Heart Failure and Reflux are Progressing, Jacob Has Discovered his Daddy!

Just 24 hours after visiting our doctor and being told that Jacob is in excellent health, we were back in her office watching her intently listening to his chest through her stethoscope.

After about an hour of her on the phone with various different specialists they finally concluded that Jacob needed to have his Lasiks increased to 3 times per day (instead of twice) and added another medication, Captopril, to his cocktail of drugs 3 times per day as well.  I'm not sure whether to be happy to stay out of the hospital again, or to be frustrated that he has yet another drug to add to his list of medications.  Plus, I soon discovered after leaving the doctor's office that the drug was so unique (she wants it in liquid form), our pharmacist doesn't even make it and it's a drug that insurance won't pay for so we'll be paying for this drug out of pocket.


This, coupled with the fact that he is now officially unable to handle ANY form of substance orally without gagging or vomiting it up.  This includes his own mucus from his cold, or the .2 ml used to attempt to get his Prevacet down twice a day. It's a frustrating feeling to know that he's getting worse and there is nothing we can do but sit and watch this train wreck happen.  Luckily, we have 1 more week to go until we meet with the cardiologist to set a hard date for surgery.  I'm hoping we can hold out until then.

On the brighter point, it's been so much fun watching Jacob grow physically stronger.  He's holding his head up although he's still not able to keep it from wobbling (baby steps!) and he's beginning to take control of his hands - he spends lots of time swiping at me as I try to give him his medicines.  He's become much more alert as well.  Last night he spent the evening in KC's arms as I tried to get my to-do list done.  All evening he would crane his neck upward and just stare at KC and make the funniest faces as he watched KC talk and go about his tasks.  You could tell that Jake was just loving spending the time in his daddy's arms, playing with his glasses, and playing with his beard.  His personality is finally beginning to emerge and it looks like he will be a VERY busy little boy full of smiles, mischief, and oodles upon oodles of curious energy.  Heaven help us!!! ;)