So today was Ethan's 6 month cardiology appointment with Dr. Williams. Ethan did much better today than his last appointment. You could tell he was anxious but at least he wasn't screaming and hysterical like last time.
As usual, Ethan had a chest x-ray and an EKG done. Both looked good. He also had his vital signs checked which also were good. His oxygen levels are dropping a little bit and were 78-80% at this visit. Dr. Williams said that this is still OK as long as he doesn't drop below 75%. We also checked his height and weight which were 37 inches long and 26.5 pounds. What all this means is that Dr. Williams feels Ethan won't make it through the winter without needing the next surgery (the Fontan), but feels that we still have a couple of months to try and get him to gain weight. He will submit the paperwork to have Ethan's Echo and Cardiac Cath done in September and depending on the results, we will plan his surgery for October/November before RSV season hits.
I am not quite sure how I feel about all of this. I held it together pretty well at office but got anxious and tearful on the ride home when I had a little time to process everything. I hate looking this close into the eyes of another surgery. Especially where Ethan is very aware of everything happening to him. Also, Ethan's surgeon , Dr. Hawkins, is no longer working due to personal issues. There are 3 other surgeons but we only know personally of one of them. Of course we were told that they are all competent to perform this next surgery. We were also told that we could request one if we wanted, but I am unsure of what to do at this point. Anyway, start sending your prayers our way. As always, we can always use them for comfort and guidance.
Also, if any of you have any great ways to fatten up a very picky eater (and not the rest of us), please give me suggestions. Our MD says every pound counts, so I have at least 2 months to try and butter him up.
---Allison
