Jabulani Jonny: New Toys

Born July 24, 2007; diagnosed with HLHS and restricted Atrial septum; completed Norwood procedure 7-30-07 and Glenn procedure on 11-30-07.

What is HLHS? HLHS stands for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and is a congenital heart defect where the left side of the heart, usually the left ventricle, is underdeveloped. The left ventricle is tasked with pumping blood to the body, whereas the right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs for oxidation. This condition is usually caught at the 20 week ultrasound, as was our case, and a game plan is put into place for treatment just after birth.

The Wiki page is found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoplastic_left_heart_syndrome

Elliot had an additional diagnosis of having a restricted atrial septum, often called Restricted Septal Defect or RSD. The problem with this secondary diagnosis is that the HLHS repair procedure counts on passive blood flow to the lungs, which is dependent on having low pressure in the lungs. Having RSD creates a high pressure environment in the lungs which can nullify the effectiveness of the 3-stage HLHS procedure. The treatment for RSD usually calls for immediate surgery upon birth to open up the atrial septum to allow blood flow to the lungs and body.

So for Elliot's birth, that's what we were prepared for; birth, then immediate heart surgery to open the atrial septum, followed by the first of his 3 surgeries to repair HLHS. All the while not knowing if the RSD would even allow his lungs to function properly after the repair.

Where are we now? Elliot's doing great, getting big and developing normally. He's still on oxygen right now, about 1/2 liter 24 hours a day, and still gets most of his nutrition through a feeding tube. However, he's a happy baby...and we're happy to have him.

I have to admit that I like tech toys. In my last post (oh so long ago) I was contemplating an Apple TV for my B-day. Well, I ended up having a change of heart and just asking for funds for new dress clothes, etc. I need those and i don't really need the A-TV.

I'm still questioning this blog's purpose and I think it may change a bit. I've always enjoyed photography, had a few courses in college, but I've only had a Canon point & shoot up to this point. While Sunette's parents were here for 3 weeks I helped her dad research DSLR's, thinking it was for his purchase. Right before they were to leave they said they wanted to get me one for my birthday. Woah. So after all the research I settled on an Olympus e-510. Pretty stacked prosumer camera. I'm pumped.

I've been shooting quite a bit with it and am making a point to take photo safaris on the weekends to grab shots. I have a feeling my blog may see a bit of a transformation as I post more photos and videos, in theory anyway.

We also recently got a new camcorder, a Canon HV-20. Super sweet HD camcorder that has been fantastic so far.

So here's hoping for more posts with some visual attraction. In fact here are a couple of shots I took with it right before her parents left.

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

Posted by: |

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Your comment could not be posted. Error type:

Your comment has been posted. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.