Xander's ENT appointment went well. They had to put a little camera down his nose to check out his vocal chords. (that was fun for us all! Of course I let phil hold xander while they did it.) As expected, he has a damaged vocal chord. It isn't paralyzed, but the nerve got pinched when they did the PDA ligation (around the heart). This is not a permanent thing and should go away within the year. This is the reason for his raspy breathing/voice. His muscles around the chord are very swollen as well, and this is caused by the reflux. I didn't realize it was that bad because he didn't show physical signs of it (spitting up, arching, etc.). But I shall continue the medicine and pray it gets better. We will go back in 3 months to see how he's doing.
Braxton:
Phil took braxton to the eye doctors yesterday. The good news is that his eye sight is actually pretty good. Most preemies are very near sighted. The ROP has resolved and the area that was raised that could have caused retinal detachment has improved. However, the fact that he's still crossing his eyes and he's 4 months adjusted is a problem. They will wait 4-6 more weeks to just see how it goes, and then will do the muscle surgery to correct this. Praying that no surgery is needed. I know anything is possible.
Next big appointment is april 20th. THis is where they will see all the Loma linda specialist, including doctors that took care of them while they were there. Very curious to see what they have to say about our little guys.
that's good these problems can get resolved no matter how it turns out, right.
ReplyDeletesounds like they are doing well over all :)
yes pretty much. however, the eye surgery has a 80% success rate. Those are good odds.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they will be pleased to see your BIG guys! They have come a long way. Xander and Braxton (and you two) may have a few more minor issues to face, but overall they are doing quite well and will continue to grow into two lovely lads. I look forward to reading more good news over the next several months.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that the appointments went well I have been praying for all of you.
ReplyDeleteI am sure it must have been a reliefe to hear that the vocal damage is not permanent.
That's great news that the signs of ROP are going away and that it's not looking like Braxton is going to be near sided.
Looking forward to more updates.
Hang in there!