Kai's Appointment Update

Thank you so much for all of the prayers! We feel very loved and blessed!  We talked to the older kids tonight about what an amazing support system we have!  I know that it brought some comfort to them, just knowing how many people told us they were praying and left sweet encouraging "notes".  Knowing that so many people are storming the throne on our behalf gives us an amazing peace! God, the creator of the universe, hears each and every little prayer. How awesome is that!??!

Our appointment went very smooth today.  We saw Dr. Shah and we really, really liked him!  We've heard great things about him from people who have had experience with him personally.

Just so you know, today was ALL focused on Kai's heart. He has many other "issues", but those were not addressed today. We had about an hour and a half of straight sono on his heart... thanks to his wiggly self!  He was not behaving and made it a little difficult on the doctors to get the info they needed, but in the end, the doctors felt like they had a good idea on what we are dealing with.  Here are the details that we know from the appointment today.

Kai has 2 major issues that the doctors are concerned with.  He has a few other small heart defects, that don't seem to effect how his heart functions, so as for now, we are assuming that the smaller defects will not require surgery. This is good news!

One of the issues (the lesser of the two) is a large VSD... which is a large hole in between the bottom two chambers of his heart. This will require surgery, but not immediately. Good news!

The other issue has to do with his aortic valve. Kai's aortic valve is very abnormal and doesn't function properly, which causes the blood to flow in different directions. It is also very narrow and leaky.  Kai would more than likely require open-heart surgery, but the good news is, that it shouldn't need to take place immediately after birth!  Originally, we were told that he would need to be rushed off to surgery, which for obvious reasons, would be very risky.  Even though this defect is very serious, we are thankful that it's not as bad as it originally seemed to be. (I won't go into the details of all that! It's enough to confuse anyone!)  With this heart defect, he is at a higher risk for going into heart failure in utero.  If he does go into heart failure in utero, sadly, there is nothing that can be done.  He is going to be closely monitored and they will be checking up on his heart again in a couple weeks.


Also, after talking with the doctor today, he highly recommended that we deliver in Peoria.  He said with Kai's condition, he believes it would be best if the heart team was there at his birth. Baby's can always throw a curve ball, and if he was to need surgery right away, we can't imagine sending him off to Peoria in a helicopter. We would both want to be there with him.  This obviously adds some unexpected changes to our plan, but we think it will be best for Kai.  We fully intend on having all of the kids there with us and I think with our families being so willing to help, we can come up with a plan! We will be going to the hospital to visit and meet with some of the staff in a couple weeks. Please pray for us as we make these arrangements.

Once again, thanks so much for all of your prayers and concern. We will do our best to keep you updated on a more regular basis!  Our next appointment is on the 14th and they will be checking on his growth and my fluid. Please feel free to ask any questions, any time! Love to you all!