Tuesday, February 23, 2010 11:07 PM, EST
A trying day. Beth compared it to the two-man bobsled televised on the Olympics tonight.
Beth and I just got home from the hospital. She had been there since 2, I arrived at 5. MG was having unexplained bradycardia episodes today--basically her heart rate was dropping. A normal range is 140-160. She was dropping to 80, then she'd shoot up to 180. It lasted for several hours this afternoon, causing great concern and anxiety and scratching of heads among the doctors. Her other vital signs are good. By the time we left, she was back up to 110-120--still low, but heading in the right direction.
This was all on the heels of worse news today. Our doctors conferred with the Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) specialists and they informed us that we need to be prepared that they may have to do a tracheostomy when they go in to explore her blocked trachea. We were told that surgery is difficult on kids who are still so young and small, and that a preferred method is to put in a "trach" and let the child grow for a few months before surgery is attempted. A trach stays in usually past that till a child is one year of age or possibly later to make sure all is healed. This came as a blow. A trach is a tube inserted through the outside of the neck, sending oxygen straight to the lungs and bypassing the mouth and throat.
We don't know whether this will be necessary or not. We'll know when the ENT doctors scope on Thursday. But they ask for permission to do a trach if they need to.
We're pretty numb and tired. We did not see this coming.
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