Daddy reads a book to Kate while we sit in the waiting room
Grandpa came for extra moral support
Little Kate came through her heart cath with flying colors. She was so brave. Although she didn't like being poked and prodded, she handled it pretty well until she had to get her first shot of Demerol, before the start of the procedure. They told us that she would get very sleepy. Ha.
They don't know Kate.
She was DETERMINED not to go to sleep. She was hyper-vigilent, eyes darting back and forth watching every person in the room. Her eyes would close, but then startle open with any noise or movement by anyone.
They had me carry her to the cath lab to lie her down on the table but she got hysterical. They said they needed to give her another medication and this one 'would put her out.' It was a syringe full of liquid that they had to put in her nose. Ugh. They said it was fast acting.
They don't know Kate.
She continued to be DETERMINED not to go to sleep. Her body was tense and she wrapped her arms and legs around me in a death grip.
Finally, they had to get out their 'big gun' medication to put her out. It was another shot in the leg, and Kate was screaming, "No...No..." I was crying along with her. I felt so sorry for my little fighter. I was beginning to have my doubts about her ever going to sleep, but thankfully, she DID finally go limp in my arms. Her eyes didn't close, though, which was very freaky. I layed her down on the bed and she looked so tiny lying there.
She was done in an hour and a half. They told us that she had to lie still for four hours so that her leg incision wouldn't bleed. (It was a very small incision, not needing a stitch, so she needed to be still to give it a chance to close.) I asked if she would be sedated because I know how restless she is. They told me that most kids are pretty sleepy and are content to lie in bed and watch TV.
They don't know Kate.
She was restless--back and forth between Mommy's arms and the bed...twisting and turning, and bringing back memories of our plane trip home from China with her. haha She did snuggle with me for the begininng of the four hours, but it didn't last long. By the end of the third hour, she was motioning for her clothes and wanting to get dressed and go home.
The doctor came to talk to us and said that she is now unsure that a full repair would be the best option for Kate. She does have two ventricles, but to do a full repair, they would have to totally change her blood flow in the upper chamber and lower chamber of heart, besides bridge a HUGE hole with a conduit. There were some other things, too, that I can't remember. So now, she is thinking that the surgery that leaves her with a single ventricle might be a better option.
The doctor will talk to the surgeon and see what his opinion is. If there is not a much bigger benefit to doing the full repair, the doctor is worried that it is not worth the risk. She said that it would be a very difficult surgery, and since Kate is a very good candidate for the single ventricle repair, it might not be much of an advantage to do the full repair. Her exact words were, "The full repair surgery is so complicated. I would feel terrible if something happened to her."
The doctor will call us next week and hopefully we will have a surgery date then. She is hoping for an April surgery date. If you would pray with us that the surgeon will have wisdom as he decides which surgery to do, we would appreciate it so much!
The first hour after the heart cath...still feeling sleepy.
She wanted to hold hands with Mommy...so sweet.
"As soon as I'm done with my snack, I want to go home!"
