Look Ma, No Holes!
Finn went in this morning for his sedated echo to determine the status, once and for all, of the ASD (atrial septal defect) he was born with. The last couple of times we attempted to get echos while he was awake, he was much too squirmy and uncooperative to get a good image of his heart, so it became necessary to put him under general anesthesia for the procedure. The procedure itself was very quick and non-invasive (it’s basically a detailed ultrasound), but it required his being admitted to the hospital for the morning.
I have to say, it was very surreal walking back into the lobby of the children’s hospital where Finn spent the first two weeks of his life, and as it turned out, his echo took place in the same unit where he had his surgery to repair his duodenal atresia at one day old. Lots of emotions and bad memories came flooding back. But here we are now, so very far from that time and place – it’s kind of amazing.
We spent a lot of time waiting, and then they let me carry him back to where they would administer the anesthesia. Maybe not such a good idea in hindsight, because it was very tough to help them hold him down while they placed the mask over his face and he was very scared and thrashing around . . . and then just went limp. There’s something very disturbing about seeing your child rendered completely still and helpless and unresponsive in a matter of seconds. So naturally I started crying at that point. Big blubbering ninny.
And then I went to wait in the very same waiting room where we waited while he was having his very first surgery. But it was all over pretty quickly, and the good news is that his ASD is no more! I didn’t even realize what a relief hearing that would be.
Life As I Know It 
That’s great news! What a darling photo, too! You’re not a blubbering ninny — oh my gosh, I think I’d be in tears, too, to see my thrashing, wild child go limp. Very scary. Glad it turned out so well!
That is really great news. He is so adorable. Katie, my granddaughter went through all of that. When she had open heart surgery, and they brought her back from the operating room, her Gramps and I both started shedding tears. But after she woke up, we could not believe at how lively she was. I got tickled at her dad, because when she started playing with her toes, he looked and said, Oh my gosh, I’d be screaming for pain meds. Katie turns 4 next month and she is just like her older sister. They both take karate lessons, and both are excellent at it. Both are winning trophies. I’ve always known that they are smart at alot of things, but she has got me beat at that. I don’t even know what the words mean when they are telling them to do different moves. But she picked that up quickly. DJGRANNY
great news! what a handsome boy!
Oh that’s wonderful! I am getting all teary, Finnian, you are that awesome.
Yay!!! Glad to hear all is well with Finn’s little heart.
That boy is still just so darn cute.
Thats such great news Lisa!!! Echo’s can be tough on young kids. Harry had 3 by age 3.5 years (vsd & asd), both closed now and I’ve had a foetal Echo with this baby (s/he has a vsd)