Devos Children's Hospital called today, and surgery is set for 12:25 next Tuesday. This is later in the day than her other surgeries have been, so we're a little nervous about keeping her happy without food in her tummy, but at worst, its only a few hours. Surgery will last 4 1/2-5 hours they predict. This means that we may not be able to see her until dinner time. We will keep people updated as we get information, but I may not have time to post anything until Wednesday.
Prayers:
Please pray for her surgeons. She'll have her palate repaired and tubes put it, so there are 2 doctors working with her.
Please pray for Ross and I as we transition into new feedings. Pray for patience.
Mostly, pray for Annika as she goes under anesthesia and through surgery. Pray that recovery will be quick and that she won't be uncomfortable or in pain.
Thank you!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Surgery Update
Do you ever have a case of "the Mondays?" I'm taking a grad class this semester on Monday nights, so pretty much every Monday in 2011 has been one of those days...the day just seems so long with not much to look forward to in the day. This past Monday was by and far the worst case of "the Mondays" yet because of a phone call.
I called Annika's surgeon office to get her pre-operation appt. switched to the week of my Spring Break, so I didn't have to take more time off. The secretary asked me to hold, and when he came back to the phone, he said "Actually, surgery has been rescheduled." Hmmm.... I thought, nice of them to call! When I asked what the new surgery date was, he replied with something even more unexpected....July 19. This date is exactly 3 months later than the original date. For those of you who know me well, my first reactions are not always my finest moments. I was a bit stearn with the secretary, so he transferred me to the scheduler. She informed me that they had already let her ENT Dr. office know that tubes would be postponed too. At this point, I began crying to a stranger. I babbled on about how Annika already has some slight hearing loss and pushing tubes back 3 months could be damaging, and that she couldnt have more ear infections because prescriptions hinder her from weight gain, and she's already small...blah blah blah. I'm sure the scheduler was super happy with the secretary for pawning me off to her. Anyway, she told me Annika was on the top of the waiting list for any cancellations that could come up, and we left it at that. By the way, surgery was pushed back because her Dr. will be out of the country in April doing speaking engagements.
My next reaction was to spend some money on Annika clothes (I was in the Carters parking lot already). Then I called Ross and cried some more. He's much more calm and logical about life in general than I am. He soaked it all in, and we didnt really talk much more about it until after class. We had planned on calling Annika's pediatrician and ENT Dr. to ask them to make a call and advocate for Annika's health. In the end, all of this was unnecessary, because I got a call Tuesday morning from the surgeon's office telling me they were able to bump Annika's surgery up to May 3! This is only 2 weeks later than the original date, so we'll take it! I'm not sure how they were able to make such a drastic change in less than 24 hours, but frankly I don't care either! It looks like we will have a busy month in May with 5 trips to GR, but we are so happy to have things resolved.
It is weeks like this that I am so glad Annika is so young and doesn't know what is going on. By the time she can hang on to memories, the worst will be long behind her, and she will have no recollection of a different time.
Thanks to all of the prayers you continue to say for Annika. She truly is such a trooper, and Ross and I appreciate all of the support you continue to show us!
I called Annika's surgeon office to get her pre-operation appt. switched to the week of my Spring Break, so I didn't have to take more time off. The secretary asked me to hold, and when he came back to the phone, he said "Actually, surgery has been rescheduled." Hmmm.... I thought, nice of them to call! When I asked what the new surgery date was, he replied with something even more unexpected....July 19. This date is exactly 3 months later than the original date. For those of you who know me well, my first reactions are not always my finest moments. I was a bit stearn with the secretary, so he transferred me to the scheduler. She informed me that they had already let her ENT Dr. office know that tubes would be postponed too. At this point, I began crying to a stranger. I babbled on about how Annika already has some slight hearing loss and pushing tubes back 3 months could be damaging, and that she couldnt have more ear infections because prescriptions hinder her from weight gain, and she's already small...blah blah blah. I'm sure the scheduler was super happy with the secretary for pawning me off to her. Anyway, she told me Annika was on the top of the waiting list for any cancellations that could come up, and we left it at that. By the way, surgery was pushed back because her Dr. will be out of the country in April doing speaking engagements.
My next reaction was to spend some money on Annika clothes (I was in the Carters parking lot already). Then I called Ross and cried some more. He's much more calm and logical about life in general than I am. He soaked it all in, and we didnt really talk much more about it until after class. We had planned on calling Annika's pediatrician and ENT Dr. to ask them to make a call and advocate for Annika's health. In the end, all of this was unnecessary, because I got a call Tuesday morning from the surgeon's office telling me they were able to bump Annika's surgery up to May 3! This is only 2 weeks later than the original date, so we'll take it! I'm not sure how they were able to make such a drastic change in less than 24 hours, but frankly I don't care either! It looks like we will have a busy month in May with 5 trips to GR, but we are so happy to have things resolved.
It is weeks like this that I am so glad Annika is so young and doesn't know what is going on. By the time she can hang on to memories, the worst will be long behind her, and she will have no recollection of a different time.
Thanks to all of the prayers you continue to say for Annika. She truly is such a trooper, and Ross and I appreciate all of the support you continue to show us!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tubes
Ross took Annika to the Ears/Nose/Throat Dr. today. They gave her a hearing test and also used a sensor to see if there was any fluid. They found significant fluid built up, and because of this, she is unable to hear very low sounds. To fix these problems, they will put tubes in her ears. They opted to wait to do it during her palate surgery, since they have found cleft tubes to be ineffective without a palate.
We've also been scheduled to see her pediatrician this Friday for a weight check-in. We have still been getting up with her once at night to feed her, hoping that this will help her gain a little weight. At first it seemed to be working, as she was taking almost a full feeding more each day. But just this past week, she's started eating much less (4-5oz instead of 7-8oz at a time). The Dr. mentioned at her last appt. that she should be eating 40 oz per day in order to gain weight. Today, she had only 30 oz. My guess is that the Dr. will not be satisfied with the weight gain. We'll see.
On a completely separate note, I get to go to Grand Rapids Friday night overnight with my 2 sisters. This will be my first night leaving Ross and Annika alone! While I have no doubts that Ross is a totally capable parent, I can't help but feel a little funny about leaving. With that said, I am SO ready for some sister time and relaxation!
Anyway, check back in a few days for a weight update! Real exciting, I know the anticipation will kill you as much as it is me :)
We've also been scheduled to see her pediatrician this Friday for a weight check-in. We have still been getting up with her once at night to feed her, hoping that this will help her gain a little weight. At first it seemed to be working, as she was taking almost a full feeding more each day. But just this past week, she's started eating much less (4-5oz instead of 7-8oz at a time). The Dr. mentioned at her last appt. that she should be eating 40 oz per day in order to gain weight. Today, she had only 30 oz. My guess is that the Dr. will not be satisfied with the weight gain. We'll see.
On a completely separate note, I get to go to Grand Rapids Friday night overnight with my 2 sisters. This will be my first night leaving Ross and Annika alone! While I have no doubts that Ross is a totally capable parent, I can't help but feel a little funny about leaving. With that said, I am SO ready for some sister time and relaxation!
Anyway, check back in a few days for a weight update! Real exciting, I know the anticipation will kill you as much as it is me :)
Monday, February 21, 2011
BIG steps!
No, Annika is not walking yet, but I feel like so much has happened since November! I will try to keep it short.
Annika has been scooting around the house since the last time I posted. She started out cawling the day we got home from the hospital, and by Christmas Break, she was pulling herslf up and walking around furniture. For Christmas, she got a walker, and has been busy with that ever since! Sometimes she'll stand by herself in the room, but no physical stes yet. I'm guessing 2-3 weeks.
We've had a long winter as far as keeping her healty goes. Since October, she has had 5 ear infections. As of now, we are waiting to meet with an Ears, Nose, Throat Doctor to see if tubes will help. Because of these ear infections, she has been off and on anti-biotics all winter, which have both suppressed her appetite and given her constant diareha. Because of these 2 things, her one year appt. showed a loss of weight for an already tiny peanut. To remedy that, we've been feeding her in the middle of the night if she wakes up. We know it is not best practice, but at this point the doctor said we should do whatever we can to get her bigger. Needless to say, we're ready for spring!
A major change for us, which may not seem so large to others, is that Annika has begun taking some solid foods. We started out with "puff' crackers (crackers that dissolve). She loves these, and they were a great way to introduce something other than formula. Next, we moved onto yogurt melts (dried yogurt that also dissovles). These are much more flavor-filled, so she is still getting used to these. And just last night, I was going to attempt some more baby food, and for the first time ever, she ate a whoe (small) jar of babyfood! For many this may seem like a normal step, but we've been trying off and on for 7 months for her to be able to even keep any in her mouth! I'm convinced that the puffs were a good route to take in teaching her how to move food back to her throat.
Annika's next surgery has been scheduled for April 19. She will have a follow-up surgery May 10 to remove the retainer he puts in initially.
I promise to post pictures soon!
Annika has been scooting around the house since the last time I posted. She started out cawling the day we got home from the hospital, and by Christmas Break, she was pulling herslf up and walking around furniture. For Christmas, she got a walker, and has been busy with that ever since! Sometimes she'll stand by herself in the room, but no physical stes yet. I'm guessing 2-3 weeks.
We've had a long winter as far as keeping her healty goes. Since October, she has had 5 ear infections. As of now, we are waiting to meet with an Ears, Nose, Throat Doctor to see if tubes will help. Because of these ear infections, she has been off and on anti-biotics all winter, which have both suppressed her appetite and given her constant diareha. Because of these 2 things, her one year appt. showed a loss of weight for an already tiny peanut. To remedy that, we've been feeding her in the middle of the night if she wakes up. We know it is not best practice, but at this point the doctor said we should do whatever we can to get her bigger. Needless to say, we're ready for spring!
A major change for us, which may not seem so large to others, is that Annika has begun taking some solid foods. We started out with "puff' crackers (crackers that dissolve). She loves these, and they were a great way to introduce something other than formula. Next, we moved onto yogurt melts (dried yogurt that also dissovles). These are much more flavor-filled, so she is still getting used to these. And just last night, I was going to attempt some more baby food, and for the first time ever, she ate a whoe (small) jar of babyfood! For many this may seem like a normal step, but we've been trying off and on for 7 months for her to be able to even keep any in her mouth! I'm convinced that the puffs were a good route to take in teaching her how to move food back to her throat.
Annika's next surgery has been scheduled for April 19. She will have a follow-up surgery May 10 to remove the retainer he puts in initially.
I promise to post pictures soon!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Home Sweet Home
We are home!!! After my post yesterday, Annika began to wake up a little more, and my mom came to visit her in the later afternoon. After my mom left, we had about a two hour break where we all relaxed a bit before the evening visitors. At about 6:15, the flood of visitors began; lucky for all of us, we had a bigger room this time around, so everyone fit, but in the midst of all the visitors, Annika became overwhelmed,tired, and very very crabby. As of this time, Annika had still not eaten anything either.
Very ready to go home...note the stylish "farm alphabet" no-no bands
Annika was ready to play when she got home!!!
The last of the visitors left around 8:30, and Annika finally ate 8:45 via syringe. She was able to get some more medicine, and she fell right asleep. Ross and I were also thoroughly exhausted, so we went to bed shortly after 9:30. The night itself went SO smoothly; Annika only woke up when nurses came to check her vital signs and give her more medicine. Even then, she fell right back asleep each time. We all woke up this morning around 6:45 feeling well-rested.
the Dr. came in around 8:00 and gave us the okay to go home, but Annika decided to take another nap before leaving. By the time it was all said and done, we didn't end up getting home until shortly after 11, but we are so glad to be away from the hospital!
As we are on our own now, please pray that Annika begins to eat more. She is still not thrilled about eating and will only take tiny bits of formula at a time. She is also much more swollen today than she was yesterday, so pray that her body will go back to normal quickly. Even when she wants to smile right now, you can only tell by her eyes that she's smiling because her face won't move much.
Very ready to go home...note the stylish "farm alphabet" no-no bands
Annika was ready to play when she got home!!!
A very puffy-faced little girl
Friday, November 12, 2010
Surgery #2 Complete
After a pleasantly calm morning, Annika went into surgery just before 8:00 a.m.. By the time she was put under the doctor ended up not getting started until 8:45. Ross and I enjoyed a relaxing (and ginormous for Ross) breakfast in the cafeteria, and then spent the rest of our time in the waiting room. At about 10:45 Dr. Mann came in to let us know everything had gone just fine. He ended up only doing the lip repair on her left side and said he would save the pallet work for the next surgery. We spent about an hour in the recovery room before we were taken to our room where we will spend the rest of our time.
Awake and ready for visitors!
Annika has been sleeping most of the afternoon. She wakes up sporadically and cries and whines a little but falls back asleep quickly. The morphine and tylenol with codine are keeping her knocked out. As far a her looks go, it's difficult to grasp what she is going to look like because of the current swelling and crusted blood around her mouth and nose. Her nose is crooked and pinched because of the tightness from surgery but it will slowly relax back into normal position.
Ross and I are both a little exhausted since we were up at 5:00 a.m. this morning and didn't sleep much for a couple hours before that while I was trying to give Annika a little more food before her surgery deadline. On the upside the room that we are in this time around has much more space in it so we are very happy about that. Now we should have room and are looking forward to Annika's Grandparents stopping by to visit.
Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray for Annika as she heals, and deals with the frustration of arm restraints and a sore mouth.
Annika Still groggy after surgery
Getting some much-needed snuggle time with Mommy and Daddy
Starting to wake up a little bit
Awake and ready for visitors!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Could you please repeat that?
I got the phone call today for Annika's surgery time and instructions. They nurse said, "We have Annika scheduled for surgery at 7:53 AM..." I was thinking, "Did I hear that right? Who schedules surgeries so exact in timing?" I actually had to ask her to repeat the time, because I thought I heard it wrong! Anyway, so the time is set! We're happy to get it over with first thing in the morning. Last surgery was also in the morning, but Annika was so crabby before surgery because she was hungry! This time around I'm going to make sure to give her some pedialite in the middle of the night to fill her tummy.
The plan for communicating on Friday is for Ross and I to call our parents when surgery is finished, or in the small chance the doctor calls us to let us know he's going to go ahead with the palate work, we would call parents then too. For everyone else, please check her blog in the late afternoon for updates, or feel free to get a more personal update from a parent!
Annika is still struggling with a little cough and an ear infection. In addition to surgery, please pray that these things do not make her even more uncomfortable than expected this weekend.
Thanks again for your prayers! It is truly amazing to have such a sense of calm this time around.
The plan for communicating on Friday is for Ross and I to call our parents when surgery is finished, or in the small chance the doctor calls us to let us know he's going to go ahead with the palate work, we would call parents then too. For everyone else, please check her blog in the late afternoon for updates, or feel free to get a more personal update from a parent!
Annika is still struggling with a little cough and an ear infection. In addition to surgery, please pray that these things do not make her even more uncomfortable than expected this weekend.
Thanks again for your prayers! It is truly amazing to have such a sense of calm this time around.
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