Qadar's Journey With HLHS

Norwood Procedure

On September 1, 2006 he underwent his first procedure – the Norwood. The Norwood, considered the most complex and the riskiest, offers a 75% survival rate. This procedure has to be done within days of birth because the heart cannot pump blood to the body. The procedure entailed disrupting the blood flow to the lungs and creating a new flow to the lungs along with a host of other redirections, separations...

Pseudo Aneurism

About a month after his first surgery, October 11, 2006, I called the hospital because the monitor kept reading that his oxygen levels were  52% (it was 70% the day before; but, each day prior it was dropping a percent). At 7 weeks old I took him in to see cardiology. It was discovered that the stitching came away from the shunt that they used, as part of the Norwood Procedure, to re-direct the blood...

Bi-Directional Glenn Procedure

He successfully underwent his second surgery, the Glenn, April 2007  and we came home in about a week.

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

I called his cardiologist October 31, 2007, because I was concerned that his hands and feet were swollen. He also had swelling under his eyes. Without hesitation he had me come it in, during testing it was discovered that he was in Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and once again, we were admitted immediately, do not pass go, go directly to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). This time they didn’t...

Pacemaker

When we returned, December 13, 2007, for the follow-up appointment, guess what, we were once again, admitted immediately. Do not pass go, go directly to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) because he did not improve. In fact it was determined that he needed, Permanent Pacemaker Placement.  It was known that he would eventually need a pacemaker somewhere around his teenage years; it ended up being...