Thursday, September 4, 2008 in the Evening

TGIF early to everyone. Although it has been a short week, it has been a long week here in Chattanooga with the Zman. Houston and Jackson are getting ready for bed, but both of them had a good day at school today.

Zander had a long, but good day. Today he underwent a CT Scan (head and nasal), an echocardiagram, a renal ultrasound and was also seen by the GI specialist for his jaundice issues (which are related to the liver).

I will start at the top of his little body and work down. Here is what we know at this point after the tests today:

Head/Brain- the CT scan revealed that Zander's ventricularmegaly (enlarged ventricles) is still on the high end of normal, but it appears to have stabilized. His brain mass and size is normal. I hope normal is more than what I have, but this will continue to be followed on an outpatient basis. No surgery required. They are going to run an ultrasound on his head so they can compare it to the pre-delivery ultrasounds.

Left nostril and nasal cavity- this is going to require surgery. He essentially has a malformed nasal/sinus cavity. A consult from Dr. St. Charles is forthcoming and we will know more soon. We do not know if surgery will be now or down the road.

Heart- initially, there was a concern that Zander had small holes called VSDs in his heart. These appear to have resolved and his cardiologist, Dr. Hays says it appears that he has a blood vessel on his heart that he will continue to monitor to make sure it closes up (as it should). Zander also has a valve issue in one of his ventricles, but Dr. Hays said that both of these problems can be treated non-surgically if they do not resolve. He will see Zander again in a few weeks.

Vertebra/Spine- Zander has a malformed vertebra in the thoracic (upper/middle) part of his back. Dr. Moses and orthopedic has been called in for a consult and we do not know anything at this point. It may be that he has the same type of defect that I have in one of my vertebra, however, I did not know it until last year. Hopefully that is the case and surgery will not be required.

Kidneys- Zander does have mildly dilated (enlarged) kidneys or openings from the tubes that connect the kidenys to the bladder. At this point, they are asking for a consult from a nephrologist to see what needs to be done.

Jaundice-Dr. DeVoid came for a consult today and is placing him on another medication for the jaundice. Activol (sp?) is being given to him 3 times per day and Dr. Devoid will continue to follow him.

As far as the esophagus and the stomach are concerned, everything appears to be going well following Tuesday's surgery. Zander's feeding schedule was changed by Dr. Kelley today. During the day (8, 11, 2, 5 & 8) Zander will be getting 30 ml of feedings through his G-tube. At night, he will be getting 15 ml continuously every hour to help keep the stomach extended and increase its size. We have not talked with Dr. Kelley about where we go from him, but I am sure we will do so soon. According to the nurses, Zanders secretions from his mouth have only been saliva and do not appear to have any hint of reflux. We will know more once we speak with Dr. Kelley.

Zander is also no reclining in his new vibrating seat. As you can see form the above picture, all he needs is a recliner and a big screen to be able to watch football.

We are all well, tired and ready for him to come home. We thank each of you for your prayers, comments and encouraging words. I will write again tomorrow....hopefully. Keep Ethan and his family in your prayers as well as my friend I mentioned last night.

Today was a good day for the Zman. We hope all is well with everyone. God has been good today and tomorrow will bring new grace.

Rest easy boys. We love each of you dearly. Keep moving along Zander.

Clancy