A Great Day

I have been very, very anxious about today. Even sitting in the waiting room today, I just could not shake my anxiety. Our doctor returned today. It was wonderful to see him, since he has seen us through a lot. I asked both sets of parents to be there, because there was supposed to be a care conference. But the awesome part is that they did not need too. This little guy actually looked better! I am carrying quite a bit of fluid, but the good news is that our little guy seems to have less. His right side actually looks like it has decreased, and to me pretty significantly. This is wonderful and amazing, since he does not have the shunt to drain the fluid on that side. And there is very little on the left side, so the shunt appears to be working. And the doctor said it is debatable if there edema on the chest.

 He feels like maybe this is congenital chylothorax. I am not sure if I have discussed chylorthorax before. It is something we actually have experience with. Every body has a lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is important to the body's defense mechanisms. The cardiovascular system and lymphatic system are closely related, and run through the body somewhat similarly. It filters out organisms that cause disease, produces certain white blood cells and generates antibodies. Lymph is a milky body fluid that contains a type of white blood cells, called "lymphocytes," along with proteins and fats. When heart surgery is performed, it is very easy to nick the lymphatic system, which causes the lymph to dump into the pleural space (around the lungs.) So Mike had Chylothorax when he had heart surgery when he was 12. Ryker also had Chylo, as well as our niece Gracie. Treatment is the placement of a chest tube and diet without fats. Now similarly, there is a condition called Congenital Chylothorax. It is caused by an abnormality when the lymph system is developing. It can have several causes, and than sometimes no apparent cause. It usually resolves itself anywhere from in-utero to after the baby is born. So when we see less fluid, we are hoping that maybe the suspected case of chylothorax is resolving itself. 

They are still monitoring twice a week, because we do not know what will happen, but we have more hope today than we have in a long time. I just long to be able to hold my sweet baby in my arms. We long for him to be healthy and not have to experience physical pain. There is nothing worse than seeing your child in pain and having to suffer. Breaks your heart. So we are crossing our fingers, that this little miracle holds and that possibly we are seeing him on the road to the fluid resolving itself. We still have some road bumps, and I still will have to deliver at the University of Utah, but there truly is so much hope for this baby. We are pretty worn out right now. Collin has been sick. So when you have a beautiful day like today, it brings peace.