More on our little smurf below
The last 48 hours were draining and emotional, but important! Here are the details and results:
We checked in to the hospital on Tuesday morning because of concerns the drs saw when Caitlin was eating. We started at ENT (Ears, Nose, Throat) where we found out something unexpected. We found out Caitlin has severe hearing loss! Where most infants hear starts between 0-20 decibles (whisper), Caitlin's hearing begins between 60-70 decibles (vacuum). We were shocked....but the great news is that it's treatable. Her hearing loss is due to fluid in her ears that they think has been there for a long time. So we go back in 2 months (giving nature a chance to drain the fluid) and if there is still fluid there and still a hearing loss, she'll have tubes put in. A fairly common fix...but a shock never-the-less. It was very difficult to watch her test done because we sat in this booth and she was as happy and content as could be, but there were sounds all around us and she had no clue. It was really eye-opening to me and gives us lots of answers (crying from pain, less babbling cause she can't hear us talk). She can hear conversations, but it sounds like everything is underwater. Lucky for us, we found it early enough so there won't be a long term speech delay because of it...she may be a little delayed in speech but should be able to catch up, and we'll get in her in early intervention immediatly if we need! So that was our big find....
She also had an endoscopy done (tube down her throat through her nose) and found she has an area of weak cartilidge in her throat that may be causing some of her feeding issues, but self-corrects as she gets older so it's no big deal at all!
Then we moved into the Peds Unit...which was a sad place to be, but we had an end unit room so we were isolated from everyone. The amazing thing is once we got there, we never left. Every test below was done while she was in her crib. Technology!!! First, they did an eco (heart ultrasound) and the results came back clear, which is so wonderful because that was our biggest worry!!! You may have heard Rob and I breath again when we got that result!
They also did a chest x-ray for fluid in lungs, blood work, some sweat test (no clue what they were looking for) and an EKG (heart) and they all came back clear!!!!! Again, so happy!
The whole time, they were watching her oxygen levels as she ate, slept, etc to see if her blue limbs were effecting her oxygen (respiratory) but she had 100% oxygen the whole time! So happy!
The last results we were waiting for was her EEG (checking for seizures). There are definitely NO seizures (yeah, yeah) but there was some blimp on it that they are only a small, small bit concerned about....they just want to follow through and make sure it was nothing. So tomorrow she is having a 48 hour video EEG done. They will put the electrodes on her head and then we'll come home with a machine and a video camera. For 48 hours, they will monitor to see if she has any more of the blimps, and see what she was doing when they happened. We are sure they will come back clear like everything else and we can move on!
And last but not least, she's on prescription formula and doing WONDERFUL! She's so happy and talking up a storm...it was the best thing we have done for her!!!!
Caitlin was a BIG hit at the hospital. The nurses LOVED LOVED LOVED her. She was nicknamed
"The Little Smurf" from her blue hands/feet. Oh yeah, speaking of blue feet, they are complexed by it because they get so blue and it's not normal, but they aren't worried and are just chalking it up to small veins. As long as the lungs, brain, and heart are all working, we are okay with our Smurfette!
So that was our time at CDH. It really put us at ease that Caitlin is doing great! And at the end of it, although I was completely drained from having to hold her through so many tests, we got a great 32 hours of bonding. I really learned there that I spend so much time during the day doing "things" (dishes, laundry, computer, taking them places to try to be a better mom) but what I need to do is just spend more quality time. So I'm making a committment to stop getting on the computer as much (except now cause I knew people are waiting), be more effective in chores, and stay home more for quality time.
When Rob and I got married, we began saving so that one day when we had kids, I would be able to stay home with them. It is something that has always been important to us, and we are so blessed that we are in a position to live on one salary. But I want to take more time just enjoying this time. It's worth all the sacrifices to have this short amount of time with them! I really have a whole new appreciation for the gift I have of spending all my days with my girls. So I guess I learned even more than I thought from our time at CDH.
So I'm off to color, practice rolling, have a juice box, and riding in the wagon...all with 2 healthy babies! Life doesn't get better than that!
