Starving for Pictures

In an effort to determine whether or not Torran's high blood pressure is affecting his body, he's having an echocardiogram tomorrow. That's ultrasound imaging of his heart. We're hoping they'll also be able to tell us if his ASD (Atrial-Septal defect) is still open.

For an adult, this is a straightforward procedure. Like an abdominal ultrasound, you get goop placed on your chest and they hold the wand against it to take pictures. I've had it done and the worst part is when the plastic imaging device is pressed against the bony part of the chest (the sternum). Even then, it's only uncomfortable, not painful.

Infants, however, are expected to be less cooperative. So, to achieve good test results, Torran will be sedated. When a person is sedated, their digestive system slows down. If there is food in the stomach, there is a risk of vomiting and of that vomitus being inhaled causing choking or infection hazards.

Tonight after midnight, Torran once again faces being denied food. It's the first time since he's been on solids. With his stomach almost like a precision clock, I'm not sure how this is going to work. I was going to argue against sedation until I realized he's going to be pretty pissed off by the time the test gets done. He can have breast milk until 7am, and clear fluids until 9. Afterwards, I anticipate lots of unhappiness, and I thank the NICU nurses for introducing a soother.

We'll be at the hospital for well over two hours for this one "simple" imaging procedure. The results come through at our appointment on Monday. We're not really looking forward to it, even though it's not really an invasive process. Seeing Torran go hungry for a lengthy period is almost as distressing as watching him get poked for intravenous access. I just hope the chloral hydrate they give him to make him sleep works quickly, for his sake.