Madelynn

I have told you about the comedy associated with the doctor visit for Madelynn but I never told you about the actual visit.

Once in the room I let the nurse know about Madelynn being in the Levine Children's Hospital ER two weeks prior. Because all of the specialists, Hospitals, Urgent cares and the pediatrician are all on the same Health Care system I just have to tell the necessary parties where we went and when and they can pull up all of the medical records and can see everything that has happened instead of me having to explain it. The nurse can print off and put a hard copy in her chart. It makes one part of my life very easy. All I have to do is make sure that the facility is on the right Health Care system. As anal as I am about Madelynn's care I already have them mapped out.

So we talk to the the doctor and the medications they gave her and how she responded. He was actually impressed. Because of Madelynn's age and the condition she suffered from the open heart surgery, the only way the doctor knows if she is recovering well and can withstand everyday life is for her to get sick and see how she withstands it. It sounds strange but think about it this way.

If you have ever had a chest x-ray you are told to take a deep breath and hold it. This way the get the lungs and diaphragm fully expanded and any previous x-rays can be compared apples for apples. Madelynn has had enough chest x-rays I am surprised she isn't her own night light. During her open heart surgery recovery a chest x-ray was required almost every night especially once she suffered the strep pneumonia, collapsed lung and partial paralysis in her diaphragm. These side effects from the heart surgery have been harder to overcome than the heart surgery itself.

All that to say you cannot tell and infant or toddler to take a deep breath and hold it. So they have to watch her breathing and see when she takes a deep breathe and try and snap the x-ray at this exact moment. Not an ideal situation. A better way to judge her recovery is to wait until she gets sick and see how she recovers and fights it off. With the croup she was diagnosed with at the end of January, the Doctor believes she is handling it very well. She is tolerating it so well in fact......that if she continues moving forward with no ill effects in 30 days she can DISCONTINUE her breathing treatments.

Ok....so what you say............This is absolutely THRILLING to Phil and I. What this means is that My beautiful 2 1/2 month old baby who underwent open heart surgery, suffered strep pneumonia, collapsed lung, paralysis in her diaphragm, spent 17 days in the CVICU, left the hospital on several medications will officially be medications free 17 months later. We will go back and see the doctor in a few months and we will have to monitor her closely for the next 60 days to make sure he body can tolerate the lack of the breathing treatment.

I almost fell on the floor when the doctor told me that we could stop the breathing treatments in 30 days. He just wants to make sure the the croup is gone and here body gets a good head start. By this time cold and flu season will be pretty much over down here. So it was an exciting day. I just need to be patient finish all of the breathing treatments to give her the best chance. Sometime around Phil's birthday in March Madelynn will be medication free. It will be a time to celebrate and a good birthday present for Daddy.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may mature and complete, not lacking anything.......Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" James 1:2-4, 12

I believe Madelynn has received that crown of life and I hope that she treasures this gift for the rest of her life.

TTFN~