In honor of Thaddeus' recent third birthday, I decided that it is time for another Thaddeus Update. It's been a year since the last update and medically speaking, not much has changed. Thaddeus is still taking three medications a day but we no longer have to smash them up, mix them with water, and use a syringe to shoot them into his mouth. Now we simply hand him the pills and he pops them into his mouth as easy as can be. This has made med time much easier for all concerned. Well, it doesn't help Charlie since it is her job to fill the pill container. She is just happy that the doses haven't changed in a while. The other big thing that we are keeping an eye on is his oxygen saturation level in his blood. As you may remember, for a normal person, your blood normally holds 95-100% of the blood it can. Just before Thaddeus' last surgery he was around 75% saturation. Shortly after the surgery, he improved to the low to mid 80's. Over time we expected his numbers to rise to the high 80's or low 90's. This has not been the case, however. His numbers have still been in the mid to low 80's. We are realizing that this may be the best he gets. I certainly have learned that despite the fact that our medical team has a great deal of knowledge and experience in general with cardiac children, Thaddeus and his physiology really are unique. His numbers being where they are is not in and of itself a danger to Thaddeus as long as his numbers stay steady. It does mean that we go in for check-ups more often than we would otherwise.Long term, if the numbers don't improve, it will also mean that Thaddeus will continue to tire faster than he would otherwise. That said, it doesn't stop him from chasing, or running from, his brothers all over the house. He is as active as any three year old, he just needs to take more breathers. He continues to grow and develop both physically and mentally. Having five older siblings, he is learning a ton. (Both good and bad.) One of his favorite phrases lately is "That is so hilarious!" Which coming from a three year old, is quite hilarious. Just today, he looked at Sebastian and said "If you say so." He is as sassy, stubborn, and fights with his brothers as much as you would expect a three year old to. We are having some trouble with the potty training but that seems to be related to some gastro-intestinal issues that he has had for years and don't seem to be related to the surgery. So, for now, we are just keeping an eye on his numbers and hanging in there.
On a different note, I am going to ask a special favor from all of you. I am very thankful for the prayers so many people offered up, and continue to offer up, for Thaddeus. The favor I ask is that you take a moment to offer a prayer for the father of one of my former students. He was just diagnosed with cancer in many of the bones of his body. His outlook doesn't look good. Please say a prayer for him and for his family. He has always been very supportive of our family and I'd like to return the kindness. Thanks!
