We made it to the USA late last night and were refreshed by our brief time with my parents. Justice is having a great time with them already. Luke did pretty well on the long trip with some periods of seeming pretty weak and other times of having a better appetite and bring cheerful. We are now just coming into Boston. Tomorrow at 10 we meet with our cardiologist and then Luke will have a lot of tests throughout the day including a chest xray, ekg and a sedated echocardiogram. After tomorrow's evaluation we will have a better idea of the timeframe for surgery. We will get to be with him for the echo. I think tomorrow will also consist of us getting familiar with the hospital and what's coming for our stay. We are so appreciative of all your prayers for our family.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Almost to Boston
A Day We Won't Forget
September 9, 2013
I took Luke to our pediatrician for his routine 2 month check up. He needed some shots and the Dr. checked all the normal stuff. As she was listening to his heart, she kept on listening for quite a while and then she said that she thought she heard a heart murmur. At this point she did not seem too worried and I wasn't either. She said that many children have murmurs and often outgrow them. But later on as she was plotting Luke's weight on his growth chart, she confirmed my recent worry that he was not gaining as he should be. With both of these concerns combined, she referred us to a Pediatric Cardiologist, who I called right away and drove straight there. Justice was with me, and Brian left work to meet us there. At this office Luke had his blood oxygen levels tested and an EKG given by the nurse, which showed some irregularity in his heartbeat. Then we went in to see the Dr. himself and he did an Echocardiogram, which is like an ultrasound of the heart. I was holding Luke and Brian and Justice were there too. The Dr. got the image on the screen and as soon as he saw it, his demeanor subtly changed and I knew something was quite wrong. He said a quiet "ohhh" and had a serious expression on his face. We braced ourselves for what he would say. As soon as he began speaking I interrupted him and just said to him in Arabic (so Justice wouldn't catch it) that we didn't want to scare Justice. He understood and proceeded, watching the way he phrased things, in English for our sakes to be sure we understood with all the medical terminology. (He was trained in the USA and has excellent English).
He explained that Luke has quite a large hole in his heart, between the left and right ventricles. (This is called VSD, or ventricular septal defect). It allows blood to flow from one side into the other, which it should not do. He then showed us that his aorta is significantly narrowed towards the top of the arch that it makes. This one is more concerning. (It is called Coarctation of the aorta).
It was clear that this needed some help right away. He recommended we come to Boston Children's Hospital soon, which is known to be the best for Pediatric Cardiology. While we were still there he emailed the head of the department at Boston Children's and sent him Luke's test results and got the ball rolling. We asked him to define what he meant by "soon," and he said he'd like to see the surgery done within 10 days or so.
We went home and within a few hours purchased tickets and packed up to fly to the States the next day.
I took Luke to our pediatrician for his routine 2 month check up. He needed some shots and the Dr. checked all the normal stuff. As she was listening to his heart, she kept on listening for quite a while and then she said that she thought she heard a heart murmur. At this point she did not seem too worried and I wasn't either. She said that many children have murmurs and often outgrow them. But later on as she was plotting Luke's weight on his growth chart, she confirmed my recent worry that he was not gaining as he should be. With both of these concerns combined, she referred us to a Pediatric Cardiologist, who I called right away and drove straight there. Justice was with me, and Brian left work to meet us there. At this office Luke had his blood oxygen levels tested and an EKG given by the nurse, which showed some irregularity in his heartbeat. Then we went in to see the Dr. himself and he did an Echocardiogram, which is like an ultrasound of the heart. I was holding Luke and Brian and Justice were there too. The Dr. got the image on the screen and as soon as he saw it, his demeanor subtly changed and I knew something was quite wrong. He said a quiet "ohhh" and had a serious expression on his face. We braced ourselves for what he would say. As soon as he began speaking I interrupted him and just said to him in Arabic (so Justice wouldn't catch it) that we didn't want to scare Justice. He understood and proceeded, watching the way he phrased things, in English for our sakes to be sure we understood with all the medical terminology. (He was trained in the USA and has excellent English).
He explained that Luke has quite a large hole in his heart, between the left and right ventricles. (This is called VSD, or ventricular septal defect). It allows blood to flow from one side into the other, which it should not do. He then showed us that his aorta is significantly narrowed towards the top of the arch that it makes. This one is more concerning. (It is called Coarctation of the aorta).
It was clear that this needed some help right away. He recommended we come to Boston Children's Hospital soon, which is known to be the best for Pediatric Cardiology. While we were still there he emailed the head of the department at Boston Children's and sent him Luke's test results and got the ball rolling. We asked him to define what he meant by "soon," and he said he'd like to see the surgery done within 10 days or so.
We went home and within a few hours purchased tickets and packed up to fly to the States the next day.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Party Time!
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| This year he asked for a Lorax cake - from the Dr. Seuss story |
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| Happy Birthday Justice! |
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| The two friends meet! |
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| Brian always loves holding all the babies |
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| We are so thankful for all these little ones... and the ones that aren't here right now too! |
5 years old
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| My little boy is quickly becoming not-so-little anymore. Time.... please slow down! Justice, at 5, you are still so active, fun, funny, spirited, talkative, a leader, thoughtful, encouraging, full of life, and you still have one speed: fast! I've loved watching how sweet you are to your little brother. It shows how much you love him. We love you and we are so proud of you as you turn 5... and as you start school, soccer, and whatever else this year has in store. We love you! |
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Recent happenings...
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| Outside our home...let the fun begin for trying to get both kids happy in the same picture! |
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| Fun shopping during a visit from a dear friend |
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