April 3, 2013

When Should I Take My Child To The Emergency Center?

Plan Ahead!
Most childhood illnesses or injuries are unexpected, so it’s important to have an emergency plan ahead of time! During your child’s regular check-ups, talk with your pediatrician about when to go to the emergency center and which emergency center to go to. Based on your child’s medical history and location, your doctor may recommend an emergency center close to your home or one in a hospital where he/she (or your child’s specialists) regularly sees patients.

In cases of emergency, having an updated list of medical phone numbers readily available can be extremely helpful! Your emergency contact list should include the names and numbers of your child’s:

  • Pediatrician and Subspecialists
  • Dentist
  • Pharmacy
  • Hospital
  • Health Insurance Plan and Policy Numbers
  • Poison Control – 1-800-222-1222
  • 911

Is It An Emergency?
Knowing when and when not to take your child to the emergency center can be a difficult and stressful decision for many parents!

Some examples of when you should take your child to the emergency center: Full Entry »

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April 2, 2013

Life Over Limb: Polite’s Brave Fight Against Childhood Cancer

On my second day ever at Princess Marina Hospital (PMH), I met Polite, an always smiling and giggling 6-year-old girl. Polite had a tumor growing on her right thigh for several weeks. The tumor was removed at another hospital a few weeks before I met her. She was referred to PMH as it is the only hospital in Botswana that has an oncology ward and a pediatric oncologist. It took several weeks to finally get the pathology report on her biopsy which revealed that her tumor was an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, a malignant cancer of the muscle that requires aggressive treatment.

Pediatric MRI of soft tissue sarcoma

MRI of Polite’s tumor on the outside of her right thigh

When we were finally able to start her therapy, I was discouraged to find that the tumor had begun to grow again. Essential time had been lost waiting on the pathology report, but cure was still possible. After a meeting with surgeons and her mother, we decided to treat with chemotherapy to shrink the tumor then proceed to surgical removal of the mass. She was given 6 weeks of chemotherapy, and the tumor started to shrink. After several weeks in the hospital, she went home for a couple of weeks to recover in preparation for surgery.

Tumor after chemotherapy

Polite’s tumor after a few weeks of chemotherapy. Note the surgical scar from her first surgery.

When she returned for surgery, the tumor had begun to grow again. After a gut-wrenching meeting with the mother and the surgeon, we decided a full amputation Full Entry »

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April 1, 2013

My Wife Was Put Into A Medically-Controlled Coma After Giving Birth To Triplets At 30 Weeks Gestation

We love the Olympics. All of the competition, stories, pageantry and pride kept three 5 year olds riveted for 2 weeks and inspired them to do things they previously had not. Alexa never swam by herself. Now she dips her goggles in the pool and splashes water on her body to “feel the water” before she dives head first and comes up swimming freestyle. Thank you Missy Franklin! Aidan was terrified to swim by himself and let go of Mommy. Now he dives head first and races to beat his sister so he can pump his fist in the air and slap the water when he wins. Thank you Ryan Lochte! Evelyn barely paid attention during tumbling class. Now she practices her cart wheels on her own every chance she gets and always holds her head and hands high in the air to present to the judges. Thank you Aly, Jordyn, Kyla, Gabby and McKayla!

These are the things normal kids born under normal circumstances do. Not triplets born under strenuous circumstances to a mother that almost didn’t survive.

On Friday, March 9, 2007, Natalie was brought in to see her perinatologist because her managed contractions were way above threshold. Upon seeing this she was admitted into the hospital for “the duration of her pregnancy”. How long is that exactly? At 30 weeks and 4 days, you hope and pray for another month not a few hours. Those kids needed more time to beat the odds. Preeclampsia really doesn’t care about the odds though. Neither did Natalie’s erratic vital signs that indicated she was dealing with more than preeclampsia.

Under general anesthesia, all 3 babies were delivered at breakneck speed.

Baby A (Aidan) was born at 10:03 p.m. As the nurse rounded the corner, he let out a few faint but audible cries (Music to anyone’s ears under the circumstances). Immediately a kangaroo crew went to work on him, checking every vital sign imaginable. With the help of a CPAP (device that forces air into lungs to prevent them from collapsing), Aidan was welcomed into the world… tubes, wires and all.
Aiden QuestellBaby B (Alexa) was born on the tail end of 10:03 p.m. This time there Full Entry »

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March 27, 2013

How My Son Survived Fetal Diagnosis Of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)

Where to begin is always a challenge when recounting the incredible story of my son Aiden’s journey from a hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) diagnosis to a healthy, energetic, chunky 9-month-old. I suppose the best place to start is at the beginning.

I was 20-weeks pregnant, attending what I thought to be a routine doctor’s appointment. Like all expectant mothers, I hoped to have an easy pregnancy full of laughter, weird cravings and endless nights of picking out baby names. Assuming that the appointment would be nothing short of predictable, I assured my husband, Jeremy, that there was no need to take off work to accompany me. However, this one appointment delivered news that changed my normal pregnancy into one with more uncertainty for the future than for the name of my unborn child.

Sitting in the examination room was a blur. All I could hear were the words “kidneys” and “hypoplastic”. When I finally got a hold of my husband, he immediately assumed that the ultrasound machine must not have been “good enough,” that machines “make mistakes” and get “bad reads.” While I felt heartbroken, my baby appeared to have an actual broken heart, one that even the best parenting can’t mend. Full Entry »

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Posted in Fetal Center, Guest Post, Heart, Pavilion for Women, Surgery, Videos Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
March 26, 2013

One Year Later: My Experience As The First Mom To Deliver At The Pavilion For Women

Brayten Green, first baby born at Pavilion for Women“Is this the baby that caused so much trouble?” people ask in disbelief upon meeting my Brayten. Brayten, with his big blue eyes, is always happy, always smiling and completely oblivious to all the trouble he caused. My first pregnancy and delivery was nearly textbook perfect, so I assumed that my second would be the same. I followed my doctor when her practice became part of the Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, never dreaming that we would actually need to call upon their advanced expertise.

During the routine anatomy sonogram at 18 weeks my doctor discovered that I had an extra placental lobe, and its placement near the birth canal was something to monitor. We returned in the third trimester for another sonogram. This is when we got the diagnosis of vasa previa, a condition where fetal blood vessels cross the birth canal and are at risk of rupturing when the mother goes into labor. If these vessels rupture, the baby quickly loses blood, which is almost always fatal. If this condition is detected early and the proper precautions are taken, the infant survival rate is almost 100%. We were surprised in our research by how few cases are actually diagnosed early simply because many facilities do not have a blood-flow Doppler sonogram. Because the Pavilion for Women is a state-of-the-art hospital, there are 10 of these machines in use for routine patient care.

Becoming the Pavilion for Women’s first mom was a complete fluke! Brayten’s original due date was mid-April, but typically a vasa previa diagnosis results Full Entry »

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