Tricia/Gwyneth Update

Forget nausea and pain meds...if only everyone had a Gwyneth to snuggle with during chemo, the world would be a much happier place.


Tricia did very well with her first round, although they say that some the side effects can present themselves over the next few weeks. She did hurl this morning, but that was after she had received sedation and pain meds of having another portacath placed this morning (the port will minimize the risk of infection during the chemotherapy treatments over the next few months...you may remember that she had a port, which was removed shortly before her transplant).

Also, she decided not to have her G J feeding tube removed. Chemo can often affect the appetite, and with her CF and other issues, Tricia already has a difficult enough time as it is maintaining her weight, so the feeding tube will be a safety net in case she doesn't feel like eating at times.

And, Tricia was seen by an ENT doctor, who examined her throat and told us that her left vocal chord is paralyzed from the transplant surgery (common with heart/lung transplants). Tricia's voice has been weak and raspy since the surgery because one of her vocal chords is slightly out of place, which means it is not vibrating the way it should be. I explain more about the options to "fix" this later.

Also, the artery in Gwyneth's heart is still open, but it normally takes a year or two for it to close if it doesn't close within a few days after a full-term birth. If it never closes, they'll fix it with a minor surgery when she's 4-5 years old. We'll have a yearly appointment to check on it, and it should not cause any issues.

Anyway, we're sitting here, hoping that Tricia will be released in time for us to head home this evening (especially since I packed up and checked out of our hotel this morning).

Thanks!

Nate