Holiday Update

Henry has been doing great. He has a great appetite and is now over 10 pounds.

On Thursday we took him to CHLA for a regular checkup and they found his oxygen levels running low. They checked him into the hospital for observation and he was released today (Sunday). To help his oxygen levels he is now on oxygen and is also taking a heart medication to help the bloodflow to his lungs.

The doctors have decided to push up his next surgery. The next surgery, called the Glenn, will be performed in the next 1-3 weeks.

Next Steps

Henry continues to do well. He has been home now for a few weeks and he is eating well. He already gained a pound since he has been home. Some pictures from Halloween.

From the beginning we have expected 3 surgeries for Henry. As Henry grows the next two surgeries will be required to increase the bloodflow to his lungs. The next surgery, called the Glenn, will be performed next Spring. We are expecting March but it could move in or out by 1 or 2 months. The 3rd surgery, called the Fontan, is expected around the age of 3.

The next two operations are not as risky as the first. Party because Henry will be bigger and stronger. We plan to return to CHLA and to Doctor Starnes for these procedures.

Thanks again for your prayers and support.

Steve and Shanna.

Check-Up

Henry had a checkup yesterday at CHLA. He was seen by 4 doctors and they all agree he is doing great. They also removed his stitches. Henry's next appointment at CHLA is in a month.

Henry is home !!

We brought Henry home yesterday Afternoon! He is doing great. Shanna and I on the other hand forgot what it was like to get up every 2 hours. Henry is use to a very quick response time from the nurses at CHLA.

Henry is taking Tylenol when necessary for pain and is on one other medication to ensure his lungs stay clear. I find this amazing given he had heart surgery on Wednesday.

His only physical limitation is he can't be supported by his arms or lifted under his arms for 8 weeks. We are also working hard to make sure he does not pick up a cold as that would pose some risks to his heart over the next 8 weeks.

Henry will be making weekly trips to CHLA to see his cardiologist and to followup with the surgeons.

Henry is a minor celebrity with his brothers Ben and Will. I will post some pictures tomorrow.

Steve.

Much better now ...

Henry is doing very well now. His oxygen levels are very good. He is sleeping and eating well.

Henry is still in the ICU but I think we are now on a fast track to getting him home.

Steve.

Surgery Day

Henry went to surgery this morning at 7:40 am pst. They bumped him up in the schedule. He was out of surgery at 9:10 and back to ICU an hour later. At 2:40 they brought him off the ventilator.

He is recovering well and his oxygen levels look very good now. We appear to be back on track.

Steve.

Surgery Tomorrow

Henry will have surgery tomorrow. The doctors plan to loosen the band around his pulmonary artery. The surgery is scheduled for 2:00 pm PST.

Latest

Although Henry looks great and is eating well his oxygen levels continue to run low. On Sunday he was moved back to the cardiac ICU. The doctors are preparing us for another surgery to increase the blood flow to his lungs. Today they will place a catheter in his pulmonary artery to check blood pressures. If their assumptions are confirmed he will go to surgery in the next couple of days.

To increase the blood flow to the lungs the doctors can loosen a band that was placed around the pulmonary artery during the first surgery. Another option is to introduce a shunt to divert some blood flow from the body to the lungs. The surgery is not nearly as risky or invasive as the first surgery. They would need to open the chest again but it should not be necessary to stop the heart or put him on bypass. Since they will not be operating on the heart itself they should be able to close the chest during the operation and his recovery time should be shorter.

Thank you for keeping Henry in your thoughts and prayers.

Steve.

Getting stronger

Henry is getting stronger each day. His breathing and oxygen levels are much improved and he has a great appetite. Henry is back in the general cardiac unit on the 6th floor.

Two steps forward one step back ....

On Friday Henry was doing so well they promoted him to a general cardiac care unit on the sixth floor. He had a little trouble with his breathing and his oxygen levels began to drop so they brought him back to the critical care unit on Saturday.

He is doing much better today. Shanna asked that I post more pictures:

Last night defending his binky ...

First bath (last night) ....
Resting today ....

More to follow. Steve.

Turning the corner

Yesterday Henry had his chest closed and today he came off the ventilator. He is doing very well now and Shanna is able to hold him. They have reduced or eliminated many of the medications and Henry is alert when he is not sleeping. He opens his eyes and responds to our touch.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers for Henry. Steve.

Recovering

Shanna was released from the hospital today. She is doing well and is with Henry as I write this. Shanna has access to a sleep/rest room near Henry's unit so she is able to switch easily between visiting with Henry and laying down to get rest.

Henry is in the cardiac ICU and will most likely be there for the next week. He has a full time nurse and gets constant attention from the doctors in the unit. The team here is terrific and I can't see anything more that can be done to keep him comfortable and recovering well.

The doctors decided not to go forward with the Norwood procedure but instead did a less complex procedure. This was great news as it meant that his heart was on bypass and stopped for a shorter period of time. This was a small miracle in itself. His surgery was pushed to later in the day as a result of this change. They perform surgery in the order of complexity and this pushed him to the #2 slot. There were 4 surgeries of this type performed on Monday.

They left Henry's chest open to accommodate the swelling of his heart. This is normal and they plan to close his chest Wednesday or Thursday. He is also on a ventilator and that is expected to come out a couple of days later.

Shanna and I have access to Henry 24x7 and we are staying across the street from the hospital. Ben and Will are with Grandma and Grandpa and are doing well also. Thanks everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and wonderful support.

Steve and Shanna.

Surgery Day

Henry went to surgery today at 12:15 pst. Everything looks good. Surgery is expected to take 3-5 hours.

Henry is out of surgery (4:30 pm pst) and is recovering. The doctors are very pleased with Henry's results.. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. Sorry for the brief notes, I'll expand on the days events as soon as I get the chance. Steve.

More Pictures

Last night Henry was baptized by Father Steve Sallot. Below are some more pictures. He is doing great. Henry's surgery will be tomorrow morning.

Welcome Henry !!

Henry was born today at 10:04 am PST!

Shanna and Henry are doing very well. Shanna has been moved to room 706 of Hollywood Presbyterian.

More to follow. Steve.

All Set

We spent the day yesterday at CHLA meeting with various specialists and making final preparations for the delivery on Friday. An MRI and EchoCardiogram confirm that Henry is doing well and he should be well prepared for his surgery next Monday.

Henry's full name will be Henry George Schattmaier. His middle name is in honor of his Great Grandpa Grossman.

Shanna's parents John and Jane are on their way from Oklahoma and will arrive today. We are all looking forward to their visit.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.

Shanna and Steve.

Catch Up

To start, and this is Steve writing by the way, I'd like to apologize to anyone that has not been kept up to date up to this point. And I realize this is most everyone. This blog should help. As we move through the next month I will post regular updates.

Baby Henry will be born the morning of September 26th around 10:00 AM PST. He will be delivered by Dr. Gumm by C-Section at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles.

Baby Henry has a heart defect that was discovered during a routine ultrasound in mid-May. Describing the heart defect gets pretty technical pretty fast. In short, the left side of Henry's heart is underdeveloped.

Aside from this diagnosis Shanna's pregnancy has been relatively normal. Baby Henry is in good shape as Shanna's heart has been helping Henry out. Aside from his heart Henry has been developing as any normal baby would.

On the 26th, after Henry is born, he will be taken to Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles. This hospital is adjacent to Hollywood Presbyterian and it has one of the best pediatric cardiac units in the country. After transport to CHLA Henry's heart will be examined by a team of doctors and he will be prepared for surgery. The operation will be performed the morning of September 29th by Dr. Starnes. Most likely Dr. Starnes will perform the Norwood procedure (for those that would like to learn more).

We expect Henry to be in the hospital for 2-3 weeks after his surgery.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We will keep you posted.

Steve and Shanna.