Life after discharge;

                On the day McKenzie was discharged I felt a mix of emotions; excitement, fear, nervousness, anxious and ready. I always thought taking McKenzie for heart surgery would be the hardest thing I’d ever have to do, and while it was certainly terrifying, painful and overwhelming – I’ll admit that bringing her home has been equally if not more terrifying and overwhelming. As we said our goodbyes to the many nurses and doctors that have known McKenzie since she was four weeks old, we left the Cardio PICU at Arnold Palmer and drove home. Once we arrived home, McKenzie was exhausted and sleep well through the rest of the day and night, however, the last two days she has been up and down. It’s been challenging to determine if she’s okay, she has had inconsolable moments and moments that left us feeling like something may be wrong – but really, with so many possibilities it’s been difficult to identify what requires medical attention as compared to what is normal for a healing process after open heart surgery for a 3-month-old. 

McKenzie's right leg still has a blood clot so I have been giving her the Lovanox shot in the morning and evening, I never imagined giving my three month old a shot - let alone twice a day everyday for weeks. I don't know how long she will need it, I don't know how long until she begins to feel better but I do know sleep doesn't come easy.

              While we have been surrounded by support from family and friends – the truth is, unless you have gone through this or are going through this there is truly no way to understand what it’s like. Most say babies are a handful, you will be up all night and find yourself worried about every little thing. When adding genetic and cardiac issues to the average baby, it’s life altering. “You can’t put her in a bubble”, “You can’t just focus on the down syndrome”, “Well her heart is fixed, so you will be back to normal”, “an ounce really isn’t something to freak out over” and the list of other’s opinions goes on. A child with down syndrome and a heart defect often requires a different type of attention; germs become top priority, so while we don’t want to “bubble” our child – we also don’t want to see them hospitalized for countless days. Our day revolves around medication schedules, children with down-syndrome often face multiple health issues as they are considered “floppy” and often require more attention. Our caller ID consists of on-call doctor calls – McKenzie’s heart is repaired, but she will always be a cardiac patient and her recovery can still be life-threatening. Our days are full of appointments – we keep a bag packed in the trunk as McKenzie has struggled with her weight and the loss of just a few ounces could mean hospitalization for her. The truth is, when we’re finally home for the night and able to sit down – we force ourselves to shower, eat if we can and sleep if it’s possible because in 2-3 hours it’s time for medicine and a few hours after that the day will begin again.

               

                McKenzie has been admitted to the ICU five times and every-time we return home, I struggle to find a new routine that fits her new needs. As a stay at home mom, this process can become lonely as Nikki works long hours. During McKenzie’s stay at Arnold Palmer, we were lucky to have met another couple there while their son recovered from his heart surgery. This has led to a friendship as we both take our children home and attempt to regain a since of normality and struggle to understand our children’s new needs, new routines and how we can fit regular life in with this. I am thankful for our encounter as the process has become just a little less lonely.

                Overall; I am beyond thankful for McKenzie (and her new friend Landon) health. There is no way to describe what we’ve been through or will go through in our futures but I know with love, determined hearts and faith we will get through.