TYSON MATTHEW KOTTELENBERG

This blog is about our 14 year old son Tyson. Tyson was born with serious complex congenital heart defects, (Hypoplastic Right Ventricle, Tricuspid Atresia, Coarctation of Aorta, Transposed Great Arteries, with VSD and ASD.) In short, the right side of his heart is completely under-developed (he has half a heart,) his main arteries are mixed up, and his aorta is narrow. He has undergone 3 open-heart surgeries and 5 heart catheterization procedures to try to 'repair' his heart. Tyson also has severe narrowing in his pulmonary veins which are causing higher venous pressures. He's still doing AMAZINGLY well all things considered. We entrust our dear son into the hands of God, knowing that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him!

Day Six Post-Glenn - Monday, May 18, 2009

(HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!)

"The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?"
Psalm 27:1
Tyson is making very slow, baby steps in his recovery. Yesterday the sats stayed in the 70's for most of the day but today they sat in the high 60's most of the day. The chest x-ray this morning did show some improvement and the cardiologist is still optimistic that his low sats are due to an infection.
The results from the BAL culture swab came back positive for a pneumonia-causing bacteria. Its official name is Moraxella catarrhalis which is a bacteria that can live in the back of your throat for a long time and not cause many symptoms. It's difficult to say for sure how Tyson caught it or how long he had it, but it may have been pushed into Tyson's lungs during the intubation process. Anyway, he is on antibiotics and the "bug people" upstairs (the ones who work on the petri dishes, etc) will find a specific antibiotic that will kill this bug. Each bacteria has a specific sensitivity to a particular antibiotic and the "bug people" will figure this out and if Tyson needs to switch meds, they will switch it. Right now he is on gentamicin and another one, but a quick google search tells us that the Moraxella catarrhalis is sensitive to penicillin or erythromycin.
Tyson had a procedure done this morning called a "bronchoscopy." It involves sending a camera-catheter down his bronchial tubes to have a look around at what kinds of secretions are developing inside. This bronchoscopy didn't show anything conclusive, except that he has an infection. Tyson was sedated for the procedure so that he was not uncomfortable, but as a result he spent most of the day sleeping.
This afternoon we enjoyed a visit from my parents who dragged along three adorable children! They enjoyed a weekend camping at Valens with their cousins and they filled us in on all the exciting details! It must have been quite the weekend because my Mom lost her voice somewhere in the process. Out of practise, Mom?!
Brian is leaving tonight and heading back to work for the week and I am having some company tomorrow but if anyone is bored on Thursday or Friday, I would love some company! There's only so many Sudoku puzzles I can do! :)
Until next time,
Brian and Mel:)

6 comments:

Mel said...

Yay you got to see your kiddies!! That is AWESOME!! I hope you enjoyed your visit with them--I'm sure you had lots to do listening to all of their adventures...no time for Sudokus this afternoon!!

Anonymous said...

Hi guys
Glad to hear Tyson is coming along, slowly but surely sounds like. Hope those baby steps turn into giant leaps soon!
We had a great time with your kiddos this weekend. I have some pictures to email you. Kids kept busy and I think us adults complained more than them.....LOL
All in all it was fun, and the kids didn't complain too much about Grandma losing her voice....
Thinking of you and Tyson always!
Love;
Lea and Derek

Anonymous said...

OH! By the way.....
You're welcome for the whistles the boys got in the goodie bags from Isaac's party!
Mom and Dad told them to blow them LOTS when Tyson comes home......
Enjoy!! :) :) :) :) :) :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Mel,
I've emailed you an email to your regular address - it was too long and "newsy" for the blog....
see you
k

Richard said...

wishing you all the best and the Lords blessing. I talk to Brian so hopefully you get my messages

Garth and Alida said...

Hey guys! Had a great time with your kids this weekend - Noah loves spending time with your boys! Kenny had fun telling Uncle Garth that he was bad and had to "sit in the corner", and then counting "1, 2, 3" to try to threaten him into obeying!
Our prayers are with you constantly,
Garth and Alida