We saw the cardiologist this morning and had all the normal testing to try to figure out why Ella has a sudden need for constant oxygen. The good news is their isn't any fluid around her heart or lungs, the bad news is she will be on oxygen for awhile. During Ella's Glenn surgery the right diaphragm was damaged and is now paralyzed. We knew this had happened and were told about it shortly after the surgery, you may remember I even mentioned it on here as a prayer request back then. They said at the time that it shouldn't cause any problems, and that in a matter of about 6 weeks it should heal on it's own and work properly again. Unfortunately it is now causing problems, this is putting pressure on her lungs making it harder to breath, and this makes her breaths short, fast and shallow. Also it makes her have a grunting noise and cough quite a bit. We are just almost 2 weeks post surgery now so we should be looking at about 4 weeks more of oxygen. We are not sure why she didn't need oxygen before and she does now, but as long as it doesn't get worse this is ok. With this new discovery comes a new prayer request, it is important that she does not get pneumonia. Again we were strongly cautioned to keep miss Ella healthy. We are praying that her diaphragm will heal on it's own sooner rather than later so that we can get Ella off of the oxygen as quickly as possible. Also Ella has still not been eating well so she hasn't been gaining much weight and we think this is partially because of the damaged diaphragm so we are going to try to up her calories to 30 from the 24 she was getting before. Please be praying that this does the trick, and that her stomach handles this change well with minimal vomiting. Thank you so much for your continued prayers for our family!
I am a friend of Scott and Sarah's and I also keep up with Ella through their blog. Wonderful updates from you and we all enjoy the reading and opportunity to pray for what you ask. We continue to pray for your precious baby and Emma.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting. I will continue to pray for Ella and about this issue specifically. God is still in control!
ReplyDeleteWhat a doll she is! Her smile just lights up her face and makes me smile every time I see a picture.
Joy/Chandler, OK
We will be praying. Miss Ella is such a happy baby!
ReplyDeletePraying for Ella
ReplyDeleteI'm a friend of Tammy Hooper's. I originally heard about Ella through postings on Tammy's blog; now I follow your blog myself. It breaks my heart to see a baby so sick, but I am so inspired by your faith and the strength that you have. Praying for your precious little one!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that for Ella,the things inside her chest cavity must feel different with the diaphragm temporarily damaged! Maybe that's why Ella isn't eating as well...I had an injury a few yrs back to my diaphragm and have to admit it hurts inside when that happens. Hope her pain is minimal, the oxygen does the trick, and she is back to her happy, healthy little girl self very soon! We love all of you!
ReplyDeleteEmma's Nana
Hey girl. We have been praying for lil Miss Ella. I'm sorry to hear about her right diaphragm. :( As you probably know, that happened to Kaelyn during her Norwood. Hers was so bad that they ended up giving her a surgery to try and tack it down. That didn't take, so they did it again. It's still slightly elevated, so that's why she's still on oxygen. They told us that it probably won't totally fix itself at this point. However, the muscles in her ribs will begin to take over and get stronger so that she can learn to compensate and take deeper breaths. As scary as it is, Kaelyn has done well even with this floating diaphragm. She has gotten sick a couple times while at home, so they just had us decrease her Lasix (she's been on that since the 1st surgery) so she wouldn't get dehydrated. She recovered just fine after being sick. So, all that to say, although it is frustrating and may hold them back a little temporarily, these babies can still do SO well with a compromised diaphragm! Their little bodies just learn to compensate and they slowly get stronger and stronger! I will be praying that Ella gets so strong so fast that she'll be off oxygen ASAP. And that she'll start eating better! I love this baby and don't even know her. :)
ReplyDeleteLove,
Tawni