8 months!)
Total weight gain: 28lbs. Eek, we’re getting close to that 30lb mark, and I
still have 2 months to go….
Ultrasound/ECHO/Dr Appt update: See above.
Maternity clothes? Exclusively. I caved in and bought 2 more maternity dresses
to get me through the last few months (specifically for the Baby Shower and an
upcoming family wedding), but I have already begun to look at normal cloths, as
buying maternity clothing has lost its appeal to me. I did buy one regular dress from Target that was super cute and
very inexpensive that I hope to fit in within a few months after giving birth
(it’s got some stretch to it).
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: I am not happy with how this is going. I seriously use to be the best
sleeper and could sleep for a solid 7-8 hours without any interruption. Now,
anytime my body feels like it needs to turn over (which is multiple times per
night), I wake up and have to find the energy to turn over and get comfortable
again. I now have a lot more sympathy towards my husband who is a terrible
sleeper in general.
Best moment lately: There have been a few great moments (finally – as I’m sick
of writing these depressing posts as it’s totally not who I am). You can read
about some of our good news here, and our dinner at Continental
Treat Fine Bistro.
Miss Anything? Good sleep, regular clothes, walking up the stairs without
losing my breath, eating without getting queasy or heartburn – you get the
idea.
Movement: All day, every day. She’s most active when I’m driving, sitting at my
desk at work, laying on the couch in the evening and when I’m trying to fall
asleep. I find it kind of funny how she starts out low in the morning, and then
works her way up during the day. For the few moments that Nick feels her kick
he thinks it’s crazy how much she moves, but truthfully he has no
idea.
I don’t mind when she kicks, but it can be a little uncomfortable when she’s
stretching and puts her arms and legs out and I feel a lot of pressure. I
pretty much have to poke back at her to get her to stop (and then Nick yells
“don’t poke her!” yeah, he acts like I doing it to be mean lol)
Food cravings: Fries.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Large meals. My stomach is getting squished
and so I have to have smaller meals or take my time, otherwise I get queasy and
throw-up a little (sorry for the TMI).
Gender: GIRL!
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: For the last several weeks I’ve been experiencing terrible heartburn
in the evenings. This better mean she has hair! I was born bald and so this
something I worry about a little. Oh, and of course my growing belly.
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but my belly button has gotten a lot smaller.
Wedding rings on or off? On, but there is no way I could get them off at this
point. Oh well.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy lately. I think I have started to come
to terms with everything, and when bad thing after bad thing is happening I
just think to myself that things could always be worse and there are people out
there going through way worse situations. I am also trying to think of this as
a trial that Nick and I must endure, and something we must deal with as a
family. Everyone goes through trials in their lives, and this is just ours. I
know I can’t control situations, but I can
control how I handle them.
Regardless, I am starting to get excited for
our little girl’s arrival, and I just want her to be here.
Looking forward to: My upcoming baby shower that my lovely sister and best
friend are throwing for me. They are seriously putting in lots of work, so I
know it’s going to be awesome – can’t wait!
