Before Ethan was born he was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and Esophageal Atresia/Tracheo-Esophageal Fistula (TEF-EA). At only 6 hours old he had his first surgery which was to attach his stomach and esophagus. At one month old he had his first open heart surgery and was able to come home at six weeks old. He was hospitalized several times before having his second open heart surgery in August of 2012. The second open heart surgery was not the normal second stage surgery planned for children diagnosed with HLHS (the Glenn operation) as the left side of his heart had grown to where the surgeon felt a full heart repair would be successful. He is now referred to as a hypoplast variant. Ethan has had issues gaining weight and is in the low percentiles for both weight and height. Because of the way his esophagus healed from his first surgery he is prone to lung issues and is in and out of the hospital often. Even the most minor cold requires him to be on oxygen at home or puts Ethan in the hospital. Because of the additional care and precautions he requires his mother had to quit her job to care for him. He will not only require continuous medical care but will eventually need to have an additional heart procedure around age 3.
0 Comments
|
Archives
January 2021
|