Sedated Echo

Well...it's over...the echo at least. We drove to Houston yesterday with a starving Ethan for his echo. He did really well with the sedation this time so we are relieved at that point. The type of Echo his cardio wanted required an IV that we tried for but were never able to get. His PA band is open but has low pressure going through it so there is an obstruction farther "down the line" as Dr. Altman puts it. The major suspect is his pulmonary artery that goes to his right lung. If you have been keeping up with Ethan you know that his first surgery required the surgeon to disconnect the pulmonary artery from his right lung, untangle it and his common pulmonary vein, and then reconnect the lung to the artery. The suspected diagnosis at this point is scar tissue buildup that is lowering the amount of flow to his right lung. Which would cause his symptoms of short breath during activity and being generally a darker blue than his normal is. Our next step is an MRI as soon as they can schedule it. If the MRI confirms scar tissue in the pulmonary artery, we will be sent to the cath lab to have that artery ballooned open at the scar. As scared as I am for this, I'll take it over open heart surgery any day. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as the stress is taking it's toll on everyone. Ethan did really well yesterday and we know that he will continue to amaze us all!