A Long Day
Our day started at 7am in rush hour traffic on our way to Sarah's 8 o'clock appointment. We got to the hospital and we were just overwhelmed with how big this hospital campus was. It was close to seven blocks of nothing but hospitals. We got to her first appointment, which was her ultrasound and we were both pretty calm. The tech which performed the ultrasound did confirm that the baby was a boy and that he weighed in at a booming 1lb 14 ounces. She said that she could tell that Damon had an abnormality with his heart, but that is nothing that we hadn't heard before.
After that appointment we went to Saint Louis Bread Co and had bagels and coffee before her next appointment started. We then headed back to the Center for Advanced Medicine. Her appointment was supposed to be at 11am, but we didn't get in to see the OBGYN until about 12:15. This doctor never examined Sarah, just basically went over her medical history and answered some questions that had been on Sarah's mind.
We then headed to our final and I feel Sarah's most important appointment of the day, the fetal echo. At this appointment we visited with several people and they were all great to talk to. The tech that performed the fetal echo said that she did see the hypoplastic left heart that we had seen in the first echo. It was funny though, everytime that she tried to get a different angle of the heart Damon would move so she couldn't see it. At one point Damon had his feet above his head so she couldn't see. Then she made Sarah get up and walk around for a little while hoping that Damon would switch positions, which he did. She got all of the pictures that she needed and that is when we thought we were heading home. Notice I said thought we were going home. We then met with the cardiologist who talked about what she saw in the pictures of the echo and discussed what our treatment options were. Which are the group of three surgeries or a transplant.
After talking with the cardiologist we talk with a doctor from the NICU. She was very helpful in answering all our question and helping us deal with our concerns. She then took us for a tour of the NICU. This is the only time all day that Sarah and I both almost lost it. What we both had heard and read about was now right in front of our very eyes. Newborn babies with hoses and wires all over them, hooked up to venilators and i.v.'s. I couldn't help but wonder how we are going to make it through this journey. It was and still is hard to think about all of those babies laying there helpless. Everytime I think about it, it brings tears to my eyes to think in a couple of months that is where Damon will be.
After leaving the NICU, we had a quick tour of the PICU and then we race down to the cafeteria to eat our lunch. At that time it was 4:30 and we were starving, but not really in the mood to eat. We managed to eat our food and made our way out of the hospital campus. We got back on I-44 and headed home. Much like our day started, it ended in STL rush hour traffic. I couldn't help but wonder how many long days we had ahead of us, yet in the back of my mind I knew the answer I was just too afraid to listen.
After that appointment we went to Saint Louis Bread Co and had bagels and coffee before her next appointment started. We then headed back to the Center for Advanced Medicine. Her appointment was supposed to be at 11am, but we didn't get in to see the OBGYN until about 12:15. This doctor never examined Sarah, just basically went over her medical history and answered some questions that had been on Sarah's mind.
We then headed to our final and I feel Sarah's most important appointment of the day, the fetal echo. At this appointment we visited with several people and they were all great to talk to. The tech that performed the fetal echo said that she did see the hypoplastic left heart that we had seen in the first echo. It was funny though, everytime that she tried to get a different angle of the heart Damon would move so she couldn't see it. At one point Damon had his feet above his head so she couldn't see. Then she made Sarah get up and walk around for a little while hoping that Damon would switch positions, which he did. She got all of the pictures that she needed and that is when we thought we were heading home. Notice I said thought we were going home. We then met with the cardiologist who talked about what she saw in the pictures of the echo and discussed what our treatment options were. Which are the group of three surgeries or a transplant.
After talking with the cardiologist we talk with a doctor from the NICU. She was very helpful in answering all our question and helping us deal with our concerns. She then took us for a tour of the NICU. This is the only time all day that Sarah and I both almost lost it. What we both had heard and read about was now right in front of our very eyes. Newborn babies with hoses and wires all over them, hooked up to venilators and i.v.'s. I couldn't help but wonder how we are going to make it through this journey. It was and still is hard to think about all of those babies laying there helpless. Everytime I think about it, it brings tears to my eyes to think in a couple of months that is where Damon will be.
After leaving the NICU, we had a quick tour of the PICU and then we race down to the cafeteria to eat our lunch. At that time it was 4:30 and we were starving, but not really in the mood to eat. We managed to eat our food and made our way out of the hospital campus. We got back on I-44 and headed home. Much like our day started, it ended in STL rush hour traffic. I couldn't help but wonder how many long days we had ahead of us, yet in the back of my mind I knew the answer I was just too afraid to listen.
