Good Report from the Cardiologist on 5/13

All,

Friday was a big day. We went back to the cardiologist for the 1st time since Max was diagnosed with complete heart block two weeks ago. Believe it or not, we were actually really excited about this appointment since our cardiologist is the only doctor monitoring Max that has an in depth understanding of his condition. Also, we knew that she was going to take a detailed look at his heart and would be able to tell us if there was further deterioration. At the end of the day, this was a really great appointment and we consider it another win. There are currently no signs of further deterioration and the steroids don't seem to be having any negative side effects on Max.

Here is a quick technical update to the current condition of Max's heart: (1) heart rate was 62 (2) valves show signs of minor leakage (3) it appears there has been some damage to the wall of the heart. But, this is no different that 2 weeks ago and we really won't know the extent of the damage until Max is born.

Also, we got to tour the NICU and the labor and delivery and postpartum floors at Vandy. Amy works at Centennial and knows the majority of the nurses, doctors and managers on floors. So, now that Max is being delivered at Vandy, she is going from a very familiar, comfortable facility (Centennial) to an unfamiliar place (Vandy). It was a good tour and it gave Amy a lot of comfort that there are so many similarities between the two places. We decided Max has the best gig. He gets a nice, private room to himself and his own personal nurse. His bed looks sort of like a space ship...I liked space shuttles as a kid, so I'm sure he will like it too.

So, we will continue to have 2 BPP's per week and we're going to see the high risk OB at Vandy next week. We look forward to meeting the doctors that will be delivering Max.

Thanks again for all your prayers and we ask that you continue to pray for our family.