Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Throughout these blogs you will see me refer to Scarlets congenital heart defect as HLHS. This stands for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a child with this defect only has the right side of their heart. When Scarlet was born we were under the impression shed go through the standard three surgeries...At just 3 days old she underwent a procedure that showed her coronary arteries were not what they should be and IF the surgeries were successful she could have a heart attack at any point in time... which left us with Heart Transplant. At a week old she had a pulmonary Artery Banding to help preserve her life during the wait.. She also had a balloon septostomy at 2 1/2 months to help.. we almost lost her 4 times, and after waiting 3 1/2 months she got her second chance at life. September 26,2011 an angel entered our daughter and saved her life. Our daughters life will be treasured no matter the length of time she may grant us, though we hope for a entire lifetime. "Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may never come." If you'd like to know more about Scarlets condition please feel free to read more of the upcoming blogs.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Sooner then Later??

              Coming in at 32 weeks, 1 day normally we would have about 7 weeks, 6 days to go.. turns out our little monkey may be scheduled to be taken out at 37 weeks.... leaving only 5 weeks left! At todays ultrasound, Dr. Gorski told us Scarlets weight is smaller then what it should be.. she's weighing in around 3 lbs 6 ounces and should be about 4 lbs 2 ounces. The Dr. wants her to gain at least 2 more lbs before D day. If around 37 weeks it looks like she has gained enough she'll let her go closer to term.. If, however; on the other hand she doesn't seem to be growing well enough on her own, the doctor would like to go ahead and induce so she can be out and fed enough to gain the wait necessary. We have a ton of questions obviously as were sure you do too. A lot of those questions are still unanswered but Dr. Gorski says as we get closer shell update us on her intended plans. The initial shock for me was seeing where 37 weeks lands us... June 12th. JUNE 12TH! Thats like a month away, its so soon.. Not to mention the baby shower is on the 18th!!! Oh my goodness. Everything is happening so fast. BUT... a suggestion the Doctor gave me to help her gain some weight, is eating more protein. So naturally me and momma treated ourselves to Fridays where I got steak for lunch today :).
             Over the next couple of weeks we will go into twice a week monitoring to make sure she's still moving around, heart rate stays strong, and my blood pressure is good. In another two weeks we will meet with Dr. Gorski and Dr. Rollins for a heart ultrasound update. In exactly a week we will go to Dr. Rollins office where we will meet one of the surgeons, an interventionist, as well as a tour of the NICU. So much in what seems like such little time. Or more so quick time... These weeks have already been passing so fast its so hard to believe our little monkey could be here as soon as 5!!!
                Heres some 4d pictures of our little monkeys face, she was being stubborn, having her hand right up close to her face blocking half of it. Needless to say, we were still excited to see her so up close. Vin thinks she doesn't look like him, I told him hell have to wait till she pops out. Were both anxious to meet our little girl but hope she continues to grow so she is healthy enough to undergo all her surgeries. As you may notice I have incorporated my Faith necklace in both pictures. I do so for my Scarlet. She has given me a new sense of Faith. Her life is in our Lords hands and we can only pray and have faith he'll have her come to us safely for a long life to live. Contrary to whatever news we hear our faith stays strong... for Scarlet. We want her to know that no matter what the outcome could be we have all the faith in her and our Heavenly Father, we will never give up on her. She is a fighter, she has proved it thus far, and we know she will continue to. As for being emotionally ready for my little Heart Angel I cant say Im 100% but if Scarlet can beat the odds by making it this far, I can be strong, or at least try. No one can ever say they're ready to see their childs heart cut open to be exposed and operated on, to be put through the wait of a surgery, wondering what the outcome... but again... We have FAITH. We hold on to that, and the joy of seeing our little girl and we are grateful these things are possible. 
              On the last note of this blog, baby shower invites are going out either today or tomorrow :) And we may have pictures of her if she decides to come the week before :P Hopefully ill still have my giant baby belly and be carry her a little longer :) Thanks for staying tuned. We appreciate all the continuous prayers and followers. Also... we have a pregnancy shoot at the end of this month :D Exciting! Cant wait to work with Bryan Steffy, hes the BEST! <3

The Sock Monkey Family
Vince, Alexis, and Scarlet Griffith



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