Seth at Primary Children's

So, remember that breathing issue Seth was having at birth? It flared up really badly again last night while in the nursery. The nurse checked Seth's blood pressure in all 4 limbs and found it to be considerably different on his left side. They hooked him up to bp machines and found the difference the nurse detected to be accurate. Seth was transferred to NICU at about 2 am. Natalie called me and I came down. They've detected what's called coarctation of the aorta. In short, it's a narrowing of the aorta that will be exacerbated as Seth grows. The solution: surgery to remove the affected section.

Seth is being transported to Primary Children's today, and Natalie is being discharged from UVRMC. They predict the surgery will take place in the next few days. The surgeon will make an incision in Seth's back, spread his ribs, and cut the narrow section of his aorta out. Then they'll reattach it. There are risks of infection, and of course, his aorta will be shut off for about 20 minutes. Long term, he will have to see a heart specialist often at first, and every 3-5 years for the rest of his life. He will lead a full and healthy life barring any complications. (No scarring, aneurysms, or infections.) Seth will be at Primary Children's for around a week if everything goes well.

The good news is that Seth is stable (unlike his mom and dad) and in no immediate danger. Also, it was caught very early, for which we thank Heaven.

We are not really sure what else will happen and confront this challenge like strangers groping in the dark. There is not much else we know . . .