Lauren's Second Homecoming

Hooray!!! I had the best 30th birthday ever when we brought our baby girl home from the hospital this past Thursday which was only 6 days after her second heart surgery. Our day was spent caring for Lauren at home and keeping order with our other kids. However, Lauren is doing GREAT and that is the only thing I could ever want. I'm now starting to transition back into work and Michelle is taking on the 4 kids at home during the day.

Lauren's Heart
Lauren's heart is in great condition now and her quality of life has dramatically improved. She is taking in almost the same volume of formula as Morgan in about the same amount of time. Her breathing is effortless compared to before the operation. Lauren actually slept from 1 am to 7am Thursday night which is a good sign that our sleep deprivation is nearing its end. The murmur from Lauren's heart is almost non-existent now that her VSD (hole between the ventricle heart chambers) is nearly closed. Best of all, the difference in blood pressure taken between her upper body and lower body is exactly the same which is perfect. Before the operation, the difference was 70 and increasing.

Lauren's Vocal Cords
An ENT doctor placed a probe up Lauren's nose and down her throat to check the state of her vocal cords. The doctor found that the right vocal cord was swollen and had little movement while the left vocal cord was paralyzed with no movement at all. The right vocal cord was swollen due to the intubation. The left vocal cord was paralyzed due to the left vocal cord nerve being stretched during the heart surgery. Apparently, this nerve runs near the part of the heart where the operation occurred and needed to be moved to the side.

The ENT doctor and heart surgeon explained they expect this nerve to tighten back up which will restore function in her left vocal cord in about 3 months. In the meantime, her right vocal cord appears to have healed and Lauren is able to make low pitched sounds. However, when Lauren elevates her cries from calm coos to an exited cry, no sound is released from her throat. We can tell this frustrates her and she seems to be adjusting her cries to remain calmer and quieter. At least this way, she is able to send us some sort of a signal that she needs us. It's still so pitiful to watch her cry when she really looses it and no sound comes from her at all.

A Place of Hope and Miracles
Michelle and I will be forever grateful to the surgeons, cardiologists, and nurses of the Sibley Heart Center and Egleston. We thank God everyday for this place of hope and miracles. Lauren will be able to enjoy a life as long and healthy as her twin sister, Morgan. Spending this last week in the CICU and the Cardiac Step Down Unit felt like an entire month filled with anxiety and intense emotions. However, our spirits have since been lifted high and our emotions filled with relief and joy.

Pictures Coming This Weekend
Please be patient. I have some really great pictures I’ll upload either tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks,

The Carroll Family