Showing posts with label hearing test. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hearing test. Show all posts

2/28/2008

Tough call


We had a Cardiology appointment where very troubling news was confirmed: Natalia has borderline Prolonged QT syndrome. Her EKG score from the Holter monitor was 460, and anything between 440 milliseconds and 470 is considered borderline Prolonged QT. The more I read about it online the more upset I get about and it confuses me because her Cardiologist told me that there was no imminent danger, so who do I believe, the doctor or the internet? The bottom line is that she can never have any type of anesthesia without being in a controlled environment, that means being able to monitor her vitals and having a defibrillator handy and someone qualified to use it. Just thinking about re-living the single most dreaded event we have ever lived (Naty’s cardiac arrest last year) makes me sick to my stomach.

This brings up all sorts of issues: her hearing test was cancelled AGAIN (this is the 3rd time!!) for two reasons.
#1 still has fluid in her ears
#2 they sedate kids who are over 1yr with chloral hydrate but NO T in a “controlled environment”

So here comes the tough part: she needs to have tubes put in to drain the ears; this means general anesthesia= S C A R Y
After that she will need to have the hearing test again but in a day surgery ward, even though her sedation will only be chloral hydrate = S C A R Y

The only other alternative is for her to not have these procedures but that would mean that she would never have a fair shot at hearing better thus being able to communicate by speech. It's an extremly dificult desicion to make but Juan and I feel that we should trust the Cardiologists (we spoke to 3 of them) and give Natalia a fair shot at verbal comunication.

I feel all I can do is pray that we’re doing the best for Natalia and that these procedures work out perfect.