Cardiac Catheterization at Mayo

Hi friends and family!

Long time no update! Well, here we go…

Jessie’s follow up appointments in April, May, and June all went very well. From this point on she will be treated by Dr. Burmeister (her Endocrinologist) at The University of Minnesota, unless there are any questions that would necessitate her going back to Mayo for follow-up with Endocrinology. She has been doing great over the last couple of months, as her body has been adjusting and her adrenal glands have been kicking back into gear.

She has now been “turned over” to the cardiology department at Mayo, with Dr. Ammash overseeing her case. He is the cardiologist that she has had at Mayo from day one. He told us back in March, that he wanted to have Jess come back in the summer to have a procedure done that will check the pressure of the chambers of her heart. This procedure is called a Cardiac Catheterization. Jess will be having this procedure done tomorrow morning at Mayo, under anesthesia. She and mom are on their way down to Mayo right now. Based on the results of the procedure, we will know if she will need to have surgery on her heart, or not. We should know the results by Tuesday, so I’ll keep you all posted. It is pretty common for “Tet-babies” (babies born with Tetralogy of Fallot) to have a sort of “reparative” surgery at one point. We will see if she is due to have her “maintenance surgery” yet. Please pray for Jess, anesthesia is always such a scary thing for her (for all of us!). She is trying her best to trust God COMPLETELY through all of this.

Another thing that is going on is that she has a lump on the top of her right hand. She has been bothered by it since May, and it isn’t getting any better. The orthopedic surgeon that we met with here in town thinks that it’s a “venous aneurysm” or a ganglion cyst. The location of the “lump” is directly where her IV was placed, so more than likely, it was triggered by the irritation of the IV. She will be having an MRI on her hand in the next week or two to determine more specifics. For that procedure, they will be sedating her to keep her calm and still.

On August 11 Jess will be heading back down to Mayo Clinic again to have her vocal chords examined. Back in March the E.N.T. doctor at Mayo discovered that her left vocal cord is paralyzed. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vocal-cord-paralysis/DS00670 Sometimes when she drinks fluids, she coughs more than she used to. More than anything, it’s just a nuisance. In August they will determine what the best treatment will be for Jess’s situation. We will keep you posted!

She would absolutely LOVE to hear from you, it would make her day! You have all been so instrumental in her recovery, through your prayers and love. Thank you for your support, it means so much to all of us!

Jess wanted me to include this verse, it’s one of her favorites!
“I will keep you in perfect peace if you will keep your mind steadfast on me and always trust me... I am a rock you can always stand on.” Isaiah 26-4- 3

Thanks again for your prayers!!

Love,

Liz