Afternoon Update

Brandon had a follow up eye exam today. His nerves are now in zone 2-3 (an eye has 3 zones...zone 3 is the outside zone so his nerves should get to the end of zone 3 eventually) so his eyes are developing nicely. He is in stage 1 for eye problems which Dr. Rekedal says corrects itself. Stage 2 corrects itself too. Stage 3 requires laser surgery and stage 4 is usually blindness so he is not even close to having a problem. His eyes are developed like a typical preemie.

Brandon's nurse today also mentioned that the cardiologist was going to be doing an EKG today. I asked why and she got his file and said as a follow up to his VSD (ventricular septal defect). I told her nobody had ever mentioned that he had this before. The only heart problem I had ever been told about was his PDA which closed itself 24 hours after he was on neoprophin during his first week of life. She went and talked to Dr. Rekedal and he came and talked to me. He explained that a VSD is when the two lower ventricals have an opening in between them. Brandon has a small VSD which should close by itself within a year or two. If it does not then he will need surgery. The large ones are usually more of a concern but he said Brandon's is small. A VSD is not a preemie thing. He would have had this even if he had been full term. We think Stu had this when he was born too. He had a hole in his heart that closed itself by the time he was 18 months old. The cardiologist did not wind up looking at Brandon's today. She will come back to see it before he is discharged and then he will probably need to go for follow up visits every to often.

Brandon also definitely has reflux. About 45 minutes after he ate I was holding him. He made a pained face, coughed 3 times, and then spit up. I felt so bad for him.