Welcome to carrolljournal.com

Recap on Life Since Last Year's Post

2007-10-13T23:56:00.000-04:00

There was a greater sense of urgency to blog at the beginning as there were so many people curious about the progress our twin girls were making and on Lauren's heart surgeries. It was good for Michelle and I to chronicle our experience so that we may be able to revisit this time and to show Lauren what a miracle she really is. Of course, getting back to the normal routine of life with our 4 young children, who really has time to blog? Even if we did have time, the real question is, what do we blog about if not heart surgeries and the routine we've come to know as life? For now, here's a brief recap on life since 2006. After this, we’ll see how it goes with blogging.

Update on Kirsten and Ethan:
Kirsten is now 6 and Ethan will be 5 in December. These two are now attending GACS, a private school in Atlanta, GA. There is so much to say about these two, I'll revisit in later posts.

Update on the Twins:
The twins are now 2 and half and are doing so well. They started a 2 year old class twice a week for 3 hours a day. (Yea for Michelle!!!) Again, there is so much to say just about the twins, more about them later.

Update on Michelle:
This woman is amazing in so many ways as a mother, wife, friend, daughter, and person. She's doing very well and staying as busy as always. When life could have slowed down with the twins going to school, she takes on more projects to stay busy.

We Moved to a New Home:
Last year (October 2006), we moved from a house that made sense to newlyweds with no children to a home more accommodating for a family with 4 children. The neighborhood is active with very social people and there are so many kids here. The tough thing about this move was it took 6 months of double mortgages before we sold our first house.

New Company:
February 2007, I took the plunge, secured some investment capital and left consulting to launch an internet based tech company. We've been keeping our product under wraps and everyone is anxiously waiting our beta release. Needless to say, this project is the biggest reason why so many haven't heard from me this year. We hope to change this by early next year as the product will be released this year. More to come on this later.

Hopefully this recap is enough to sort of pick up without boring you to death.

Something Nostalgic about Fall...

2007-10-12T16:16:00.000-04:00

As the weather has been changing, high school football in full swing (go St.X ranked #1 in KY and #5 in the country), people in the past calling me out of the blue, I can't help but to reconnect with those really great memories of being in high school. Trying not to get lost in the spider web of websites and searching for the many people I knew from so many schools in Louisville, I started some random searches on myspace, facebook, friendster, reunion, and 30 minutes later realized I could do this all night. It was disappointing to see how many names I could locate, but no information about people. What are people doing these days, are they married, have any kids, where are they working, where do they live, and most fun of all, what do they look like now? All I could find is how old a lot of people are (calculated from birth dates) and new married names.

Anyway, it got me motivated to take a short break from my endless hours of working on my tech startup company and upload some new photos and catch up with the world. For those who find this web site, by all means, drop me a line. You can email me at blog_david@carrolljournal.com.

Oh yeah, thanks to my good friend Chris Ames, I am now using Picasa Web to host my photo albums. Check out all the new photos online and stay tuned as I try to start blogging more and updating our site.

New Pictures from October 2005 to March 2006

2006-04-16T00:45:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I've gone 6 full months without uploading pictures of the family. It's been a busy 6 months. In anycase, I hope you enjoy these ultra adorable pictures of the kids.

Click Here for Photo Gallery...

Getting Back to Blogging

2006-04-02T22:13:00.000-04:00

It's been a very long while since my last post. Once our lives shifted from keeping up with the challenges of an infant with congenital heart disease to a healthy and active family of 4 children, it's just been nice focusing on the chaos of our very active and demanding children. Since my last post, much has happened on the family front.

Twins-Almost 1 Year Old
First, all the children are doing fantastic. Lauren appears to be fully recovered and is developing as well as her twin sister Morgan. The twins will be celebrating their 1st birthday this May 12th. It's hard to believe how fast time has passed this year. The twins are just now starting to crawl and talk. Each girl is developing into their own person. It's such an early preview into the blueprint of their personalities. Everyday, without fail, Michelle and I still can't believe that we've ended up with identical twin girls. It's just an amazing feeling.

Ethan-Thank God For My Boy
Ethan turned three in December and is growing up all too fast. This kid is all boy, which is a good thing for me. I really need some male bonding in this household. Ethan is now into Star Wars, bad guys, and full body tackling. He really is my little man.

Kirsten-Our Little Girl is Growing Up
Kirsten, our first born, will be 5 years old Easter Sunday and she's turning into this little person. Michelle and I are amazed on a daily basis at how much she's growing up. She loves to sing, dance, play, entertain the twins, and help out her parents with anything and everything. She has a love for learning new things and understanding the why and how our world works.

David-Professional Life Getting Back on Track
For those not aware, I was at Global Payments as a consultant for over a year and a half. Typically, I take on new contracts within a few months if not juggling several clients at a time. However, Global Payments was a perfect place for me to be while I focused my energies on Lauren, twins, and everything else. In the end, it really worked out great for both Global Payments and me.

Since my last post, I've left Global Payments and joined Innovative Architects as a principal architect. My primary role is to provide technical leadership and direction for multiple clients, projects, and the team of consultants in the company. This is like a duck returning to water after a long break.

I've also been working diligently towards picking up the pieces of a product concept I started before news of the twins entered our lives in 2004. We’ll see how that works out in the months to come. Ultimately, there is so much to catch up on and look forward to in 2006.

Michelle
Michelle is the source of life and meaning in this family. Her energy and endurance keeping up with all these children day-in and day-out while supporting me with my pursuits is immeasurable. She takes on every new challenge like an absolute pro. I've never seen her struggle. Between keeping up with the kids at school, the twins at home, trips to the doctors office, keeping up with the house, and all the sub projects in between are enough to make the best of project managers struggle. She does all this with a smile (most of the time) and she makes it look effortless. She's just amazing. I will never take her dedication and love for this family for granted. For that and so much more, I love her with all my heart.

New to the Private School Experience
Next week, we'll get word of whether or not Kirsten will be accepted to either of the two private schools we've applied her to. She applied to Greater Atlanta Christian (GAC) and St. Martin's School. This has definitely been a learning experience with all that's involved with applying to private schools in Atlanta. Kirsten has completed a group test and an individual follow up test with GAC. She's been evaluated by a child psychologist with another admissions exam and underwent an observation session at St. Martin's with a group of other applicants. All private schools in Atlanta send out acceptance letters, wait-list letters, and denial letters on April 7th this year. So, we'll know the outcome at the end of this week.

That's it for now. I'll try to keep posting more frequently.

A Christmas Thanks

2005-12-25T00:55:00.000-05:00

This year has been a miraculous year for us. There is much to be thankful for this Holiday Season. All at once, we were faced with a difficult reality that seemed unimaginable and the miracle of two lives entering our world. The birth of our beautiful twin girls was overshadowed by the anticipation and uncertainty of Lauren’s heart condition and two heart surgeries. However, Lauren has become an amazing story of recovery, survival, and answered prayers. We are truly grateful that God chose us to be her parents. Now we celebrate and embrace the joy of raising four beautiful children, each with their own unique characteristics.

This Holiday Season, we have reflected on how amazing our friends and family are to us. You have truly helped us through with your prayers, thoughts, love, and concern when we felt like times were getting tough. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We hope that everyone has a New Year filled with Joy and Peace.

All Our Love,
David, Michelle, Kirsten, Ethan, Lauren, & Morgan Carroll

Twins are 5 Months Old Today

2005-10-12T22:27:00.000-04:00

A Family of Chaotic Bliss
Today marks exactly 5 months since our beloved twin daughters were born. How do we clearly express the welcomed challenge of raising a 4 year old girl, 2 year old boy, and 5 month old twin girls without taking anything away from the gratitude we have of Lauren’s repaired heart? My answer is, we simply cannot. This is definitely one of those experiences you have to live in order to fully understand the roller coaster of a ride Michelle and I are living. As intense as the ride may be, it is equally as exciting. Life at home is a constant deluge of chaos spawned by the unending and insatiable demands of our tiny little children. Yes, cute, they are indeed. But, they’re also ever-so-demanding and hungry for exclusive and constant attention. Nonetheless, Michelle and I are doing exceptionally well as a team and we are having a really great time being the parents of four. Despite the unending, ever changing, and exhausting challenge it is, Michelle and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Life is good, busy, but good.

Lauren’s Heart
It’s amazing to think that at 19 weeks of Michelle’s pregnancy, the peri-natologist was recommending termination due to Lauren’s heart condition. Here we are today, at exactly 5 months after birth, with healthy twin baby girls. Lauren’s heart is in great shape. She has recovered so amazingly well from her two surgeries and is as healthy as her twin sister Morgan. The cardiologist has taken her off her heart meds and is confident no further surgeries will be required.

Furthermore, there are no signs of developmental delays that may have resulted from her surgeries. In fact, Lauren seems to be as alert as, if not a little more than, Morgan. They both engage in deep conversations about formula, gas, loud siblings, and baby fashion. Coos and giggles are the talk of the day.

Redefining a Family
Watching each member of our family naturally redefine ourselves with the introduction of the twin girls has been an absolute joy. Kirsten and Ethan have embraced their roles as the loving and caring older siblings and the twins have taken their places as the adorable and completely dependent infants they are. Michelle and I could not imagine our family any different than it is right now. Everything is as it should be.

Reality Check-Attack of the Viral Illnesses
The entire month of September was a new eye opener as we watched each of our four children fall ill to the Croup and Lauren with bronchiolitis in such a way that closely resembled a miniature epidemic. It’s surprising that Michelle and I haven’t gotten sick yet. We can vouche that Airborne and Cold Ease work wonders when it comes to preventing sickness. As a result of bronchiolitis, Lauren had to spend the night at Egleston a couple of weeks ago. Everyone has now fully recovered and all is well.

In Closing
It’s difficult to think that it’s only been 5 months since the twins were born. We’ve made so many friends from this experience, strengthened existing relationships, and grown stronger as a family. Everyday, Michelle and I are thankful that things have turned out as they have. Thank you everyone for your love and support. Without your help, we would not have held up as well as we have. I will try to keep posting updates when I’m able to come up for air.

7 New Photo Galleries

2005-08-08T01:24:00.000-04:00

I've added 7 new photo galleries from the last days of Lauren's first surgery and her first time home, to her recovery in the last surgery. We're a little partial, however, I think the twins are absolutely adorable. You can see view the galleries at the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/dcarrdsp/.

New Photo Albums Added:
- Recovering from 2nd Operation
- Minutes before 2nd Surgery
- Life In July Before Second Surgery
- Home Life in June
- Lauren Comes Home for the First Time
- Step Down Unit from First Surgery
- Final Days in CICU for First Surgery

Lauren's Second Homecoming

2005-08-06T20:00:00.000-04:00

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

Lauren is still at Egleston

2005-08-03T10:10:00.000-04:00

Finding time to complete an update in the hospital is near impossible. Access to a computer is limited and since we've been moved from the CICU to the Step Down Unit, we're either constantly meeting with nurses, techs, doctors, and consults or providing constant care for Lauren. It's become a juggling act just to find time for a quick bite. Time here at Egleston feels like it's in slow motion. This past week feels like a month has already passed. Coupled with some of the really sad events we've seen with other patients and being separated from our other three children, Michelle and I are mentally and emotionally drained. I'm sure it will show in the tone of this post.

Update from the CICU
Recovery in the CICU was slow and tough. We originally expected Lauren to be extubated from the ventilator the morning after surgery. However, due to excess internal fluids in and around her lungs, she had to stay on the ventilator until late Sunday night. Lauren has shown obvious signs of pain, discomfort, and distress. At one point this weekend, she spiked a fever which could indicate an infection in the heart from the repair. After running some blood cultures and giving her some antibiotics, we were able to rule out this dangerous scenario the next day. She started to show progress once she was breathing on her own. Before being extubated, we were prepared to be in the CICU for another week. However, Lauren overheard our concerns and decided it was time to start breathing on her own. Her various chest tubes and most of her IV's were eventually removed. All that remains are the pace maker wires plugged directly into her heart and one IV for meds in her foot. Originally, Lauren wouldn't have anything to do with her feeds. We had to place an NG Tube up her nose and down her throat to her stomach to force the formula into her body. However, she came around and showed us she can chug formula with the best of them. Actually, her feedings have greatly improved compared to pre-op. She's gone from drinking 2 ounces in 45 minutes to 6 minutes. This is much like her sister, Morgan.

Update from the Cardiac Step Down Unit
Lauren was released to the step down unit yesterday afternoon. She is now coughing out mucus from the fluids in her lungs. This mucus is causing her to gag and choke frequently. Since Lauren was intubated for a longer period of time, we're not certain if the heart surgery has resulted in damage to her left vocal cords or if her throat is just really sore. Either way, Lauren doesn't make any sounds when she cries. Her cries have been so violent she holds her breath while crying until she starts choking and her head is as red as a can be. Crying without any sound makes this episode pretty intense to watch. It's been very difficult to calm her down when she get's like this. In the CICU, the nurses would give her morphine to relax her. In the step down unit, we keep a very close eye on her. We've been doing the 7 mile walk in between feeds and the nurses are constantly checking her oxygen levels, blood pressure, and heart rate. So far, her vitals have remained strong.

At this point, we're not sure when we are going to be discharged. Lauren still has pace maker wires plugged into her chest, she needs to transition from IV meds to oral meds, and she needs to demonstrate she can tolerate her high calorie diet. They started her on a 20cal/oz diet and moved her to 24cal/oz. She needs to show she can take in 27cal/oz before leaving. I've been trying to get Lauren home since yesterday. However, they want to keep a close eye on her. At the very least, she will need to be here for another day after the pace maker wires are removed from her chest and she transitions to the oral diarretics. I'm trying to get all these orders put. We are also waiting to meet with an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor to evaluate the condition of Lauren's vocal cords. We hope they will find no issues.

Ready to Get Back to Life
We're so grateful this is Lauren's last operation. Every stage of this experience is so different and just so tough. Whether it's the part where we handed Lauren off for surgery, waiting during surgery, recovering from surgery, or waiting to be discharged, we're just so tired and drained. The staff here is incredible and we'll forever be thankful. However, the experience is overwhelming.

We miss Kirsten and Ethan so much. They've been bounced around from place to place this past week, but, they are doing well. Morgan is also doing well with Grandma. It's been impossible for me to get back to work. We originally planned on me working this week during the day and staying at the hospital at night. It's just been really tough to work this out. Right now, Michelle and I just want to get all our children back under the same roof and for normalcy to be restored.

We hope all is well with everyone. Thank you to everyone who have been keeping up with us and doing so much for us. At some point, we hope to be able to repay each and everyone of you for your help and support.

Anxiously waiting to go home,

David and Michelle

Lauren In Recovery

2005-07-29T17:29:00.000-04:00

Lauren is now recovering in the CICU and is doing well. The surgery went very well and nothing unexpected came up. She is on a ventilator and still under the anesthesia. They are planning to wean her off the ventilator tomorrow morning. We are planning for a quick recovery. I’ve got to run for now. I’ll post another update later.

David

Surgery Update – Posted By Lauren Carroll

2005-07-29T10:54:00.000-04:00

Dad’s been a little slack lately with keeping up with these posts. So I thought I’d get everyone up to speed. Mom and Dad have both been busy keeping up with us kids. Personally, I think Morgan and I are easy. All we need are to be fed, changed, held, loved, smiled at, played with, bathed, soothed, and pampered at all times. Plus, there’s only two of us infants so it’s not that demanding. It’s those other two siblings that seem to keep the parents running ragged. They’re loud, rambunctious, and compete for Mom and Dad’s time.

Yesterday, Mom and Dad took me to Egleston for a pre-op visit. Everything was fine until I got poked with a needle for some blood. Believe me, I voiced my opinion about this. I was a little worried when I overheard the nurses telling Mom that my last bottle of formula would be at midnight. However, I was able to have this great tasting drink called Pedialyte. Mom was surprised when I took that better than my formula. I can’t wait to try ice cream.

Mom only got 2 hours of sleep while Dad got a couple more than her. We had to be at the hospital this morning by 6am. I don’t have much of a memory of the last time we did this. I was only 5 days old at the time. However, this morning was really tough on Mom. Dad seemed to hold up, but I think he was just trying to be strong for everyone. Mom and I have become so attached and it became very real to her when the nurses had to take me away. I tried to give her a thumbs up and a wink to let her know that this was going to be a walk in the park. But, I am only 11 weeks old, what do you expect? Anyway, I’m now in surgery and under anesthesia. The surgeon started working on me at 8:45am and should be done around 1pm. Go figure, I can’t give a thumbs up and a simple wink of an eye, but I can post a journal update while in surgery. Now that takes talent.

For those who aren’t aware, today’s surgery is a bit more involved than my last one. The surgeon will be repairing the other side of my Aorta to increase the size for better blood flow. (This should be good for my skin color.) They will also close up the hole in my heart called a VSD with a patch. All this will require putting me on a heart-lung machine and entering through my chest. That part is a bummer. But it is a small price to pay for fixing my heart and good complexion.

This surgery should be my last one. After this, my heart should be in great shape. In fact, not only will I have all the looks in the family, I’ll also have a strong and healthy heart. Soon this will all pass and today will be a vague memory to Mom and Dad. In the meantime, Kirsten and Ethan will be with Grandma and Papa this weekend and Morgan will stay with the other Grandma. I’ll be cooped up here in the CICU for the next few days and hopefully transferred to the Cardiac Step Down Unit pretty quickly. It is possible that we’ll be home within a week.

I’ll try to keep you posted after the surgery to let you know how things went. I’ll also get onto Dad about uploading some recent pictures. Thanks to everyone for helping out the parents. They really do need it. Like I said, Kirsten and Ethan are a handful. I also want to say thanks to God for blessing me with a great family and with great friends.

Love,

Lauren – Baby Genius Super Model

New Life with Twins

2005-07-20T00:53:00.000-04:00

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted an update on the twins. Life has been amazingly busy, lacking in sleep, hectic, and non stop. No amount of planning could prepare us for the challenges of caring for twin infants, a 2 year old son, and a 4 year old daughter. There are days that Michelle and I wonder if we’re going to make it through the next week with our sanity intact. And just when we think it can’t get more difficult, it usually does. I’ve attempted to start a new post update at least once a week since the twins have been home and tonight I was determined to finish one. It’s now been 4 hours since I’ve started this paragraph. Our time is constantly consumed with feeding, burping, changing diapers, feeding, burping, changing diapers, etc, etc… It takes us 45 minutes to round up the kids, the bottles, work around feedings, and so on to get them in the car for a short trip to the store. Making time for grocery shopping or preparing dinner requires logistical planning. And yet, despite all the chaos and exhaustion, we still say to ourselves how lucky we are. Either we’re really that delirious or we’re getting a better handle on our new life with twins.

Recovering from Colic
The girls are absolutely beautiful. Lauren and Morgan are gaining weight at a healthy rate and are just now starting to sleep more through the night. Up until a week ago, the girls were suffering from some serious digestion problems and reflux making them very colic. After switching them to a new formula called Alimentum, we've started to see some improvements.

Lauren’s Recovery
Lauren has been recovering very nicely. Her oxygen levels have been in the high 90’s, her heart rate is strong, and blood pressure is within a decent range. Even her scar is minimal. One area of concern is she has a significant difference in blood pressure between her upper body and lower body. This has to do with the part of the Aorta that wasn’t repaired. Typically, the blood pressures in the lower and upper parts of the body are the same with a difference of 0. However, Lauren’s pressure difference is about 70. So far, Lauren has shown minimal signs of distress and her heart hasn’t become enlarged as a negative side effect. Her breathing has become more labored but she’s in good shape for the most part.

Next Surgery Set
In order to prevent any damage to Lauren’s heart, the cardiologist has scheduled a date to complete the repair on her heart. She is set to have this surgery next Friday, July 29, 2005. Hopefully, this will be the final surgery and her quality of life will dramatically improve.

Thank You To Everyone
Michelle and I feel so bad that we haven’t been able to put together our thank you notes due to being so busy and so tired. However, we are so grateful for everyone who has watched our kids, made us dinner, kept us in their prayers, bought us gifts, and so much more. We will never be able to truly express our gratitude to all the kindness given to us. For now, we’ll simply start by saying Thank You.

Until Next Time,

David Carroll

Limited Time and Access to a Computer

2005-05-31T00:13:00.000-04:00

Where has the time gone? It feels like months since I have made a post to the website. Michelle and I have been swamped with the twins, the older kids, and learning everything there is to know about caring for an infant heart patient these past few days. We’ve remained sleep deprived and constantly tending to the different needs of our four children. There simply hasn’t been any time to get in front of a computer to keep you guys up-to-date. So much has happened since my last post on May 19th. I have been keeping notes throughout the days covering the following posted entries:
- [Home At Last]
- [Moved to the Cardiac Step-Down Unit (Thursday-Saturday)]
- [Final Week in the CICU]
- [Lauren’s Surgical Summary]

Home At Last

2005-05-31T00:06:00.000-04:00

Bringing Lauren home for the first time was a dream come true. We’ve met too many families at Egleston that will not be able to experience this for themselves. Just before we were released, we met another family whose baby had the same procedure done as Lauren. They received a tragic call while out having a quick dinner explaining their baby had a heart attack while recovering in the CICU and was being rushed into an emergency surgery to put him on a heart-lung machine called ECMO. Currently, they are waiting for a heart transplant because their baby’s heart isn’t beating at all. I can go on and on with stories that will break anyone’s heart. These stories have made us realize how incredibly lucky we are to have Lauren at home with us. Never mind the many sleepless nights juggling feedings between two twin infants. It’s a small price to pay to have our daughter home with us.

That said, Michelle and I have begun the next phase of our journey towards Lauren’s recovery. We are constantly worried about her weight gain, lack of color, and the many other things that could indicate potential issues. Many families of infant heart patients find themselves rushing off to the ER quite frequently for one problem or another. We hope our situation will prove to be different.

Sleep Deprivation
It’s now our third night with Lauren and Morgan together at home and Michelle and I are still working out a routine that will allow us to get some sleep at night. We are constantly exhausted day and night. Our kids have exploited our lack of energy by testing how far they can go with us. I will be returning to work tomorrow for the first time since May 12th, when the twins were born. Managing rest and feedings are going to be a challenge. Michelle and I are definitely going to make the best of this.

Feeding Challenges
It feels like we are always feeding one twin or the other. Feeding Lauren with the NG Tube is a bit nerve racking and time consuming. We’re never sure if we’re doing it wrong, feeding her too fast, or causing her any stomach pains. We hope this will get better by our Post Op Follow Up this Thursday with Dr. Kirshbom.

Other than being really tired, our spirits are high and the kids are excited to have Lauren finally at home. I think Michelle and I did all we could to prepare for the challenges of raising twins and getting past this first heart surgery. So far, we are just doing the best we can. We're grateful for all who have lended us ahelping hand and followed us through this experience.

Moved to the Cardiac Step-Down Unit (Thursday-Saturday)

2005-05-28T00:03:00.000-04:00

Life on the Floor
To our surprise, we received orders to move to the floor (Cardiac Step Down Unit) Wednesday night, May 25th. We took the first available room the next morning at 6am. Cardiac Step Down is the transition period for moving from the CICU to going home. It’s the time when parents stay with the children to become familiar with home treatment and caring for the baby. The nurses have been great about letting us keep Morgan full time in the step down unit with Michelle, Lauren, and me.

Our experience here was amazing. Her oxygen levels were consistently in the high 90’s and her feedings were improving. She does get pretty worn out after feeding with a bottle and requires taking in the rest of her formula through an NG Tube. The NG (Nasal Gastric) Tube is a tube that goes into the nose, down the throat, and into the stomach. She’s going to require feedings through this tube until she can take all her feedings from a bottle. We’re guessing this will be another week or so. Currently Lauren is taking in just over an ounce of formula every 3 hours.

Lauren’s blood pressure is very good. Unlike many heart patients, she will not require any medication for blood pressure. However, she will be taking in Lasix to reduce excess internal fluids; and Zantac and Reglan to keep her reflux at bay.

The night before we left, we were able to give Lauren a thorough sponge bath. We removed a lot of the sticky residue from the many adhesives used to keep in IV’s and probes. We removed the band-aids that seem to have been on her for days. Finally, we were able to dress her in her own gown.

Discharge from Egleston
On May 28th, after spending 2 and half days in the Cardiac Step Down Unit, we felt comfortable enough to take Lauren home. During our stay in the Step Down Unit, we’ve had classes on CPR, understanding the various medications, treating the incision, making high calorie formula, diagnosing a variety of potential problems from respiratory issues to internal infections on the heart, and using an NG Tube. We’re overwhelmed with all the information, training, and people we had to meet with. Nevertheless, we were ready to go home.

Final Week in the CICU

2005-05-25T23:56:00.000-04:00

Things got worse for Lauren before they got much better. She had to overcome a number of issues before she could be moved out of the CICU into the step down unit. As a result, her recovery was much slower than anticipated and was kept in CICU a few days longer than expected.

Bout with Jaundice (High Billirubin Count)
Jaundice is the result of too much billirubin in the body. Billirubin, the waste product of expired red blood cells, is supposed to be flushed out by the liver. The liver doesn’t start working until the baby is born. Therefore, all babies have some jaundice at birth. In rare occasions, the billirubin count can become so high the baby could suffer from permanent brain damage. Billirubin can get out of control if the baby doesn’t stay hydrated, exposed to sunlight, and take in enough food for bowel movements and urine output.

In Lauren’s case, she was dehydrated to ease the workload on the heart, not exposed to sunlight, and taking feeds from IVs. As a result, Lauren wasn’t responding to the current phototherapy lights. Her billirubin count was rapidly climbing from 16.5 to 17 to 18 and then to 19. We had to increase Lauren’s exposure to phototherapy by adding a much bigger light to work with the current spot light and billiblanket she was on. If the billirubin count reached 20, the nurses were instructed to begin exchange transfusion where they remove 10cc of blood and replace it with 10cc of albumin. This would reduce the billirubin count while increasing the albumin protein making it easier for the liver to process the remaining billirubin. The exchange transfusion would be carried out several times until the billirubin count started to decrease on its own. Fortunately, Lauren began to respond to the additional light therapy. Her billirubin count began to fall every 6 hours from 19 to 17 to 16.2 to 14, 11, 10 and finally 8.7. Anything below 10 is acceptable for a baby with her weight. Poor Lauren even got a nasty sunburn mark on her chest from the phototherapy spot light. The sunburn is nearly healed using hydrocortisone over the past week.

Collapsed Left Lung
After my post on May 19th, I learned Lauren had a collapsed left lung from the surgery. The lung was moved to the side to access the heart. Typically, the lung will regain its shape with good breathing and aggressive crying. However, the jaundice has caused Lauren to be so lethargic, she doesn’t cry much, breathing is a challenge, and she has excess fluids in her chest cavity making it difficult to restore the lung’s shape. As Lauren began to reduce her billirubin count over the next few days, her lung issue began to improve.

Excessive Fluid Build Up
Her lungs still remain wet and will probably remain this way for a couple of months. She is taking a drug called Lasix to prevent the fluid levels from getting too high. If her internal organs and chest cavity contains high fluid levels, she could suffer from respiratory problems, high blood pressure, or congestive heart failure.

Breathing On Her Own
Lauren’s respiratory breathing tube was extabated on May 20th and she was placed on 8 liters of vapor therm. The vapor therm is oxygen given to her through a tube in her nose. The tube is constantly blowing air through to keep her alveoli in the lungs open. This constant airflow is known as CPAP (Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure) Therapy. It’s a better alternative than being intabated, but still looked very uncomfortable. As the days passed on, she became less dependent on the CPAP moving from 8 liters to 7, 6, 5, and 4 liters. She was then moved to a much smaller oxygen tube which stayed on her till 2 days before she was released. In the meantime, her oxygen SAT levels remained consistently in the high 90’s.

Gaining Weight
Lauren started receiving feedings from an NJ (Nasal Jajunal) Tube which enters through the nose and goes down the throat, through the stomach, and into the intestines. She started receiving 2cc of Enfamil Enfacare formula. They gradually increased her feedings by 1cc every 4 to 6 hours until she reached 12cc per hour. She hasn’t done well with taking feeds from a bottle. She gets pretty exhausted just from taking in 5 to 15cc. She has to take the rest of her feeds using the NG (Nasal Gastric) Tube. The only difference between the NJ and NG tube is the NG tube is pulled back into the stomach. It’s possible Lauren will remain on the NG tube feedings for weeks.

First Show of Affection
Michelle and I finally got to hold Lauren for the first time on Saturday, May 21st. We held her for a good 6 hours because they removed her heart line and chest tube. For the first time, Michelle and I were able to show Lauren more affection than just standing by her side and talking to her. It was an emotional milestone for everybody. We knew babies loved to be held. However, one thing we learned is they don’t know this until they are held for the first time. When we were forced to put her down so she could continue her exposure to the phototherapy light, she became hysterical. Her blood pressure was going through the roof. The nurses had to give her some morphine to calm her down. This episode was extremely difficult to watch and as parents we felt incredibly helpless.

By Monday, May 23rd, we were allowed to put Morgan in the same bed with Lauren so the twins could sleep together and catch up on some bonding. Since then, the twins have spent most of their time together everyday.

Lauren’s Surgical Summary

2005-05-25T23:22:00.000-04:00

Lauren’s Surgery
Lauren’s surgery only repaired one part of the Aortic Arch known as the Distal Arch. The Distal Arch was accessed from the left side of her torso (left thoracotomy). The surgeon also removed the PDA, the vessel connecting the Aorta to the Pulmonary Vein. So far, the sutures appear to be holding nicely and her pressures through these areas are great.

Remaining Heart Defects
Lauren still has a narrowed part of the Aorta known as the Proximal Transverse Arch that runs about 2 to 3mm in length with a gradient of 10. The cardiologist will be keeping a close eye on this arch to see if the increased pressure will help expand this area. There are also 2 VSD’s (Ventricle Septal Defects) that we are hoping will close on their own. A VSD is a hole in the septum wall that separates the right and left ventricle chambers of the heart. The mitral valve and aortic valve in the left ventricle are still abnormal in size, but acceptable for the moment. We will be keeping a close eye on these valves hoping they continue to remain within tolerance. Should these valves not be able to pump enough blood through the left ventricle, we would need to resort to a single ventricle repair using the Norwood procedures. The surgeon and cardiologist both feel this is an unlikely scenario.

In order to avoid a second surgery, the Proximal Transverse Arch, 2 VSD’s, and mitral/aortic valves need to correct themselves over the next few months. Also, the surgical repair on the distal arch must not reverse itself and become constricted which is known to occur.

Other Problems Lauren Faces While At Home
- Infective Endocarditis
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Incision Infection
- Respiratory Distress

Quick Update

2005-05-25T10:56:00.000-04:00

I apologize for not making a post sooner than now. I will be doing a new post sometime today. I just wanted to let everyone know that the reason I haven't made any recent updates is because Michelle and I have been that busy and sleep deprived. Lauren is still in the CICU and will hopefully be moving to the step down unit by the end of this week. We've been spending most of our days with Lauren at Egleston. The CICU staff has allowed Morgan to sleep by Lauren's side which seems theraputic for them both.

Please don't worry. Although progress is slow, things are getting better. There were a few days where Lauren had a large number of issues to overcome and we simply did not know how she was doing. She's handled each issue one by one and proves to be a great little fighter.

Again, thanks to everyone for your support, care, and concern. Please continue keeping Lauren and Morgan in your thoughts and prayers as we approach the end of our first bout (and hopefully the last) with surgery.

In the meantime, we do have new photos posted to the website.

BABY PHOTOS: http://www.carrolljournal.com/nGallery/

A New Day, A New Perspective

2005-05-19T16:29:00.000-04:00

Update on Lauren
Lauren continues to show improvement and she looks great. The CICU staff is trying to wean her off the breathing respirator. Yesterday, she was receiving 20 bpm (breaths per minute) from the machine and generating between 2 and 6 bpm's on her own. Today, she is only receiving 10 bpm and doing the rest on her own. She may be completely off the respirator later today. Like her sister, Lauren is using a phototherapy light machine for her jaundice which goes to show the twins like to do the same things.

The really great news is the CICU staff strongly believes Lauren may be released to the step down unit in a couple of days or so. This means she will have all the tubes, IV's, and catheters removed from her body. We will be able to stay with her in a private room, feed her, and hold her. During this time, we will learn how to care for her with special meds and so on. They are expecting Lauren to stay in the step down unit for a few days before we can bring her home.

Update on Morgan
Morgan is also doing better. Her yellowish jaundice color seems to be going away and her feedings are improving. Both babies are as cute as can be. As the days go by, it is becoming more apparent how identical the twins look. Previously, the weight difference alone made Morgan look a little different from Lauren.

Update on Michelle
Michelle is also doing very well. She had her staples removed today and she says it makes a world of difference. More than anything, she can't wait for everything to just get back to normal and for Lauren to come home.

CICU Families
During our stay at Egleston, we've met some other families that are going through different kinds of heart problems. One thing Michelle and I have learned is that no matter how bad our specific situation is, there are people who are facing tougher challenges. Out of respect to privacy, I will refrain from the details of one such family who my heart goes out to. When I spoke to the mother yesterday, it took everything Michelle and I had from just crying for her. It is people like this woman that I am able to learn and gain strength from. No matter how bad we may think our situation is, it wouldn't feel right for us to complain. Rather, we'll count our blessings and be grateful for the friends and family we have. I do ask that all of you out there pray for this woman and her baby. I'll ask her later if she would mind me sharing her story on the website.

Recovering Emotional Wrecks

2005-05-18T13:21:00.000-04:00

I apologize for not posting something sooner. After my last post yesterday, things got emotionally intense and stressful. However, we are excited to say that everything seems to be taking a turn for the better.

Update on Lauren: Our Little Fighter
From the start of the surgery, my father-in-law, JT, and I were waiting with anticipation for every update from the O.R. Nurse. Every update till the last one I posted was followed with enthusiasm and a positive tone. However, the last call was much different. The nurse indicated the surgery was completed and the surgeon, Dr. Kirshbom, would be down to speak to us. She then wished us the best. That was not a good start. I then had to yell at some loud and obnoxious out-of-town visitors of anther baby who had a successful biopsy. They chose to use the surgical waiting room as their own make-shift family reunion. Moments later, Dr. Kirshbom came down to explain how the surgery went. My adrenaline from yelling at a group of people was elevated and my nerves were through the roof as I worried about Lauren. To top that off, the words “The surgery was much more challenging than I expected,” are not words we wanted to hear come out of Dr. Kirshbom’s mouth. Dr. Kirshbom explained that after the repair, the Aorta was still not large enough. They basically had to modify the repair to open the Aorta even more. Consequently, this resulted in a prolonged period of time where blood was not flowing to the spinal cord and she was under anesthetics for longer than anticipated. Dr. Kirshbom’s immediate concerns were paralysis to the lower body and whether or not Lauren would be able to breath on her own. If she could not breathe on her own, they would need to perform another surgery the next day. Initially, they were expecting to understand the outcome within a few hours. A few hours later, we had no change. They then explained that it could be another 48 hours for the anesthetics to wear off. As of this morning, Lauren has been fully awake and looking around. She also has full movement of our lower body intact. She is still on a respirator machine because she has not release enough fluids from her body. She is now receiving a drug called lasiks to help increase her urine output. Until then, her lungs have too much fluid to breathe on her own. We expect this to be resolved later today.

Other Good News on Lauren
Ultimately, Lauren’s surgery went well. She had constant flow of oxygen to her brain and her oxygen sat levels have been in the high 90’s. There was a risk that Lauren would need a Pulmonary Artery Band placed in her to prevent flooding the lungs with too much blood. This is something else the surgeons did not need to do. If they did do this, she would need an open chest surgery to remove the plastic band. Finally, the doctors were concerned she would have some milky fluid build up in the chest that would indicate some problems from the surgery. As a result, they left a chest tube in her after surgery to drain this fluid. She has had no signs of this fluid build up and the chest tube has been removed.

Things to Look out for with Lauren’s Recovery
We’re not in the clear yet with Lauren. The doctors will be looking at Lauren’s ability to gain weight over the next couple of weeks; growth in other parts of the Aorta to prevent further narrowing; the Aorta repair holding up and not becoming hypoplastic again; the VSD’s closing in her heart; and growth in the mitral and Aortic valves. She could require follow up surgeries if any of these problems don’t show improvement over the next few weeks. However, at least she will weigh much more than 4lbs 14oz and will be much stronger for a more intense surgery. There are a lot of things we’ll be looking at with Lauren’s recovery and I ask that everyone continue to pray for her.

Update on Morgan: Twin Conspiracy
We think Morgan deeply misses her sister. So she attempted to fake a really high bilirubin count which required us to drive her to the emergency room at Egleston for admission to the NICU. Her count went from 15 to 22.5. The ER doctor explained that if the bilirubin count hit the range of 24 to 30, she could require a blood transfusion if photo therapy and other measures did not work. Four hours after showing up to the ER, it turns out the 22.5 was a false test. Her count was actually 16.5. Anyway, she got a chance to see her sister in the CICU before we all went home.

Morgan has lost 10oz which brings her down to 4lbs 14oz and her jaundice has not subsided. We’ll be working with her closely to make sure she pulls through this soon.

Update on Family
Aside from being really tired and working on our routine, we’re all doing well. The kids have become a little unruly with the disorder in our lives. However, we know order will be restored very soon. I was just telling Michelle this morning that if the worst is over, I know we’re going to pull through this fine. It’s been a really tough week for us all. However, it’s not been anything we couldn’t handle with the help of friends and family. Michelle is recovering nicely as well. She has been able to avoid taking her pain meds today.

Thanks to Everyone
There are countless people who have done so much for us, kept us in their thoughts and prayers, visited Lauren and Morgan, helped with the kids, and so much more. We are so grateful to everybody. Most of all we thank God for blessing our children, we thank the surgeons and staff at Egleston for being so wonderful and talented, and we thank our friends and family for truly being available to help us in any way.

I’ve started uploading pictures of the babies. Please visit the photo album to see new photos.

Thanks,

David and Michelle Carroll

Surgery Update - 11:00am

2005-05-17T11:22:00.000-04:00

Lauren’s surgery began at 8:52am after being put under anesthesia. We’ve been receiving updates from the OR nurse every hour on the hour. As of our last update, she’s been doing well. The surgeon was able to complete the repair. However, the artery was still not large enough and they will need to modify the repair.

Lauren is Going Into Surgery - 7:00am

2005-05-17T07:10:00.000-04:00

I only have a few minutes. I will try to post updates every hour as I get them this morning. I got here shortly after 6am this

morning to spend some time with Lauren before she goes off to surgery. Please everyone, say a prayer for her this morning. Michelle could not come with me because baby Morgan has lost 10oz weighing in at 4lbs 14oz and her jaundice has gotten worse so she requires constant phototherapy.

NOTE:I may not have time to send emails notifying everyone of every update this morning. I just ask that you keep checking. I'll do my best to send new word.

Thanks,

David

Surgery Set for Tuesday, May 17, 2005

2005-05-15T02:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in getting everyone up to date. Between going back and forth between hospitals and spending time with Michelle and baby Morgan, or with Kirsten and Ethan, or with Lauren, I haven’t had a chance to get in front of a computer. First and foremost, I must say that the staff at Egleston’s has been absolutely incredible. They’re patient, caring, accommodating, and above all, really good at what they do.

Heart Diagnosis
The good news is after several assessments by cardiac specialists, the doctors have determined that Lauren will not require the Norwood Surgeries for HLHS. Her mitral valve and left ventricle volume are within an acceptable range. However, she does have a significantly narrowed Aorta, known as Hypoplastic Aortic Coarctation. Therefore, the doctors are planning on repairing this narrowed section through an open-chest heart surgery Tuesday morning. As of right now, we do not know the time the surgery will take place. This procedure typically sees a 99.5% success rate and recovery should last about a week and a half. We are really looking forward to getting her home.

Mom and Morgan Update
Mom and Morgan are doing very well. Michelle has had Morgan stay with her overnight the past two nights and Morgan has been feeding well. Michelle and Morgan should be released to go home tomorrow morning. We hope to get her to the hospital either tomorrow or at the latest, by Monday.

Older Kids Doing Well
Kirsten and Ethan have been great about meeting their new sisters. I’ve chauffeured them around between Gwinnett Medical to visit Mom and Morgan and to Egleston’s to meet Lauren. I know they can’t wait for things to be normal once again.

Uh, What About the Pictures?
I am still working on those pictures. However, finding time to just sit down for a quick update has been a challenge. Please be patient with me getting the photos uploaded. I hope to have them posted soon.

Again, thank you for all the prayers and thoughts. We are absolutely confident that Lauren is going to pull through this with flying colors.

Thanks,

David Carroll

The Birth of Our Twin Girls

2005-05-13T10:21:00.000-04:00

Lauren Madison and Morgan Emily Carroll were born May 12, 2005 at 5:26pm and 5:27pm at Gwinnett Medical Center. Lauren was born at 4lbs 14oz and Morgan was born at 5lbs 8oz. The babies are absolutely beautiful and Mom is recovering nicely.

Rewind… What Happened?
Michelle went in yesterday for her routine twice a week checkup yesterday and the doctors discovered the fluid levels in Baby A (now known as Lauren) were extremely low. They determined that the babies needed to be removed as soon as possible and so it began. I got the phone call while at work and jetted to the hospital. Since then, things have been absolutely crazy and continue to remain so.

Lauren will definitely require the heart surgery known as Coarctation Repair. This is less severe than the Norwood. However, it is still undecided whether or not she will need the Norwood. A team of doctors will need to make an assessment and determine the next steps. Hopefully, we'll know something soon. Currently, surgery is planned for sometime Monday or Tuesday next week. In the meantime, Lauren is currently admitted to the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) at Children's Hospital of Atlanta at Egleston's and is doing great.

I want to send a special thank you to Jason "JT" Thomas for being at my side during this entire experience and helping me through this "Fog". So much is happening so fast and there is just so much to take in. Alex Nash has also been an incredible support as he spent the entire time with us at Gwinnett Hospital and was forced to go home when we moved onto Egleston's at 11pm. He's been an absolute inspiration as a friend and another father who has recently experienced this with his own son.

We also want to thank the Storey's and Dyer's for keeping Kirsten and Ethan overnight as we try to get our bearings on everything. Finally, we want to thank everyone who has kept us in their thoughts and prayers hoping for the absolute best.

I will upload some pictures sometime today. Please be patient with the delayed updates as I've been on the go since yesterday and will remain at this pace for a while.

Thanks,

David Carroll

Tired, Pregnant, and now Sick

2005-05-10T22:43:00.000-04:00

Poor Michelle, it’s tough enough that she’s in her last few weeks of pregnancy, however, she’s recently been sick with Pink Eye, tonsillitis, a cold, and a minor ear infection to boot. She’s lost so much sleep from the pain in her throat and her doctors don’t want her on any antibiotics in case she goes into labor. The kids haven’t wasted any time capitalizing on Mom’s weakened state. Mischievousness, defiance, and baby monsters have run amuck in the Carroll household. The kids have just recovered from their series of ailments and I scraped by with a minor cold.

Hopefully, Michelle will be able to recover from her smorgasbord of illnesses before the twins are delivered. In the past, she’s had problems with her tonsils which seem to have prolonged her period of being sick. Although she’s tired, sick, and pregnant with twins, Michelle’s spirits are high and remains focused on being ready for the delivery.

Babies’ Weight Remain On Track
As of yesterday’s checkup at 35 weeks into term, Twin A (baby with HLHS) weighed approximately 5 lbs 1 oz and Twin B weighed 5 lbs 6 oz. These measurements are just estimates. From this point on, the babies should gain half a pound every week till delivery. The surgeon from Egleston’s, Dr. Kirshbom, indicated he would like to see the baby weigh at least 5 lbs 4 oz should the staged surgeries be needed. Also, Twin B remains breached which means Michelle is still going to need a C Section.

Upcoming Pediatric Cardiologist Checkup:
Originally, we were scheduled for another checkup with the pediatric cardiologist for this morning, May 10, 2005 at 9:00am. However, that got moved back to tomorrow morning. We’re not really expecting to get any new information until the day of delivery. However, we’re hoping tomorrow’s visit will shed some light on Twin A’s status.

Email Notifications:
Should Michelle go into delivery before this date, I will post a quick update and forward all who have requested to be on the mailing list. If you would like to be notified by email when a new journal entry is made, please send me email to:

To: david@carrolljournal.com
Subject: Please notify me when new entries are made.