Faith's Mom's Blog

 As mentioned in my previous post  Faith had to go back to the ER about 6 days following her first stay in the hospital. The reason I took her back was to determine whether or not she was still battling a UTI or if there was something else causing her ongoing fatigue.  Thankfully, the ER waiting room was pretty empty, which meant we could go back pretty quickly. After putting in an IV, they drew some labs and also did a chest x-ray and electrocardiogram (ECG) as her heart rate we really high.  An empty waiting room at the ER!  More Tests  They were also going to have to draw another urine sample with a catheter, which was causing Faith to be super anxious. This time, they gave her something to help decrease her anxiety, which made getting the sample much easier. After a while, the x-ray showed a possible pleural effusion.  The doctor recommended a CT scan to get a better look. Faith was becoming very anxious again and wanted to sit up in bed, so I ...

Faith was hospitalized twice in September. The first time revolved around getting a UTI that was resistant to the antibiotics she was taking. The second time was due to the fact that she had ongoing fatigue and the doctors wanted to make sure the initial UTI was gone and also figure out why she was still so fatigued.  Faith enjoying a beautiful September day Recurring UTIs Faith got her first urinary tract infection (UTI) in 2023. At the time, I would not have even known she had one, but she had a procedure done at the hospital and ended up getting really sick afterward. They tested for a UTI, and it came back positive. There were other things going on at the time, and she ended up in the hospital for 5 days.  She had a few recurring infections after that and her doctor at the time thought she might have a neurogenic bladder, which sometimes happens with those who have cerebral palsy. Her doctor suggested Faith see a pediatric urologist.  The urologist recommended urodyn...

It's been a while since I have put up a blog post. I also haven't been very active on Faith's Mom's Facebook page. That's because the month of August was dedicated to moving!  About 4 years ago, Faith and I moved from the apartment she grew up in, to a different one in northeast Bismarck. The primary reason for the move was to have underground parking so that getting her loaded into the van by myself during our cold, snowy winters would be less of a challenge. We also needed to find a place in which the elevator didn't break down on a regular basis!  One of our last sunsets at our old apartment  That place served us well, but the drive to her day program, which is located across the river in Mandan was time consuming, not to mention, expensive. I drove about 45 miles a day and used up a tank of gas a week!  Searching for a New Place  Before our lease ended, I began praying about finding somewhere else to live. A condo would have been nice, but surprisingly not a...

Normally, Faith is the one with all of the appointments but this week it has been my turn. On Monday I had my annual echocardiogram. On Tuesday I had my pacemaker device check and appointment with the cardiologist who comes to Bismarck from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  The doctors who come are pediatric cardiologists who also specialize in adults with congenital heart defects (CHD). This saves anyone in the area who has a CHD from having to travel to Rochester each year. It is very convenient! (I do travel to Rochester to get my pacemaker changed, though!)  The Bible verse that has kept me going all these years! When I saw the doctor, we mainly discussed two things: my Fontan and my pacemaker. But first, a little background. I was born with double outlet right ventricle (DORV). Basically, this means both my aorta and pulmonary artery stem from my right ventricle. Because of this, my left ventricle does not really do anything, which is why this CHD is referred to as a sin...