Upcoming PDA surgery and has a lot of breathing problems

Ariel - posted on 11/26/2012

hey guys i have a 24 weeker plus 2 shel be 28 weeks gestation tomorrow. She was born 750 grams but now weighung 910 grams. Shes on her 3rd dose of medsto try close this pda duct. If it doesnt work there is talk of surgery. Can anyone please tell me how little can they be to hav it and is it successfull. Thankyou prayers are with everyone and there bubs xx

Ruth - posted on 08/28/2010

Nancy,
I have been thinking of you and your little one. I hope all things are well. I know how tiring "hanging out" in the NICU can be. I also have older children so am aware of the time management for "normalsy" struggle. I am sure you are doing a great job. My thoughts and prayers are with you an Mathis.

Itege - posted on 08/22/2010

be strong for your little man and just have faith and continue to pray for him

Selina - posted on 08/21/2010

Hi there my little boy Sonny was born at 24 weeks and weighed 540 grams. Sonny was in the NICU for 4 months and everything that could go wrong with premmies did go wrong but Sonny fought and fought and responded to treatment. He has had numerous operations and closing his PDA was just one of the operations. The maximum amount of doses of medication did not help close his PDA it needed to be closed in order for him to come off the ventilator and high oxygen. Surgery ended up being the only option which proved to be beneficial for his breathing as he came off the ventilator straight away and his oxygen could be lowered and he could then tolerate CPAP. They clamped the PDA off with titanium clamp and he has a scar near his left shoulder blade. Our Sonny came home on oxygen and was on oxygen for 15 months however that was due to a long time being on ventilator and he developed chronic lung disease. Sonny is 2 now and is a happy healthy little boy who never stops amazing me and my husband every day. I hope the op goes just as well for you, I am sure it will.

Nancy-Suzie - posted on 08/21/2010

It is me second preemie Ruth, sadly after the first one I was not considered high risk for the second pregnancy, so my follow ups were normal. And then I got pre-eclampsia and HELLP.. they cannot figure out why, only that if we get pregnant again, this time I might not make it and same with the baby.

My pregnancy was suppose to be all normal the second time around, but I guess the man upstairs wanted it otherwise. I think he knows better than I do.The only sad thing is me and hubby really wanted to have 3 children all 2 yrs apart... so I will consult the high risk pregnancy team at the hospital in 6 months to see what did go wrong and what are the chances of it happening again, and if too high, well it will mean I was meant to be a mama of two, not three.

He is now taking 4 ml every 3 hours, but seems to not poop...I guess it's normal after being NPO for almost 2 weeks and having surgery..

Thank you Cheryl for the prayers

Cheryl - posted on 08/20/2010

I will keep you in my prayers, I hope that everything keeps improving for you!

Ruth - posted on 08/20/2010

I was reading that this is your second preemie!! After having the twins, I was not going through all of this again. You are a beautiful person to continue bringing life to this world and more joy to your home. God bless you and your family. Wonderful news on the PDA surgery. Hopefully things move pretty quickly and you can bring the little guy home soon.

Nancy-Suzie - posted on 08/20/2010

Thank you Kayla

I sometimes wonder how come mother can be so strong, I think it comes from other moms having walked in our shoes and understanding how we feel!!

thank you again!

Kayla - posted on 08/20/2010

i am so happy to hear! you have a little fighter in Mathis
one more bump in his journey to come home is over with :-D
Congratulation Nancy!!.. remember, your baby is only as strong as you are, you are ONE TOUGH mommy!!

Way to go Mathis, you are a very strong little boy!
keep the amazing recovery up little man!

Nancy-Suzie - posted on 08/20/2010

Good evening ladies

Mathis had the surgery on Tuesday night, I met with the cardiologist before and after and was a wreck the whole time he was in there...

The surgery went well, no bleeding, no need for a drain or a transfusion, but the cardiologist did mention to me that his PDA was the size of his aorta so it was big, it would never have closed on it's own.

They have started to feed him yesterday, 3 ml of milk every 3 hrs, and today well he did not digest his milk to well, so the nurse skipped his noon feed. I will call the hospital in 1 hr as it is the shift change right now to see how he is doing.

He now has a very nice pink color, and seems to be breathing much better than he was.The ultrasound technician was there today, as the doctors requested a tummy ultrasound to be sure all was good with him.

I am so thankful that it's done and that he up to now has had no complications. I am able to sleep a bit better now knowing that it's done and that now the upcoming challenges are not as big as this one.

Thank you so much for responding to my post, it's greatly appreciated!!

Andrea - posted on 08/20/2010

my daughter was born at 26 weeks, weighing 860g and had a PDA she was on the vent for 28 days, they did try her on CPAP but until she had her surgery it wasn't working. I can remember her turning blue at least twice, she had to be resusitated once and it made me feel so sick. she also had many infections and meningitis twice but about a week after having her PDA corrected her weight stayed steady, just going up instead of up and down and the CPAP was more successful and soon she was spending time off the CPAP. she's 7 months old now and doing well, although she'll be on oxygen until christmas. so hang on in there, take each day as it comes and get involved as much as possible. xxx

Ruth - posted on 08/20/2010

Nancy,
I have been thinking about you and your little guy. I am anxious to hear about how he is doing.

Kristie - posted on 08/18/2010

my daughter has PDA and also has breathing spells, they are trying the meds but my have to have surgrey. they surgery isnt as bad as it seems. its a real simple progress, nothing to get to worried about i promise

Kayla - posted on 08/18/2010

good luck nancy and please keep us posted! hoping all goes well and you will soon be able to bring your bundle of joy home

Good luck little man, now is the time to show mommy how strong you are! all will be fine i have faith

Nancy-Suzie - posted on 08/18/2010

Thank you Kayla and Ruth for your support.
It is true that we are lucky to have our preemie in this decade. The technology has greatly improved and they are able to treat them better.
The PDA surgery should be done today, I am happy, excited, worried, and scared to death all at the same time. Such a mix of emotion...

He's been at the NICU since he was born, July 4th, so it's been 6 weeks already. I was advised by the staff that after the surgery that he would be really sick, as his body is not used to have a 100% of the blood flowing through his veins, so they told us to expect him to be sick for the next 2-3 weeks. But he is still so little 2.5 pounds...I will keep you informed on how it goes..

Ruth - posted on 08/18/2010

Nancy,

We were in the NICU with twins for 75 days with one and a shorter time with the other. The blood transfusions are pretty normal for such a preterm baby especially with the infections. I don't remember when they told me the babies start to come to levels on their own but it is longer when you have to transfuse. We did not have to have the PDA surgery but the possibility was there. Over time it just got better. I do have a friend that her daughter did have the PDA surgery and also came home on oxygen. She was a 24 weeker and hospitalized for about 5 months. She is almost 1 year now and still on oxygen. They have decreased the amount steadily and she is off of it when tolerated. I don't know what hospital you are in but I am sure they are doing their absolute best to make sure your little guy comes out ok. Technology has made it so that they can do so much more than they could 30 years ago. We are blessed to have preemies in this decade!! Just hang in there momma, things will work out.

Kayla - posted on 08/17/2010

Nancy,
i admire your strength
thankfully my daughter was able to be on meds to hold off her heart failure and we could wait till she was 16lbs(thanks to her Ngtube force feeding her to get weight on, she got it at 7 months and because she was big enough they went through her vein and artery.
i couldnt imagine the pain you feel and how terrified you are, as i was for my daughters surgery that was "simple" please if you need anything msg me

take care hun
im sending blessings your way

Nancy-Suzie - posted on 08/14/2010

Thank you Becca

Now things are being delayed again, they have sent some secretion form his throat to get cultured as he has a "bug" there, so another round of antibiotics to come, he's now down to 794 grams, which is a lot, he's lost 200 in the last 2 days.. due to PIC being removed, him not being fed due to an NEC scare... I wonder how I can still be standing and doing the usual.

Becca - posted on 08/13/2010

I went through the same exact things. I was terrified. When I first saw him stop breathing I panicked. I didn't know what to think or do. I thought I lost him right then and there. It's a very scary thing. He went back and forth on the CPAP and other things. There were times he was doing well. He didn't need the oxygen and they were going to send him home but it went bad again. They had put him on antibiotics for it. It work for a while but he had to be back on oxygen. So we went ahead and let them have the surgery. I hesistated at first because I didn't want to see him go through so much. It was a very hard decision. So they did the surgery and I panicked when it was over. They had all types of tubes and things going through him and to see him in pain was the worst. I cried because I couldn't help him. But exactly one week later he came home. I was so happy. So the surgery is the best thing for your baby. It'll be hard but you'll be very happy in the end. They will keep watch on him. Very closely. But the outcome was great for him. I hope it does the same for you.