Post-Op, made it through.



Jack is still a little weary each time we go to the hospital, thinking that we may be strapping him down to a bed again. Luckily, we didn't this time. His x-ray was crystal clear. We did draw some blood and it looks like he is low on potassium and sodium (despite ALL the Gatorade he has been pounding.) So we were given prescription for the same potassium medication we tried to give him in the hospital, that he threw up. So I was a bit skeptical about taking it home. But we bought some wild cherry flavoring to go with it. To help you understand what a difficulty this med is, imagine condensing down some super nasty sea water and try feeding a tablespoon of it to your 3-year old. 

Why is potassium so crucial? ...you may ask...

Well, if you have watched Boston Legal, Law and Order or have some really bad friends, you are familiar with lethal injection. Basically, what they are injecting is POTASSIUM, to STOP the heart. And counteractively, if you have too LITTLE potassium, it can have the same effect.

So, the "K" is kind of serious.

On a lighter note, we dropped one of the diuretics. That is good, because that particular one made him dizzy. And, we dropped a half-litre of O2. So we are back to the .5 that we were on before. The Cardiologist we saw (who isn't OUR normal cardiologist..) said that Jack's saturations were "ok". They were in the 74-77 range off of the O2, which is ok, but not what they want right now. So we'll stay on the O2 till our next visit, which is May 18th, when we see OUR cardiologist.

Also, if you remember, there is a hole in Jack's heart called a "fenestration" that they sewed to his fontan, that is sort of a "pop-off" for the new pressure flowing through his heart. Sometimes the fenestration closes on its own, sometimes a cath is needed to close it. Jack's heart is CHOOSING to pump the blood through the fenestration, and not the fontan. (The blood flows through the fontan, but the heart is PUMPING it through the hole, instead of PUMPING it through the new valve.) This isn't necessarily a bad thing...we'll just have to see what happens. And I'll get more answers from JACK'S Dr's.

So, all in all, he is doing well. Clear x-rays are wonderful. A kid that eats and drinks and doesn't have as sunken of eyes is wonderful.

We go back to Primary's on Monday for another blood draw. We'll see how that goes.

Comments

Lori J said…
Lisa, I am so glad to hear Trent is doing better. Hayden was low on his potassium also but they finally got it all taken care of after a month or so. Hayden also did not have the hole left, dr. Kaza chose not to leave it open during surgery. Will they have to go in and close it? Hopefully his sats get better, Haydens are up to 95 yeah a pink boy finally. take care ~Lori
Allison said…
I had no idea what a role Potassium took! No wonder they check it so regularly. I pray that he keeps his meds down! We just think you guys are the greatest! I hope Grant is as adorable as Jack in a few years!
carolyn q said…
I am very glad last night when I made a trip up to PCMC to visit that you guys were not kept there after the appointment and were actually at home.
I am sorry that he is having a hard time tolerating taking the potassium. I hope the blood draw goes well on Monday. Poor guy!
(HUGS)
Wright Family said…
Glad you guys are home and that Jack is on the mend. He will be feeling so much better after the potassium levels get worked out. Hope that cherry flavoring works!!!

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