Step 2 Prep Approaching and A Little Red Toe

As the summer months are quickly disappearing, Hunter is doing very well, but it is almost time for his Heart Catheterization. It is needed in order to prepare for his second surgery.  They will be looking at the things they did in his first surgery and making sure there is nothing new that needs attention.  His heart cath is scheduled for Monday, October 3.  There are so many mixed emotions as this procedure date approaches. We have grown to know Hunter with his warm, happy, trusting and loving personality.  It is going to be very difficult to have to stand by and see him handed off to the nurses. I know he will be in good hands of the doctors and nurses at St. Vincent and there will be many prayers for this little guy, but still very stressful to say the least. Because of his heart defect and to protect his respiratory system from distress, he will have to be intuabated and place on a ventilator, which there are always increased risks of complications involved.

Here is Hunter before the procedure being his happy little self!

His heart cath resulted in good words! All looked very good, there was only one very small area of the shunt that they used a small balloon to open a little wider. He was kept overnight to allow the anesthetic to wear off and for futher observation.

Here is the little man resting after being moved to his room:

 He came off of the ventilator with no problems! There was a big sigh of relief, but also additional stress and worries not too far away. He was scheduled for the next surgical step, hemi-fontan on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

It is quite amazing at how strong these little angels are and what they can endure.  The words above his bed state how I feel about him and are very fitting!

The "Little Red Toe", or our little E.T., as I like to refer to it, is a pulse oximeter.  It is a small electronic device attached to the end of the index finger or toe that can calculate the amount of oxygen carried in the blood .

This quick and painless procedure, pulse oximetry, can be life saving for newborn infants. It has been found that by using pulse oximetry, heart defects can be detected in newborns that otherwise could be sent home to later develop fatal complications and possibly die within hours of being discharged.   A very small and inexpensive step for saving lives!  Indiana passed the legislation for all newborns to be tested prior to discharge effective 1/1/12. (Newborn Testing)  Thank you little angel Cora Mae McCormick (Cora's Story) and your momma!!