Friday, June 8, 2012
Life Lately
Friday, May 11, 2012
Summer's health update
Hi loved ones,
We just wanted to keep you all informed of what is happening with Summer because text and phone calls are hard and we want everyone to be kept in the loop.
When Summer was born she was put in the NICU just for a night because of her high respiratory rate. She only stayed a night and didn’t even need antibiotics. As we were settling in at home I had noticed how she struggles to breath and is very congested. I brought her to the pediatrician on numerous occasions for weight checks and my concerns about her breathing and they said it was normal for infants. Summer also was having trouble gaining enough weight. Eric and I continued to hear her breathing as well as friends and family that also pointed it out. It has really bothered us and we were vey frustrated that our pediatrician was not noticing.
On Tuesday, I finally decided to feed her right before her pediatrician appointment because her breathing is always worse after a feeding and when she is very alert. The doctor finally noticed it and said it was called stridor. This is basically just rapid breath. She said we should make an appointment with a pulmonologist. We had an appointment scheduled for Thursday. On Wednesday, Summer started eating very little and vomiting very frequently. I called the doctor Wednesday night and they had us put her on pedialyte through the night. She did so well that the next morning I gave her formula again and she vomited. The pediatrician told me to come in right away.
When the pediatrician walked in the room she immediately noticed how bad her breathing was and decided to give her a breathing treatment to see if it got better. Her breathing stayed the same and she said she would feel more comfortable if we went to the emergency room to make sure Summer did not have a serious sickness. At the emergency room they ruled out RSV, pneumonia, fluid in the lungs and any heart problems. This was great news. She was admitted because they noticed how bad the stridor was and they wanted us to see their pulmonologist.
After running an upper GI test, viral swabs and a video monitor down her nose they have determined that she has laryngomalacia.
Here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laryngomalacia
It is very common and basically the cartilage in her larynx is not fully developed. She does not need surgery and it is not very severe we have been told so far. It causes her to breath very heavily and sound like she is struggling. I believe it is something that will become more fully developed through her first year of life. They have told us that the way she is breathing could be causing her to not gain weight because it is like she is “running on a treadmill.” She is burning so many calories. Her feedings are also just very difficult because she is so worked up.
The GI doctor also thinks she has acid reflux and she unfortunately has the flu. These could make the laryngomalacia worse so they are treating both and then we are going from there. We will return home hopefully tomorrow and we will have a monitor to track her breathing. As long as she is gaining weight rapidly and not having episodes of her breathing stopping she will grow out of this and we will not need to do anything further.
We have one more test that is coming back soon that has to do with rings in her throat and I will keep you posted.
Please keep our sweet Summer in your prayers! God is good and He is her healer. We know she is in good hands. Love you all.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Baby girl is 1 month!!!
I can't believe how much she's grown already!!!
Little Sister/Big Brother
Daddy's Girl
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