Tag: heart

Friday, 24 Sep 2004

Friday, September 24 ( 7 pm ): The last 24 hours have been fairly busy for little Gabriella. Early yesterday evening Dr. Lamberti and team closed GG’s chest. The two-hour procedure was completed without incident. Gabriella tolerated the procedure very well – all of her “numbers” looked good through out the closing and overnight. It is absolutely amazing how closely she is monitored.

During the initial surgery on the 21st pressure sensors were placed in and around her heart. These sensors will be removed, one by one, as her condition improves. Just a few hours ago they removed the sensor from her pulmonary artery and another sensor from the upper left chamber of her heart.

But the best news is her lungs are working incredibly well – her oxygen saturation rates have remained in the high 90 percent range even though they have reduced the percentage of oxygen she is receiving through the ventilator.  She will likely remain on the ventilator and in the ICU over the weekend.

We feel very positive about her progress but still remain guarded, as setbacks are not uncommon in the ICU.

Thank you for your prayers.

Wednesday, 22 Sep 2004

Wednesday, September 22: Gabriella remains in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following her heart surgery yesterday. Her condition is stable and she looks a bit more pink than she did immediately after surgery. All signs indicate the repairs to her heart are successful. Additionally, no adverse reactions – such as a stroke, or damage to her liver, kidneys, or other organs – have been noted. Dr. Lamberti is pleased with her progress and he anticipates closing her chest tomorrow night or on Friday. The reason he decided not to close her chest is because her lungs are swollen with fluid – a condition not uncommon in this type of case. We have great confidence in her caregivers, especially the ICU nurses. They NEVER leave her side.

We are grateful for all of the emails of support and apologize that we are not able to respond to them. Several of you have asked for our mailing address her in Palo Alto, it is:

The Gentry Family
1812 Sand Hill Road Apt# 207
Palo Alto, CA 94304-2135

God Bless you all for your support and thank you for your prayers.

Thursday, 02 Sep 2004

Thursday, 02 September: Today, we met with Dr. Lamberti, the surgeon who will repair Gabriella’s heart. He was in Hawaii this week performing heart operations on children from underprivileged families, something he does approximately five times each year.

He was everything we had hoped and expected him to be: calm, compassionate and professional. He was very straight forward in describing the operation, including the risks and various complications which may present themselves during and after the surgery. He answered all of our questions, including Cousin Shelley’s (it will be a transverse incision) and we feel very comfortable with him.

After our hour-long meeting he took us up to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where two of his patients were recovering. He took each of us, individually, in to see his patients. Although it was a heart wrenching experience, seeing an infant in the trauma that follows open-heart surgery, we realize we needed to be “prepared” for when we see little Gabriella in the ICU. We are still digesting all that we saw and heard today.

Thank you for your prayers.

Tuesday, 24 Aug 2004

24 August, Tuesday: Brief update (1 PM, Hawaii Standard Time) – Last night Gabriella had a rough patch…high heart rate and respirations.

Unclear at this time if related to new medication or just increased heart failure. Met with Dr. Mahnke this morning and he re-admitted Gabriella to the hospital for further evaluation. Both Mom and Dad are pleased with Dr. Mahnke’s decision, as it is the low-risk course of action.

Bottom line: this is not a crisis, just prudent medicine. Visitors are welcome: Room 10, Pediatrics Ward, 7th Floor (Oceanside), Tripler Army Medical Center – No need to call first. Finally, GG’s weight was up again today another ounce…another step forward. As always, thank you for your prayers.

Possibly Pneumonia

Monday, 26 Jul 2004

Gabriella’s lack of appetite and increasingly frequent cough prompted us to take her TAMC (Tripler Army Medical Center) this morning. Her weight 7.4 oz, was down from 7.7 oz on 23 July.

The doctor’s felt her lack of appetite was probably attributable to a cold/congestion. Since infants breathe through their nose when they feed, Gabriella made the prudent choice of oxygen over food. They directed us to use saline solution and a bulb extractor to keep her nose clear. Additionally, they bumped up her diuretic medication in order to reduce her fluid throughout.

Once we were back home the doctors called to inform us that today’s chest X-ray revealed possible indications of pneumonia, so she is now on a once-a-day antibiotic (Zithromax dose: 0.5 ml) medicine for the next five days. On the bright side! Lisa seems to have cracked the feeding code this afternoon. By positioning Gabriella on her side with her head slightly elevated and turned, she can breathe and eat! She has been eating very well since this afternoon – polishing of more than 6 oz of milk in what has been pretty much continuous feeding. Good interest, appetite, and sucking action all have Mom and Dad breathing a much needed sigh of relief.

Thank you for your prayers.