The Cath: The Less Emotional Side

Now that I've gotten the emotional junk out of the way, I will go ahead and document the whole day.
Olivia started the day off like a champ. She didn't pout or grump when we didn't give her breakfast. She just got in the car and was ready to go. We got to the hospital around 10 for check-in. All that went smooth, even the IV. They poked her and she was so brave. Her breathing got a little deeper so I knew she was in pain but she just sat there calm as can be. It took a whopping 30 seconds to get that IV placed. WHAT!? Last time they worked at it for 15 minutes and then just gave up (and she screamed the entire time.) By this time Olivia had received two stuffed animals. Then for the waiting...The cath was scheduled for noon and we finally took her down at 1:30. Olivia was a champ waiting. By the time we got down their she was feeling tired, hungry, and not 100% agreeable. But, they gave her another stuffed animal and she went from my arms to theirs without a fuss. Kisses were had and we left her. Andrew and I got some lunch and then began walking off the nerves. I took him over the skywalk to the new outpatient services and then we decided to read in the bright new hospital lobby. We sat down, got comfy, and the pager beeped, letting us know she was done. It took an hour.
We headed back to the cath lab and met up with Dr. Gray to have the talk. No collaterals, no narrowing. Everything was wide open and her pressures were great. She is the perfect candidate for the fontan. But, of course, it wouldn't be Olivia if there weren't a but. Her heart rate dropped down into the 50's while sedated. I wasn't at all surprised. Her heart rate has been on the low side at rest ever since her glenn. I have asked Dr. McCandless about it and she said, "As long as she's perfusing I'm not worried." I talked to Dr. Firth (her pediatrician) and he wasn't worried with the heart rate he got from her. I talked to Dr. Pinto and she mentioned a holter but never scheduled one since she wasn't that worried. So here we are now. The holter monitor was just taken off and we will get the verdict in four days (supposedly) I'm giving them a few more business days and guessing I'll hear by the end of next week. And as mentioned, treatment for this would be a pacemaker.
After we spoke to Dr. Gray we did a little more waiting while they got Liv all situated in same day recovery. We got back there and Livie was awake but groggy. The nurse informed us that she got the jackpot. All the kids around us were crying and miserable and Livie was sweet as can be. She told the nurse she couldn't talk because her binky was in her mouth (a rule we try to enforce. Normally she doesn't actually obey that one.) She really only talked when we took pictures and she said, "Can I see?" We of course obliged. Really the only time she got talkative with the nurse was when the nurse asked about Livie's big sister. Olivia loves Ella so much and was so excited to tell everyone (the IV team, nurses, doctors) about her big sister who is five whose bday is October 6th.
While in same day, they don't have chairs so Andrew escaped the bedside (he struggles with seeing his girl not herself) Livie was still doing great but was getting drowsy. We asked her how many mommies she was seeing and she just shrugged. Apparently there were too many mommies to count.
Finally, we were able to get a room and we started Olivia's feel good movies. Snow White (mommy had a good cry during With a Smile and a Song) Then Winnie the Pooh, then Frozen. Daddy joined us during after having done some reading on pacemakers which made us both feel a little better about that news. Still, refer to my other post for exactly how I feel.
This time around we had a great nurse. Last time I hated the nurse. She wouldn't let us turn off Olivia's IV drip even though she was eating just fine and Livie was SOOO swollen the next day. This time, the nurse turned it off as soon as I asked. Around five Live was ready for food and had mac and cheese. Then some of my dinner, all of my chocolate that Andrew brought me, and was asking for more.
When it came time to take out the IV Livie was not happy. She was awake now, sore, and tired. The tape removal really peeved her off. It took the rest of the time we were there and a chocolate ice cream to get her happy again and even then she wanted a "pocksickle" instead of the ice cream. The ride in the wagon down to the door was her favorite part of the whole day.
So, depending on the monitor results and whether Dr. Pinto wants a follow-up we're ready to schedule the fontan. A June Fontan is looking like it's not going to happen but I don't know how quickly these things go. I think my catch phrase since all this heart stuff is "I guess we'll see."