My Miracle Anniek Who Has Tetralogy Of Fallot: September 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Swallow Study

Anniek had a swallow study on Thursday. We were all really hoping that she would be able to move forward and be able to eat more then just pureed food and thickened liquids. Unfortunately all she did at the appointment was cry...she didn't want ANY of the food that was offered to her or anything. She didn't get her morning feed so she should have been hungery and WANTING to have food! It was so frusterating. I think it was because of the chair that they strapped her in...but they said that she HAD to be in that chair to stay in the picture...it seems like catch 22.
I asked what they do now and how long I will have to wait for a new appointment...becuase she was not cooperative with this appointment and didn't eat anything they do not need a referal for another appointment with them...and they are willing to have Anniek come in for some "lunch dates" as many as she needs to feel comfortable with being in the chair and in that room and they work as slowly as Anniek want to move towards eventually being able to repeat the study. The good thing is though that when she is ready to have the study repeated they will make it for the week after they think that she is ready and have an appointment a couple days before the study!
Hopefully she will not take too long getting used to the room and every thing...other wise parking is going to get very expensive this month...lol

Anniek's Heart

Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart defect (a problem with the heart's structure that's present at birth). Congenital heart defects change the normal flow of blood through the heart. This is a rare and complex heart defect. Tetralogy of Fallot is made up of four different heart defects that are:

Ventricular Septal Defect

The heart has a wall that separates the chambers on its left side from those on its right side. This wall is called a septum. The septum prevents blood from mixing between the two sides of the heart. A VSD is a hole in the part of the septum that separates the ventricles—the lower chambers of the heart. The hole allows oxygen‑rich blood to flow from the left ventricle into the right ventricle instead of flowing into the aorta, the main artery leading out to the body.

Pulmonary Stenosis

This is a narrowing of the pulmonary valve and the passageway through which blood flows from the right ventricle to the pulmonary arteries. Normally, oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle flows through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary arteries and out to the lungs to pick up oxygen. In pulmonary stenosis, the heart has to work harder than normal to pump blood, and not enough blood can get to the lungs.

Right Ventricular Hypertrophy

This is when the right ventricle thickens because the heart has to pump harder than it should to move blood through the narrowed pulmonary valve.

Overriding Aorta

This is a defect in the location of the aorta. In a healthy heart, the aorta is attached to the left ventricle, allowing only oxygen-rich blood to go to the body. In tetralogy of Fallot, the aorta is between the left and right ventricles, directly over the VSD. As a result, oxygen‑poor blood from the right ventricle can flow directly into the aorta instead of into the pulmonary artery to the lungs.

An Extra Heart Condition That Anniek Has Is Left Pulmonary Artery Stenosis

Pulmonary Artery Stenosis

Pulmonary artery stenosis is a narrowing that occurs in the pulmonary artery, a large artery that sends oxygen-poor blood into the lungs to be enriched with oxygen. The narrowing may occur in the main pulmonary artery and/or in the left or right pulmonary artery branches. This narrowing makes it difficult for blood to reach the lungs to pick up oxygen. Without enough oxygen, the heart and body cannot function as they should. In an effort to overcome the narrowing, the pressure in the right ventricle (the chamber that pumps blood into the pulmonary arteries) rises to levels that can be damaging to the heart muscle.

My Miracle Anniek Who Has Tetralogy Of Fallot

Monday, September 29, 2008

Swallow Study

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