Busy, busy, busy

Well this week has been crazy! Alex was working insane hours(this is really nothing new). I had an appointment on Thursday, along with Keaton's, and the Marine Corps ball! Sorry if this post is a little scatter brained! 

Keaton's appointment went well. His aortic stenosis isn't progressing quickly which is great! They do an echo cardiogram at every appointment to check and see how the heart looks. We found out for sure that he has a bicuspid aortic valve meaning he has 2 leaflets rather than 3. They check the gradient which is the pressure across the valve. At his last appointment it was a 40-45 and this appointment it was between 45-50. We were also told that checking his pressures through the ECHO is not exactly accurate. The doctor said depending on where the wand is on his chest it differs, like by his neck it read 60. They also check the thickness and I forgot to ask exactly what that means, but we do know that it is between a 5 and 6. We were told that between 8 and 10 is severe. Dr. Berdjis explained that if he had pulmonary stenosis which is on the other side of the heart they would have treated it already with the gradients that he has. He said it's much easier to treat because they can do the cath through a vein. With aortic stenosis they have to go through an artery in his groin area.  So for now we wait and see how it progresses. His next appointment will be in December before Christmas in Omaha and then again in February in California. 

I do consider us very lucky in Keaton's case. There are babies born with severe aortic stenosis that need intervention ASAP. There are also other kids that have open heart surgeries or transplants. I would rather our kids be completely healthy, but it could also be much much worse. When he first got diagnosed I was a nervous wreck and reading the worst things on google (not a good idea!!!). I know for sure he will have to have balloon dilation done. I know that sometimes they have issues after that and have regurgitation. I also know he may have to have a valve replacement someday in the future. For now I am just grateful that he is such a happy baby (when teeth aren't coming in!). 

So today we are packing and the kids and I are heading home tomorrow. Alex's schedule has been beyond crazy. One day this week he worked from 4 am to 2:30 am! We thought that his job was going to get easier over time and it has gotten harder on all of us. It's been very lonely for me and difficult to take care of the kids and responsibilities alone. Alex is in cycle now until December 14th and he picks up another cycle January 1st so he won't be here much. He is coming to Omaha for Christmas and then we will be driving back to California in February. 

    He's ready to go!