Thursday, April 29, 2010

Heart Surgery....Another Piece of Mattie's Story

Well, it looks like my little guy will have to have heart surgery after all.  When he was born, and diagnosed with Down syndrome, we were told that his first echocardiogram was completely normal for his 2 day old status.  At a month old, we went for a follow-up visit with the pediatric cardiologist at UNC.  He said that Mattie had 2 small holes in his heart that were supposed to close at birth, but had not yet.  He also had a small VSD, which is a birth defect in the heart that is common for DS babies.  All the holes were small, so we were told to wait until he was over one year and at least 20 pounds to do anything about them.  They were not affecting him, so much as we could tell.  Well, praise God, 2 of the 3 holes have closed!  The VSD and PFO are completely gone, but a small PDA does still remain.  The cardiologist believes that since it has not closed by one year of age, that it will not and could adversely affect him later on in life.  To repair the hole, a procedure is done in the heart cath. lab at UNC hospital.  If all goes well, it will be an out-patient procedure. Of course, anytime you deal with the heart it is a scary thing and the doctors give you all the horrible possible things that could happen.  We are believing for the best and are so thankful that it will not be open heart surgery for our little guy.  He will have the surgery done on Wed. May 5th and we covet your prayers.  I will keep everyone updated.  Isn't this recent picture just precious?!

6 comments:

  1. Your blog is such a blessing! I love reading about your family and all the activity that goes on in your home. I am a homeschooling mother to eight children (14 years to 11 months) and live in a household with lots of activity too. I will definitely be praying for Mattie. God bless you and your family.

    Michelle from Canada

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  2. oh he is a beautiful little man! I will pray for him and the physicians and nurses who will be doing the procedure that day.

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  3. What a beautiful picture of your precious Mattie. I will be praying that the surgery goes well and that he heals quickly... will be praying for peace for mom, dad, and the rest of the family too:)
    Sara

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  4. I had no idea you were a blogger! We will definitely be covering Mattie and your family in prayer. I pray you'll be covered in a mantle of supernatural peace my Sister.

    Love,
    Beth

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  5. Oh, Mattie is absolutely beautiful! We are all praying for him and for you guys! Love, zsuzsa

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  6. Enjoying reading your blog. My first born also had the same three heart defects, and the same two closed, and he had the cath procedure in 2008. My son hasn't been diagnosed with a "syndrome" but we have been through many health challenges and seen the goodness of God in his life over and over. I'm sure you feel the same way about Mattie as I do my Noah..perfect. :)

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Thanks so much for your comments! I love them and they keep me writing. I really do read each one.