This is my boyz on Christmas morning:
(That's MaHannah)Hello to all!
This past couple weeks at Chez Angie, I have actually taken my camera from its bag and used it for its given purpose a few times. I was noticing that I have a few before and after shots of some things you probably couldn't care less about important events. So, I am dedicating this week to a before and after theme.
Today's Theme:
Me and Hannah. I call her maHannah, as if she were mine, even though TECHNICALLY she belongs to my sister and Matt. She was born in July of 2008 just before Brian took his more drastic decline. She was a breath of fresh air for me in a dark time of my life. When she would come to visit, as so many someones did during Brian's illness and dying process, (by the way so many someones? - the door is still open and the roads to Peoria are still in tact) she was a reminder of life and development and future - mmmmm..hahhhh, did you hear that? That was, again, that breath of fresh air. Also? She was the first girl born into my family after 5 grandsons on Brian's side in 14 years and 3 boys on my side in 11 years. So, again, Breathe it in and Breathe it out. That is fresh air - GIRL air!
Today's before:
Today's After:
Anyway, the before picture is on Thanksgiving Day. Me and maHannah. The after picture is me and maHannah after her face met the springs of the trampoline in the 2-1/2 seconds someone let go of her to get on the trampoline herself. Seriously, folks SPLIT SECONDS. Still, accidents happen, and beautiful little girls look like they get in bar fights and have liquid stitches, but still look beautiful. Just slightly mangled.
By the way, do you like my shirt I am wearing in the after pic? My good friend, Michelle, designs and sells those shirts. Happy Family Creations. You can get them to represent all the people in your family. I'm gonna get a new one that has just two boys on it since that after picture shirt is actually now my before shirt.
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So, Mindi called on her way out of the cardiologist office at St. Louis Children's today. Hannah had her echo today with the pediatric cardiologist (pc for future reference in this post). Her echo was normal. They almost let them go. The pc said, let's do a ECG (electrocardiogram) before you go. They did. It was not normal. Here is what they found.
WHAT IT IS:
Hannah has a condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW). It is a condition in the heart where-in an additional electrical pathway exists between the upper and lower chambers. Many people with WPW have no issues or problems. However, WPW can set people into different conditions called arrhythmias. The most common of these caused in children by WPW is called Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). This is a condition in which that additional pathway/conductor sends an extra signal to the between the chambers of the heart causing an extra beat and keeps doing it until basically the heart is racing extremely fast. It has to be stopped by external measures or it will continue and get worse. WPW can also cause Atrial Fibrillation in more extreme cases. Hannah's ECG at the hospital last Thursday night also showed this condition. However, they do not think she was in SVT that night. Personally, that surprises me, but just because I spend a lot of time with Brian at the doctor and researching medical stuff for us, does not make me a doctor. Regardless, what happened with Hannah that night is what led to this diagnosis, so thank God for that.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
Signs of SVT in infants are sudden increases in heart rate, difficulty breathing, lack of interest in eating, lethargy, and noticeable chest palpitations. Naturally, since the child is an INFANT, the INFANT, by design, is unable to tell you he/she is experiencing such symptoms. So, Mindi and Matt are to acquire a stethoscope and periodically check Hannah's heart rate. If the condition continues as she gets older and sets her in SVT, dizziness, uncomfortableness, difficulty breathing, etc. can occur.
WHAT TO DO:
You are the lucky parents of a baby with a diagnosed heart condition! What do you do now?!?!? Nothing. mmmhmm. Nothing. Besides watch for symptoms of SVT or more serious heart arrhythmias, the instructions are to do nothing except follow up with the pc every 6 months. Hannah COULD outgrow this. Hannah COULD never have a problem from WPW. She COULD go into SVT, and if they think she is in SVT, then they are to try home external measures stimulating the vagus nerve to bring her out first such as ice on the face and neck, gagging her and taking her temperature rectally. (Wha??? cuz apparently having something up your butt calms the heart stimulating the vagus nerve?) As she grows, if she is in SVT, she will be able to communicate it as it is a rather unpleasant condition to be in. She may also be able to stop it on her own with cold, fizzy drinks, popping her ears, holding her breath, etc. Yes, strange, but google it, you will see. If these measures don't work and she has been in SVT for a while (hour) they are to calmly take her to the ER where medications will be administered to bring her out of the arrhythmia.
LONG TERM:
Many children with WPW never have any SVT or other arrhythmias. Some do. There is no evidence that being in SVT damages the heart long term. Some require medication because of complications. Some don't. There are procedures such as an electrical impulse attempting to close the extra pathway available. Hannah should stay away from stimulants like caffeine, smoking, alcohol and certain medications. There are no restrictions to her activity, but as she is older, she will be able to tell if strenuous activity causes her problems.
HOW ARE THE PARENTS:
Good question. They were stopping for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings to Mindi's dismay when she called because Matt needed a beer. Mindi was doing okay. Taking it all in. I was googling stuff and reading her stuff as she listened on the phone. As with researching ANYTHING, you are going to read best and worst case out there. So, you have to take it in stride. Then you are going to read a site that says MEDICATION NEEDED only to realize you are on a drug company's page, etc. You have to filter and do what is best for you and your family. I am so glad I will be able to see them Sunday and a couple days after.
Please keep them in your prayers:
For Hannah to outgrow the condition and God to remove it from her life
For the condition to give her NO complications
For easiness and rest of those surrounding Hannah. (china doll syndrome, as I am going to name it)
For ease of mind of the parents.
For a normal life.
I would love to close this post with a recent picture of beautiful Hannah, but as luck would have it, she has also been plagued with a vicious case of baby acne, according to Mindi. So I will leave you with a photo which I have posted before:
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and wishes. Mindi reads these comments, too, so please direct your comments as though they are for Mindi today.
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Here's to NOT being pregnant anymore.... Mindi's first post-pregnancy Boulevard Wheat beer! WooHOO!!!
look! pictures of pictures!
the inside of a closet
the inside of an empty box
my mom always thought that was her best side
the Cardinals are playing on TV
We interrupt this baseball game for a mascara commercial
Now there is a bear in that empty box, better get a photo quick!
Super Nintendo controller
This one isn't bad of Hannah if you ignore my giant boob in your way. No, I am not the one that just had a baby and NO I am not nursing!
The basement
More pictures of pictures
Pictures of pictures are boring. Let me take a picture of you taking a picture of me instead. Cool!
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Born: July 16
Weight: 8 lb 5 oz
Length: 20 inches
Assessment: perfect
Sugar and spice and everything nice. Oh, hi. Sorry I was side-tracked for a second.
My sister, Mindi and her husband, Matt, had their ultrasound today to find out the gender of their baby. NOW, I'M NOT SAYING WHAT THEY'RE HAVING. No,that is THEIR JOB!
I sure hope S/he prefers princesses to power rangers.
I sure hope S/he prefers dolls to dinosaurs.
I have two kids, but NOT ONE OF THESE. Brother Kevin has 3 kids, 2 of which are these. Mindi doesn't have one of these. Brother-in-law Sean and Sister-in-law Cheryl have 3, but NOT ONE OF THESE! Murph and Jen will probably have FOUR of these when their time comes. There have been 6 kids born in the past ELEVEN years on both sides of Brian's and my families, but NOT ONE OF THESE! We don't even remember what to DO with one of these. What will we do with all THOSE BABY CLOTHES NOW?
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