Another Day, Another Cath…

Our sweet tiny P had her heart cath this past Thursday morning…there was some growing concern over some swelling in her neck, and she has been having many scans and tests these past few weeks.
She was already scheduled for her one year post-transplant cath…one year! Can you believe it?! So while they were performing the routine cath stuff, like checking pressures, and taking a biopsy of her heart, they also checked her SVC (superior vena cava) to see if there was any blockage, and they did a scope of some other areas that were concerning during her ultrasound.

They found a few clots in some neck veins, and many large clots in her jugular, almost completely closing it off. So, we had a consult with her hematology doctor, and the decision was made to admit her, and start her on blood thinner (Lovenox) injections right away. Her teams all worked very hard for us, to get her home for the weekend…so she could celebrate turning four with a party!
Ordinarily, we wouldn’t be so concerned with our four year old having a birthday party, BUT…our tiny P has NEVER been home for a birthday, or for a birthday party. She has missed every one since coming home, because she has always been sick and in the hospital!
This year, she has been waiting and waiting for her special day, and so it became very important to us to have her be home that day.

She is getting injections of Lovenox now every twelve hours at home, and we give them to her. This will be a big adjustment, as she will need more blood work done more frequently, to make sure her levels are good. She is already handling the injections so well, though, and we are once again amazed at how strong our tiny warrior is.