8 Months, Home, and Ballooning

So much to report today.  Hope turned 8 months old.  This marks yet again another 'holiday' that Hope has been able to spend at home.  We are amazed at Hope and everything she has been through and how much time she has been at home.  She is our miracle and has shown so many people (especially doctors) what a fighter she really is.  The only 'holiday' she spent at the hospital was her 1 month birthday...which fell just a couple weeks after her Norwood. 

So...what happened you ask?  Hope went in for her cath on Thursday morning around 8:30 am.  We talked to everyone prior to her going in and they told us they would be getting access through her neck because they can't get to the pulmonary artery anymore from her groin.  So...of course, I thought that meant not as many pokes.  I was quite mistaken.  They still tried to get access through the groin to monitor the pressures while she was having her cath.  Of course, they can't get access through her groin...the arteries are occluded.  They knew this from the last time she had a cath.  I was kind of surprised that they would try again...especially because it increased the time she was in the cath.  They were still trying when we called at 11:30.  It does drive me a little crazy...actually a lot crazy.  Anyway...they finished her cath and had to balloon her left pulmonary artery.  We kind of knew that going in, but I was still holding out hope that they wouldn't find any narrowing.

Around 2:00 we went back to recovery to see our little princess.  She was giving the nurses hell...of course.  I talked them into giving her some Versed...heavenly medicine that Hope likes so well.  She hates Fetanyl...it doesn't seem to work as well.  She drank an entire 6 ounce bottle and promptly fell back to sleep.  She was still sleeping when they moved her to step-down.  She got a 'real' room in the step-down unit...no pod living for her.  Jerry spent the night with her and I went home to catch up on some sleep.

We brought Hope home on her 8 month birthday!  YEAH!!!  She is doing great and loves being home with all of us.  We know she will be much happier at home and hopefully she won't need any 'intervention' until she is ready for her Fontan.