Back to the hospital we go......

As you all know Aiden has what they call PDA which doesn't mean that he likes to make out in public or that he has a "smartphone" :) but rather that he has a small opening in one of the vessels in his heart (the vessel that connects the aorta and the pulmonary artery to be more specific). Aiden has been struggling again with eating and has been sweating a lot , his breathing was faster again, and just overall fussy and not himself....so we called both the pediatrician and the pediatric cardiologist and of course they both wanted to see him so we went back in today and when they saw that his weight had gone from the 75th percentile down to the 25th percentile, it raised a red flag. Aiden hasn't lost any weight which is good, but hasn't gained the weight they would like to see him gain. He went from eating 4oz...with a little coaxing to spitting out the bottle after only 2 or 3 oz. I actually fed him in the doctor's office today so that they could see his labored breathing, how much he sweats and the way he arches his back and throws his head from side to side while spitting out milk once he is DONE!

Anyway, they determined that Aiden's blood flow through the PDA has increased and the hope of it closing on it's own is no more. So, we will be checking in to CHOC in Orange on Tuesday (time TBD) and Aiden will undergo a procedure that will insert a catheter in the place of the PDA and then the idea is that blood and platelets will go through the catheter and coagulate and form its own bond and seal the opening. This is a little worrisome because as you might remember, at last count Aiden's platelet level was improving, but not 100% yet. If for some reason they get in there and the catheter doesn't fit or there are other complications, then they will have to go in the following day through his chest and close it by hand. If the small procedure goes as planned we will be in and out in 24 hours. If they have to do the more detailed procedure we will be there for a minimum of 3 days. So we are obviously praying that the first is the case. Either way Aiden will be under general anesthetic :( The other thing that Dr. Berdjis said was that he is hoping that the reflux issues that Aiden has been experiencing is cardiac reflux instead of acid reflux. Dr. B said that he thinks that Aiden's enlarged heart is putting pressure on his stomach and that's where the reflex is coming from and if that's the case then the reflux issues will disappear as well - Here's to hoping!!

This link here will give you more information on both the Transcatheter Procedure and the Surgery if you are interested. http://www.mayoclinic.org/pda/treatment.htmll

All prayers, thoughts and well wishes will always be greatly appreciated.