To start again with a new consultant next year is quite a
scary thought – we don’t even know yet who our new consultant will be. We keep reminding ourselves though that there
are still people in the teams at Southampton and Oxford who have known Jessica
since she was a baby and that whoever takes over from Dr Archer will be well
informed about Jessica. Although the
uncertainty that comes with change is unsettling, holding on to our faith and
remembering that God is always constant and bigger than all of this has helped
hugely.
Thankfully, all was well with Jessica’s check-up yesterday –
her heart function is still good and her sats remain in the low 80s. She is growing and gaining weight nicely and
there are no plans to move forward with regards to planning her Fontan procedure as yet. The team are happy to
continue to monitor her with the next check-up due around late March/early
April.
It was very reassuring to be told that Jessica’s heart
function remains stable – we had been a little worried recently as Jessica had
been much more tired since starting back at preschool, and has been asking to
go in the buggy when out and about a lot more.
Whilst we knew that her tiredness was probably due to being back at
preschool (especially as she is now going three mornings a week instead of
two), her heart condition makes it more difficult to be sure whether it is just
“normal” back-to-preschool tiredness or an indication that her heart is not
working as well as it was. Since the
half-term break though, she has picked up a little more energy-wise, which is
also encouraging.
Jessica also had her eye check-up last month and whilst her
eyesight is fine with her glasses on, she is now at an age where the team there
would be thinking about offering surgery to help correct her squint. The surgery would be mostly cosmetic rather
than being necessary to improve Jessica’s eyesight, and does not need to be
done at a particular age so we can wait or decline if we wish. We have discussed it with Dr Archer who has
advised that if we decide to go ahead with this procedure that it should be
done at either Oxford or Southampton and that we should wait at least six
months after the Fontan procedure if we want to hold off until she is older. We
have another eye appointment in February and will discuss it further then.
Hospital check-ups aside, we have had a lovely couple of
months – Jessica has enjoyed having a pirate day at preschool, having her face
painted at Apple Day, celebrating Sophie’s second birthday and visiting our
“favourite Legoland ever” for the last day of the season. We have visited our local infant school and
filled in the application form for Jessica to start school next September. Our little girl is growing up so fast – she
is becoming more and more independent every day and often tells us “I can do it
myself. I am a grown up!”
