New Year, New You
Yes, this is what her hair does naturally! Just like her mama!
Happy New Year!
So much has happened since last October, and we haven't been very good at keeping up. Not to mention they keep tweaking this blogger we use and it's a pain. This is why I (Teri) am writing under Chad's user. He can't add me to the blogger yet.
Ok, back to important things like our baby girl!! We took Ellie to Dysphagia Clinic on December 13th to see Dr. Molly O'Gorman about her feedings. Dr. Molly hasn't seen Ellie since August, when she still had the NJ tube in and was still tiny and a little bit yellow. When she walked in she couldn't believe her eyes. She just stared and asked, "Is this my Elizabeth? Is this my little yellow girl that won't eat?" Ellie was up to 14 pounds 11 ounces. Still quite small, but gaining. She is eating so much better now and not throwing it back up that Dr. Molly told me I could fire another doctor. (Translation: We don't have to go see her anymore!) I love Dr. Molly, but I won't feel bad about cutting out another regular doctor's visit.
After Dr. Molly the nutritionist came in to tell me what I need to work on to get Ellie to gain weight faster. She was not too happy that Ellie had been discharged from dysphagia because she still wanted to work with her. But, here's what she told me to do.... Add 1-2 teaspoons of BUTTER, MARGARINE, OR VEGTABLE OIL to each jar of baby food I feed Ellie. (Sidenote: Ellie eats her vegtables much better now I put real butter in them!) The nutritionist said that it may sound weird to give a heart baby fats like that, but congenital heart disease is completely different from adult heart disease. Babies need those fats for brain development. I said, "Okay." Then she asked me what finger foods I was giving to my girl. I told her I was giving Cheerios. Believe it or not, she gave me a dirty look. "No," she told me. "You give that girl cheetos, not cheerios. She needs more calories, same volume!" Then she told me I may have to keep Ellie on this diet for a couple of years. "How am I supposed to break her from junk food???" I query as politely as I can. She tells me that, "You're the one that goes to the store and buys the food. If it's not in your house, she won't eat it." Yeah, okay. Obviously this woman has never had children or she would know better than to think that Ellie's going to magically eat more healthy when I take the junk and extra butter away. Mm hm.
The next week, on Dec 20, we went to see Dr. Cowley, the cardiologist. Ellie had to have a sedated echocardiogram this time. This means they had to put her to sleep so they could get thorough pictures. It took over an hour (they usually take about 45 minutes). I was really concerned going in to do this, because every time they put Ellie under for a sedated echo when she was in the NICU, she would sleep the rest of the day. Dr. Cowley had to see Ellie after this echo and she had to be awake for it and I was afraid she would sleep through it all. Come to find out, the reason Ellie would sleep so long after the sedation in the hospital was because her liver wasn't working well so it couldn't process the medication very fast so it was in her system longer.
Well, the echo showed that her systolic function is FANTASTIC! Her Ejection fraction is 72% and her Shortening fraction is 42%! Dr. Cowley said we don't even have to worry about systolic function anymore! Woo hoo! Her aortic stenosis is now trace-to mild rather than critical. Bigger woo hoo! Her gradient (blood flow across the valve) is 52%. Dr. Cowley wants to wait until it shows around 70% on the echo before he balloons the valve again because then it will show 50% in the cath lab, which is the cut off for balloning the valve again. The cath lab is more accurate than the echo as we have found out before. (See April 27ths entry). He said that she is doing so well that he doesn't want to rock the boat....so he'll see us in 3-4 months. BIGGEST WOO HOOO!!! Plus, she gets to come off the Digoxin, which means my baby is 100% off medication. Merry Christmas to the Thompsons!!!!!!!!
Ellie had her 3rd RSV shot on Friday. They're about $1600 each and she has to get one every month. Thank goodness for insurance. She is now 15 lbs 3 oz. She gained nearly a pound since her last checkup with Dr. Coopersmith! ( She was 14 lbs 6 oz.) Dr. Coopersmith is VERY happy with how well Ellie is doing. The butter and cheeto diet must be working!
Okay, now the part everyone really wants to see.
Tall and skinny girl with froglegs!
I'm a darling little duckie for Halloween!
My brothers and I are so cute, but I didn't get to go Trick or Treating with them.
Hugs with Grandma Kara on Thanksgiving.
Grandpa Wayne and I play with a teddy bear that has more hair than either one of us.
Aunt 'Laira wants one! Just don't tell Uncle Jake...
Dressed for church on Christmas Eve. (Yes I go to Sacrament meeting and we sit in the back.)
I'm going out to watch the New Year's fireworks with my Daddy!
Happy New Year!
So much has happened since last October, and we haven't been very good at keeping up. Not to mention they keep tweaking this blogger we use and it's a pain. This is why I (Teri) am writing under Chad's user. He can't add me to the blogger yet.
Ok, back to important things like our baby girl!! We took Ellie to Dysphagia Clinic on December 13th to see Dr. Molly O'Gorman about her feedings. Dr. Molly hasn't seen Ellie since August, when she still had the NJ tube in and was still tiny and a little bit yellow. When she walked in she couldn't believe her eyes. She just stared and asked, "Is this my Elizabeth? Is this my little yellow girl that won't eat?" Ellie was up to 14 pounds 11 ounces. Still quite small, but gaining. She is eating so much better now and not throwing it back up that Dr. Molly told me I could fire another doctor. (Translation: We don't have to go see her anymore!) I love Dr. Molly, but I won't feel bad about cutting out another regular doctor's visit.
After Dr. Molly the nutritionist came in to tell me what I need to work on to get Ellie to gain weight faster. She was not too happy that Ellie had been discharged from dysphagia because she still wanted to work with her. But, here's what she told me to do.... Add 1-2 teaspoons of BUTTER, MARGARINE, OR VEGTABLE OIL to each jar of baby food I feed Ellie. (Sidenote: Ellie eats her vegtables much better now I put real butter in them!) The nutritionist said that it may sound weird to give a heart baby fats like that, but congenital heart disease is completely different from adult heart disease. Babies need those fats for brain development. I said, "Okay." Then she asked me what finger foods I was giving to my girl. I told her I was giving Cheerios. Believe it or not, she gave me a dirty look. "No," she told me. "You give that girl cheetos, not cheerios. She needs more calories, same volume!" Then she told me I may have to keep Ellie on this diet for a couple of years. "How am I supposed to break her from junk food???" I query as politely as I can. She tells me that, "You're the one that goes to the store and buys the food. If it's not in your house, she won't eat it." Yeah, okay. Obviously this woman has never had children or she would know better than to think that Ellie's going to magically eat more healthy when I take the junk and extra butter away. Mm hm.
The next week, on Dec 20, we went to see Dr. Cowley, the cardiologist. Ellie had to have a sedated echocardiogram this time. This means they had to put her to sleep so they could get thorough pictures. It took over an hour (they usually take about 45 minutes). I was really concerned going in to do this, because every time they put Ellie under for a sedated echo when she was in the NICU, she would sleep the rest of the day. Dr. Cowley had to see Ellie after this echo and she had to be awake for it and I was afraid she would sleep through it all. Come to find out, the reason Ellie would sleep so long after the sedation in the hospital was because her liver wasn't working well so it couldn't process the medication very fast so it was in her system longer.
Well, the echo showed that her systolic function is FANTASTIC! Her Ejection fraction is 72% and her Shortening fraction is 42%! Dr. Cowley said we don't even have to worry about systolic function anymore! Woo hoo! Her aortic stenosis is now trace-to mild rather than critical. Bigger woo hoo! Her gradient (blood flow across the valve) is 52%. Dr. Cowley wants to wait until it shows around 70% on the echo before he balloons the valve again because then it will show 50% in the cath lab, which is the cut off for balloning the valve again. The cath lab is more accurate than the echo as we have found out before. (See April 27ths entry). He said that she is doing so well that he doesn't want to rock the boat....so he'll see us in 3-4 months. BIGGEST WOO HOOO!!! Plus, she gets to come off the Digoxin, which means my baby is 100% off medication. Merry Christmas to the Thompsons!!!!!!!!
Ellie had her 3rd RSV shot on Friday. They're about $1600 each and she has to get one every month. Thank goodness for insurance. She is now 15 lbs 3 oz. She gained nearly a pound since her last checkup with Dr. Coopersmith! ( She was 14 lbs 6 oz.) Dr. Coopersmith is VERY happy with how well Ellie is doing. The butter and cheeto diet must be working!
Okay, now the part everyone really wants to see.
Tall and skinny girl with froglegs!
I'm a darling little duckie for Halloween!
My brothers and I are so cute, but I didn't get to go Trick or Treating with them.
Hugs with Grandma Kara on Thanksgiving.
Grandpa Wayne and I play with a teddy bear that has more hair than either one of us.
Aunt 'Laira wants one! Just don't tell Uncle Jake...
Dressed for church on Christmas Eve. (Yes I go to Sacrament meeting and we sit in the back.)
I'm going out to watch the New Year's fireworks with my Daddy!
posted by paqogomez | 10:23 PM
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