Two Steps Back..

We did not receive very encouraging news after Faith's bronch on Thursday. In fact the docs first words were, "we're lucky your daughter can breathe through a very small airway" this was followed by "we don't want to lose her airway."

Hard pill to swallow.


The alleged culprit is reflux, which just seems absurd because Faith has a nissen (a tie around her stomach so she cannot reflux, although I am assured that it can still happen). Faith has also been on Prevacid since infancy. So in an effort not to "lose her airway," ENT doubled the dose of Prevacid, put her on Zantac at night, and added another inhaled ant-inflamitory steroid to her regime (QVAR).

They also dilated her airway which provides a temporary fix if the underlying issues (the suggested reflux) is not controled.



Don't mean to gross you out, but the pictures really tell the story:

Above: This picture was taken on 8/27 when they pulled the ET tube at the first bronch after surgery. The two white areas (top and bottom) are the rib grafts.

Above: This picture was taken 9/2. As you can see the airway is extremely swollen you can't even detect the grafts (the swollen vocal folds are threatening to move the grafts).

Phew! This picture was taken after the ENT dilated (or ballooned) the airway (9/2). What a difference, eh?

ENT asked us to pay very close attention to how Faith was breathing after the dilation vs. how she was breathing the night before (w/a very compromised airway). The bad news is she pretty much sounds the same. In fact, she sounds like she did before she was trached when she was 6 months old which is very, very disconcerting.

They want to see us in another week to repeat a bronch. However if her breathing worsens (once again, listening for the sounds) we need to go in sooner.

Well folks, looks like it's time to up the prayer anti! Good thing we know the right kind of troops to call in!

Keep the Faith!

Jen & CO.