Ella's latest thing is to tickle people from a distance. I think that it started out as a made up sign (she communicates using sign language, for those of you who haven't been paying attention), but it has turned into an amusing game. This is how it is played: Ella holds out her arm in your direction and wiggles her fingers at you as though she is tickling you. You, in turn, laugh and squirm as though you are really being tickled. Ella also laughs, repeats said tickle motions, and monotony ensues.
But here is the really cute and funny part. She tries to tickle everything. And she is not dissuaded by non action on the part of the receiver. For example, she continually tries to long distance tickle the cats with, of course, no affect what so ever. I just tell her that cats aren't ticklish.
I have also caught her trying to tickle stuffed animals, my computer, the box of Cheerios on top of the refrigerator, and various toys.
Tonight, as we were leaving a restaurant after dark, I pointed out the beautiful crescent moon to her. She stopped and stared at it for a little while, pointing at its location in the sky. She turned back toward the car, took a few steps, then stopped and turned to face the moon again. She slowly lifted her arm up and tried to tickle the moon.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Ella's heart procedure scheduled
Today we saw the doctor who will perform the procedure to close Ella's Patent Ductus Arteriosis (PDA for short). We scheduled the procedure for Wednesday, September 16th. Here is a brief rundown of what will happen.
We arrive at the hospital at 6:30am. We will get her checked in, etc. We get to stay with her until she falls asleep (they will be using general anesthesia). Then they take her into the "cath lab" where they do the procedure. They will insert a catheter into her femoral artery at the "hip crease" area near the groin (this is where the artery is closest to the skin). They will send the catheter up to the PDA area (right above the heart, between the aorta and the pulmonary artery). Then they inject iodine into the area and take an X ray so that they have a good picture to see exactly what size the opening is. If the opening is small enough, they use a spring looking device with fibers inside it to close the opening. They insert it, make sure that it won't go anywhere, and then, over a short period of time, blood clots form around the fibers and the spring and the clots close up the PDA. If the opening is to large to use the spring type device, then they use something called a Amplatzer Duct Occluder System. It is larger than the spring device, and looks kind of like a wire mesh drain stopper you would place in your kitchen sink (except much smaller, of course). We have been told that it is "more than a 50/50 chance" that they will end up using the smaller, spring like device. Which translates to: who knows until we really get in there and see what is going on. The advantages of the smaller device is that, if it migrates to some other area of the body instead of staying in the PDA, then it is easy to retrieve. If the larger occluder is used and it decides to take a trip, then they would have to do surgery to remove it. Now, we have been told that the chances of either device moving out of position is very unlikely, but I still think that we are hoping that the opening is small enough for them to use the spring.
Once they decide which one to use, they will place the device and make sure that it doesn't go anywhere (we were told that if a device migrates, that it will do it very soon after placement...it isn't like she is going to turn 25 and all of a sudden have this thing flying around inside her body). Then she gets wheeled into recovery (she will be in the cath lab for around 3 hours total) and should stay there for 4 hours or so. We will be able to be with her in the recovery room, but not in the cath lab.
If everything goes well and she doesn't have any complications, we will be able to go home late that same day. If they use the larger of the two devices, and/or something does get complicated, they may keep her overnight for observation.
Matt intends to get an I phone before the procedure. Therefore, we will be able to make blog posts and facebook updates at the hospital as things happen. So, if you want to stay updated, just log on.
All your wishes, prayers, or bizarre homemade rituals are greatly appreciated.
I will also take any good book suggestions because I am going to have to be reading something really good to relax me and take my mind off things that day. I am sure that everything will probably go just fine, but a good novel always help make time to faster...and who wants to spend 12+ hours in a hospital just waiting!
We arrive at the hospital at 6:30am. We will get her checked in, etc. We get to stay with her until she falls asleep (they will be using general anesthesia). Then they take her into the "cath lab" where they do the procedure. They will insert a catheter into her femoral artery at the "hip crease" area near the groin (this is where the artery is closest to the skin). They will send the catheter up to the PDA area (right above the heart, between the aorta and the pulmonary artery). Then they inject iodine into the area and take an X ray so that they have a good picture to see exactly what size the opening is. If the opening is small enough, they use a spring looking device with fibers inside it to close the opening. They insert it, make sure that it won't go anywhere, and then, over a short period of time, blood clots form around the fibers and the spring and the clots close up the PDA. If the opening is to large to use the spring type device, then they use something called a Amplatzer Duct Occluder System. It is larger than the spring device, and looks kind of like a wire mesh drain stopper you would place in your kitchen sink (except much smaller, of course). We have been told that it is "more than a 50/50 chance" that they will end up using the smaller, spring like device. Which translates to: who knows until we really get in there and see what is going on. The advantages of the smaller device is that, if it migrates to some other area of the body instead of staying in the PDA, then it is easy to retrieve. If the larger occluder is used and it decides to take a trip, then they would have to do surgery to remove it. Now, we have been told that the chances of either device moving out of position is very unlikely, but I still think that we are hoping that the opening is small enough for them to use the spring.
Once they decide which one to use, they will place the device and make sure that it doesn't go anywhere (we were told that if a device migrates, that it will do it very soon after placement...it isn't like she is going to turn 25 and all of a sudden have this thing flying around inside her body). Then she gets wheeled into recovery (she will be in the cath lab for around 3 hours total) and should stay there for 4 hours or so. We will be able to be with her in the recovery room, but not in the cath lab.
If everything goes well and she doesn't have any complications, we will be able to go home late that same day. If they use the larger of the two devices, and/or something does get complicated, they may keep her overnight for observation.
Matt intends to get an I phone before the procedure. Therefore, we will be able to make blog posts and facebook updates at the hospital as things happen. So, if you want to stay updated, just log on.
All your wishes, prayers, or bizarre homemade rituals are greatly appreciated.
I will also take any good book suggestions because I am going to have to be reading something really good to relax me and take my mind off things that day. I am sure that everything will probably go just fine, but a good novel always help make time to faster...and who wants to spend 12+ hours in a hospital just waiting!
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