Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Back in the hospital...

An update... While listening to Kamryn's heart this morning I found it to have some irregularity. The count being the same the rhythms not. I called the Dr, and we were asked to come into the clinic. Kamryn had blood work, two echos (the machine failed to record the first one) and an EKG. From the Echo I was able to see what I had heard. I now knew I wasn't imagining a weird heart beat. The EKG told the Dr where to look. It was in the Atrium. An irregular heart beat in the Atrium is treatable, in the ventricle not so much. There is a possibility that this is rejection but he doesn't think so. She doesn't have the other signs of rejection.
What he thinks is happening is.... Kamryn's Old Atrial node is trying to take over the Atrial node of her new heart. When a child has a heart transplant part of the Atrium is left and grafted to the new heart. The atrium is where the node is, it sparks the heart into squeezing. (Like the spark plugs in your car start your car.) Only there are not electrical impulses to the new heart, it has no connection to the nervous system. However, sometimes there is a connection made between the old and new nodes across the scar tissue. Thus, the irregular rhythm, the nodes are in competition. Dr Law sited one other case where there was connective tissue between the two nodes. This is a very rare occurrence. So basically the heart is confused and doesn't know who is the boss. It has a lot to learn.
We will be staying here at the hospital at least overnight. If they can't prove it is the nodes fighting, then we will be on rejection protocol and will stay her for another 5 days. We would really like to be at home. She just woke up crying, as if she was in an unfamiliar place. Thank you for praying.

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