This was me when I came home from Texas Children's. I still had the feeding tube in. My parents did not like the feeding tube because each time they had to feed me, they had to listen through a stethoscope to make sure it was in the right place. What a pain!
We all got used to the feeding tube after a while.
My parents say I was a happy baby!
See my red cheeks? This was from being in the hospital. My skin was reacting to all the tape.
My cheeks are healing!
This was right before I got sick with bacterial meningitis. I can tell I don't look so good.
Double ugh. I went back to the hospital with bacterial meningitis at 14-months-old. I was there over Halloween, so I dressed up at the hospital. I dressed up as a cardiologist.
I really don't look like I feel well, do I? This was at the beginning, before the antibiotics kicked in.
My mom says this was the hardest hospital stay because the antibiotics kicked in quickly, but we had to stay there for the entire course. Two weeks! I was well and still at the hospital!
Going home again!
This is me at physical therapy. The doctor said I should go there because I was slow at learning how to walk.
Mom loves this picture!
Happy baby!
This is me after my open-heart surgery. We are home, but I'm still recovering. The surgery was on May 6, 2003. I was one-year-old. I don't look too pretty, do I? Granddad says I look like I was in a car wreck. My parents say the open-heart surgery was pretty uneventful. The surgery was about 6 hours and considered a success. They weren't sure what they were going to do until they opened me up (they never really are), but out of all the options they thought were available, the best possible outcome was achieved. It was a good surgery. Surprisingly, I'm not on any medication and have no restrictions, even to this day.
Still recovering. My cheeks are looking better, aren't they?
With my friends, Nash and Cade. I'm recovering but my cheeks are still red, red, red! The scar looks much better, too.
My mom says this picture encompasses my personality beautifully at this age!
Emma,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story with all of us! Your blog is wonderful and I can tell that my daughter Julia would love to know you. She is 10 and had some similar scary stuff when she was born without a thyroid. In fact, your mommy and I had some things in common and didn't even know it! We will be praying about your upcoming surgery and I hope we can meet you one day too. You are a beautiful young lady! (And you were a cute baby too!)