Good news from the doctors

Jacob's catheter procedure went extremely well. In a previous post, there was a catheter procedure that failed to open his right pulmonary artery. This time Dr. Vincent was able to stent it. The right PA was stenotic. It was only 2.2mm wide. This put the success of the Fontan surgery at risk. If the right PA was to be stenotic, only the left PA would be used in the Fontan. The stent opened the right PA to 6mm. Now both arteries can be used in the Fontan and there will be no more mixing of oxygenated blood and venous blood. This was fantastic news - but it came with a down side as well. Since the stent is new, there is a risk of clotting. Therefore Jacob was prescribed Lovenox again. You may remember that this is the drug that the nurse overdosed him back in late 2011. It is an injection-only drug for thinning blood. This time there is no nurse to get the dosage wrong - only mom and dad. I was squeamish at the thought of sticking my son with a sharp object. I dodged that bullet last time. I was not so lucky this time. After 10 days of giving injections, we all have gotten used to it. It ain't so bad, really.

Bribery works well with Jake 

Today I took him to his cardiologist in Mineola - more good news. She took him off of the Enalipril. His heart is nice and strong and his blood oxygen level is higher. Things are looking up for little Jake.

Steppin' Out

It has been over six months since I have written to this blog. To be honest, I have forgotten about it. This was an avenue for me to vent to no one specific about the issues my family faces with Jacob and his condition. Last October, Superstorm Sandy devastated the coastline of the region and we were just some of her countless victims. Jacob's issues took a back seat to and greatly complicated our problems of relocating and rebuilding. Since my last post we have moved back in to our home in Wantagh, however, the work is still not completed.
Through all of the problems we have encountered, Jacob has shown to be very resilient. He has taken to his therapy like a fish to water no matter where he gets it. The worst had to be in the hotel lobby where we stayed for three months. The best was two days ago - at home...Jacob took his first steps! His therapist, Rob, got him to go after a flag they were playing with and he walked three steps unassisted. This may not seem like much, but it means the world to me.
Jacob has become a little imp, just like his siblings. He knows when he is doing something wrong and makes a point out of getting daddy to chase him while he scoots away with my glasses or iPad. This is another reason why I have not posted lately. He is just 'normal' now. Anything that happens is not out of the ordinary or shocking (except the walking thing). This is who he is. He is just another one of my children. He gets treated just like the other two kids. I don't know if you understand where I am going here but this is how I feel.

If everything is normal, then what is getting you to make a new post? Glad you asked!
Christina brought Jacob in for pre-surgical screening today and everything went well. On Monday he is getting an angiogram to determine if he is a candidate for the final heart surgery, the Fontan. Daddy is getting jumpy - hence the new post. An angiogram is a 'nothing' procedure. I even had one in February. Unfortunately, his last catheter procedure gave him a stroke. I am not looking forward to Monday. We have come so far with him, I don't want to lose that.