Guest guest Posted September 4, 2009 Report Share Posted September 4, 2009 My 3 month old, n has a vetricular septal defect, as well as a defect in one of his valves. The plan is for him to have surgery very soon at 6 months the latest. Because of his heart condition he weighed 3lbs 12 oz at birth and is very slowly growing. I was wondering if anyone has gone through something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2009 Report Share Posted September 5, 2009 Our daughter had a fairly large VSD AV canal type and a cleft mitral value. AV canal type just means the hole is high up in the wall between the chambers and near the values, often with some involvement of the valves. Her doc wanted her to have the repair by 6 months too. As I recall (and she's 20 now, so memory is not what it was), the reason for early repair is to keep a shunt from developing and creating additional problems or making repair more difficult or impossible. She was 5.25 pounds at birth, but didn't thrive well and had major complications from RSV (twice) before they could do the surgery, but they still got it in at the six month mark. She had a patch over the VSD and a stitch in the valve. Afterwards, she recovered very quickly and has done great since in terms of her heart. Very stressful of course, but it was nice to see her with pink skin right after the surgery and eventually lots of energy! Judi Heart surgery > My 3 month old, n has a vetricular septal defect, as well as a defect > in one of his valves. The plan is for him to have surgery very soon at 6 > months the latest. Because of his heart condition he weighed 3lbs 12 oz at > birth and is very slowly growing. I was wondering if anyone has gone > through something similar. > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Click reply to all for messages to go to the list. Just hit reply for > messages to go to the sender of the message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 6, 2009 Report Share Posted September 6, 2009 Hi, While we are all recounting our stories for you, I think I'll tell you about my daughter Olivia. She also had a vsd, and even before that she had duodenal atresia (a blockage of her stomach) so she had surgery to repair that at three days old.That surgery resulted in her having a g-tube connected to her stomach that we could feed her, since her surgeon knew she wouldn't have the energy to breast-feed or use a bottle with her heart defect. Like your son, she had to wait until 6 months of age to have her heart fixed. She was born in July 2001, and she was 6 weeks premature, but she was a good weight - 5lb, 12 oz. We had a horrible time keeping her at that weight though, because of the heart issue, and the surgery, and setbacks, etc. We were going into winter/flu season too, so that was rough (be really careful with that coming up!) She has a slightly older sister and brother who were in preschool. I think she only got up to about 8 pounds in January 2002, when the surgery was done., here at Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH. It was tremendous how quickly she changed - suddenly, she was a pink baby, and she could stay awake - she still had her g-tube, but the heart surgery was only a 7 day stay in the hospital. The hardest part of all of that is getting your little one up to the point where he is big enough for the doctors to think it is safe to do the surgery - and that is where you might have some really low days too. But, once he reaches the surgery, you will be amazed - n will be so alert, and able to play, and eat, and laugh! So, just try to hang in there, if you get too depressed, just send us emails, lots of us have been there - take care, Patty From: hndz_a <hndz_a@...> Subject: Heart surgery Date: Friday, September 4, 2009, 1:45 PM My 3 month old, n has a vetricular septal defect, as well as a defect in one of his valves. The plan is for him to have surgery very soon at 6 months the latest. Because of his heart condition he weighed 3lbs 12 oz at birth and is very slowly growing. I was wondering if anyone has gone through something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Carol, My son didn't have heart difficulties, but from the all the years I have been here, I can tell you what I have observed; 1. Your daughter will bounce back quickly. Be prepared to see her on a vent, with tubes, IV's etc. She'll be off all that stuff before you know it. 2. You may take longer to bounce back 3. Her gross motor skills will go through a growth spurt. 4. Her weight will increase (she will eat more). 5. For many parents with infants/toddlers, heart difficutlies are very stressful. I see where parents join us and once surgery is done and all is well, they don't always have a need to continue with being a member of an online group. Parents often return when their kids start kindergarten and they need help advocating for inclusion. Hopefully, more heart involved parents will respond and share more info with you. Hang in there...she is tougher than you realize! Heart Surgery My dear sweet 1 1/2 year old daughter is having open-heart surgery in a few weeks. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice to offer. I am not unusually worried but thought the group may have some words of wisdom to share. Thank you, Carol - Mom to 1 1/2 ds, Portland, OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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