Thankful for Miracles

I am calling it a miracle, because to me it is. We had our perinatology appointment today. The tech was scanning, and she has not seen us in a few weeks. So she was shocked to see such little fluid. Dr. S. came in and scanned, and was just amazed. The right side of the chest has barely anything, a teeny tiny pocket of fluid at the front of the chest, so small it really is next to nothing (especially comparing the amount it had just last week.) The left still has a bit, but there is shunt in place to drain, so we are not concerned. I still have to go twice a week, but he says that if things continue to look as good as they are (or dare I say better?) that we are looking toward delivering at the full-term mark!!! I am so excited, still nervous, but excited!!! I am 28 weeks and 3 days. I delivered Lilly at 37 weeks and 5 days, and delivered Ryker at 37 weeks and 1 day. 37 weeks is full-term, so if I could get our baby to anything past we would just be thrilled!!! We have been so nervous the last five weeks, and cannot even believe how different our baby's lungs look from than till now. I cannot think it is anything less than a miracle to get to where we are. We just pray things continue to look as good. So thank-you for the prayers. This little boy is a fighter. He still has a road, but at least he is moving in the right direction. :)

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.