Yesterday we went to see our fifth child here in Nizhny Novgorod. Elijah’s new name is:
Silas Richard Pierce!
When they brought Silas in yesterday, he was shy (again) especially with Tyler. He came to me which was super exciting. Over the hour, however, he started to really warm up and started smiling and making verbal sounds. By the end of our visit, Tyler was throwing him up in the air and he was L O V I N G it! I hope that with every recurring visit that he will become more and more comfortable with us.
Silas has a heart condition: Tetralogy of Fallot. There is surgery which can correct the problem. We will be looking into that upon our return from our first trip and can hopefully get an appointment in the works for Silas' return with us.
Calvin also has a heart condition: Mitral Stenosis. He has had one surgery and is scheduled to have the second surgery next week. The first surgery was a success and I am hoping the second will be be successful, also.
If anyone reading this blog has had a child with either Tetralogy of Fallot or Mitral Stenosis, please email me your experience(s) at jilldpierce at yahoo dot com
11 comments:
I just love following your journey...the children are absolutely beautiful and you two are GLOWING!!! I can see the love that is growing for these children...YOUR children!! HOW EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!! :o) So happy for you all...and praying for these little ones and their upcoming surgeries!
Man Jill. He is a beauty. Looks like a perfect fit for your family. Happy for you. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I love the photo of Silas leaning on you. Catching up on hugs I guess.
Oh my goodness, what a sweetheart! Congratulations!
Silas is so sweet. I am really happy for you! You and Tyler are amazing!
He is SOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!!! I just want to kiss him!
Congratulations to you and your whole family!
Silas and Calvin are two of my favorite boy names. Love them. :)
Now we both have an oldest named Anna and a baby named Silas.....this could get confusing. lol
Sorry but because this is so long I have had to put it in 2 post.
This is #1!!
Silas is an absolute little doll. How old is he? He looks so little but so darn cute and it appears he is already getting in all the hugs he can with Mommy and Daddy. He wants to make up for lost time. LOL!!
Has Silas had surgery for the Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)?
If not, why not?
Do you know what they are planning to do during Surgery with Calvin?
Will they let you guys visit him there? Oh how I wish they were already home and Calvin was having surgery here in America so you could talk to the Doctors and be there with him. Poor little guy!
How long do you think it will be, before you guys get a court date and can fly home with them? I am thinking that you are planning on doing this with one trip, is this right?
If I am correct then this then you need to start working on some things Monday Morning. (post #2).
One thing that is very serious with Silas is that he could be living with lower oxygen levels than what is normal. When you get him home you have to get him to a knowledgeable Pediatric Cardiologist ASAP to have him checked out to find out exactly what you guys are dealing with and how to treat him.
BUT…, I am more concerned about getting him home safely. While flying a child (even adults) with some Heart Problems can have major issues. The change of altitude while flying in an airplane could literally be extremely dangerous because it can cause his Oxygen level to drop even lower. Therefore he could start to have trouble breathing because his heart cannot get enough oxygen. TOF is one of the conditions that must be watched while flying. If Oxygen is needed for the flight the airline will help you with this BUT it must be pre-arranged several days ahead of time and you will need physician help as well, so it is not something that you can just ask for and everything will be fine. You will also have to stay on top of the airlines almost daily until the flight to make sure it is available if he needs it.
This could actually happen to Calvin as well but hoping he will do better after having surgery. Although there is one thing you need to know and that is, they usually do not allow a patient to fly for several weeks after having heart surgery.
I do not know what part of Florida you live in but this is what you need to do before you ever consider flying home with both of them.
Love,
Sheila
(I am "Blogging Friend" but for some reason my Google account will not let me post, it says my computer does not allow cookies which is bull. But I can post under anonymous. Does not make sense to me.)
POST #2!
What you need to do starting Monday! Get a copy of Silas medical files regarding the TOF, and of course have it translated to English.
Do the same for Calvin but you might want to wait until his surgery to do it.
While that is being done you need to get in contact with one of the Major Children’s Hospitals (preferably one that deal with heart problems, especially transplants for they seem to always be the best) and find out who the Medical Director of the Cardiac Center is (assuming you do not already know a Pediatric Cardiologist, and also they usually are very good, and you need the best with these little guys).
Get in contact with him/her (ask to talk to them directly) and tell them what is going on with both kids. Tell them a friend is concerned with both of them but especially little Silas flying home and ask if you can fax the information you have to them to look at and get their advice. Make sure they know that you do plan to follow up when you get home but right now you just need to get them both home safely.
Then after they have the information and looked over it, hopefully they will help give you directions to get them home safely.
After you get home you need to have them see a Pediatric Cardiologist ASAP. It is possible that one or both of them need to have additional surgery.
I almost wish that Calvin could wait until he is home for his surgery but they must think it is needed right now or they would not be doing it. Will they let you visit him while he is in the Hospital? I sure hope so.
Please keep us posted on these little guys. They are both lucky to have a Mommy and Daddy wanting to love on them forever. They both can both do fine with their heart problems with the correct treatment.
I hope this helps you out some. If you have questions please ask and I will do what I can to answer them.
GOOD LUCK!
Love,
Sheila
Thanks, Sheila! We're working on getting all the files together and finding a pediatric cardiologist! :D
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