We would like to update everyone with how Zachary is doing. He has been doing amazing this past year. He’s been going to preschool and learning so much. He is so smart and learns so quickly. (He just wrote his name out this week. Oh Yes!) This is just amazing to think back to when the doctors gave us no hope. Well, look at him now. He’s thriving. He’s always happy and loves playing with his brothers.
The last couple of months we have noticed Zachary has been getting worn out a lot quicker. This means when he plays with his brothers, he is having to stop and rest a lot more. His body/heart can’t keep up. The teachers at his preschool have noticed this as well. We had a followed up appointment with Zachary’s cardiologist in December and decided to schedule a Heart Cath for February 8th. This would be a procedure where they send a scope to his heart to measure all different pressures and get other information they need to see how his heart is functioning.
Thursday evening last week Zachary had a little episode of tachycardia. He was breathing fast and was out of breath and threw up because he was trying to breath. We took his vital signs and his heart rate was 145 and his sats were low 70s. Those are not good vital signs for those who are not familiar with that. His normal is high 70 and heart rate about 107-115. This happened again the following evening. At this point I was in contact with his cardiologist and he said we should move his heart cath.
Zachary will be going in for this procedure THIS coming Tuesday, January 16th at 8am. Usually they would do this procedure and send you home, then based on the info they acquire they would then proceed with next steps like scheduling his next heart surgery etc.
This is where we are asking for your prayers. Depending on what they find, the doctors may decide to admit him to the hospital or may send him home. If Zachary recovers well after the procedure, he may go home. If he does not recover, he may require an overnight stay. He has gone home after previous heart caths, but then again, he has also required next day heart surgery before.There is a range of scenarios that could play out. The simplest is that there is a small pulmonary artery that the body created that is connecting the heart to the lungs (This would be in addition to his main pulmonary artery). The doctors and surgeons would block it because it causes a feedback loop so the oxygen enriched blood doesn’t get pushed out just circulates from the heart to and back again. This would ease the stress on the heart and lungs to allow him to grow a little bit more until the next heart surgery (growing = good).
A more complicated scenario requires the next heart surgery, which is called the Fontan Procedure. This will not be done on Tuesday, but at the next available OR time. Depending on the results of the heart cath, it could be Wednesday or it could be this summer.
We are so appreciative of everyone who has prayed for Zachary over the last 4 years. We are so amazed we are still asking for your prayers. There were many times we were not sure we would be here today. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued prayers for our family.
I have a heart cath on the 17rh--will be praying for Zachary--the miracle man!
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