Emotional Roller Coaster

Up and down, up and down. The last 3 weeks have been quite the emotional roller coaster. Carson is still at Primary Children's Medical Center. It turns out that he has 3 major heart defects...Transposition of the Great Arteries, VSD's, and Coarctation. He has also had some problems with his lungs (tightness and fluid retention). He was bumped for surgery a couple of times due to various reasons, but was finally able to have the first of 2 surgeries on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Coartation is now fixed and he also received a band on his pulmonary artery to help restrict blood flow to the lungs. When he is a little bigger and starts to outgrow the PA band, he will have the second surgery to fix the TGA and VSD's.

He is now off of the ventilator, but is on a CPAP that provides some positive air pressure to help him breath. He is quite feisty and has a big temper. He gets really mad whenever someone bugs him. Although part of that is because he is withdrawing from some medication that he was on for 2 weeks. He is now on methadone to help with that. The problem with him getting mad is that it raises his heart rate and blood pressure and he breaths too fast. He may have to go back on the ventilator if that keeps happening. He is doing better--the last 2 days have been good days. We're hoping that he keeps it up. We really want to get him home, but at this point we just have to be patient.

It's been hard on all of us. Russ went back to work last week, so he makes his visits after work. I have been trying to make daily visits. It has been hard though because it pretty much takes all day once you add in driving time and dropping off and picking up Melina. Melina is holding up pretty well. It definitely has an impact on her though. I think she does well when she is at the baby sitter's, but she has been more clingy and ornery with us.

As I said before, the last 3 weeks have been difficult, but there is much to be grateful for. We are very grateful for the medical technology we have today. We are very grateful for wonderful doctors and nurses that have been caring for our beautiful son. We are very grateful for good insurance. And last but certainly not least, we are very grateful for a wonderful, supportive family who has helped/and continues to help us through this trying time.

Thanks to all for the prayers, they have been greatly appreciated. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as I truly think they have been helping.

Here is a slide show of some pictures taken in the last 3 weeks, including pics of Melina's visit to the hospital and pics of Melina at the park. Note: Carson is quite puffy in a lot of the pics and yes, he was jaundiced.