MRI Gone Wrong

I'm not sure if it's a mother's love or intuition that makes you

nervous before you hand over your child. I was very nervous as I

handed Hope to the anesthesiologist this morning and began to cry when

she was out of the room. Liz, Shawn and I prayed for her when they

took her away and then went out to busy ourselves until she was

finished. I find it easier to stay busy and not think about what's

happening when Hope is in the OR or under heavy sedation.

Around 11:30 we were called back into the recovery room to see Hope as

she was waking up from the sleeping drugs. Shawn managed to wash his

hands before me and was holding her when I finished. I tried to be
patient, but didn't last long before I stole her back for myself! She

was waking up slowly, making little noises and seemed to be doing

well. She sounded a bit funny from the breathing tube, but that was

to be expected. We weren't thrilled with the idea of intubation, but

knew that trusting the anesthesiologist was the best idea - she seemed

like a really great doctor and very caring.

They wondered if some fluid had been caught in her lungs from the

fluids she was given during the MRI. I was texting my mom and some

information was mixed up between texting and the update. They did not

see any fluid on her lungs in the MRI, only in her abdomen. They

merely assumed she must have had some in there from the low

saturations of oxygen. An Xray was ordered to look into this, but no

one was very alarmed at this point, just being cautious. No fluid was

found on her lungs in the Xray.

Hope's oxygen sats were still low after the Xray and the doctors

decided they wanted to watch us for another 30 minutes before we would

be allowed to leave. They also called up to cardiology to see if they

wanted to come and see her. They had discussed admitting her if she

had fluid on her lungs, but didn't appear to. Around 1:30, Hope

started to get really fussy and was crying quite agressively. Her

face began to turn beet red and something in me felt very nervous. I

told the nurse that her colour was very red.  She told me that it was

normal when a child screamed that loudly. I had a moment of pure

strength and let her know that I had never seen Hope that colour, she

turns purple when she's angry, not red, and I wanted the cardiologist

to come see her immediately.

In what seemed like a whirlwind, the cardiologist came down and agreed

that no child should be fire engine red, even while screaming. She

was crying like she was in pain, would not settle, had horrible colour

and her sats were still very low and not in her normal range. We knew

we would be admitted and were not going anywhere tonight. I felt

terribly uneasy and knew this was all wrong and not normal, not even

for Hope. The intensivist from the ICU was called and it was decided

that Hope needed to be taken to the ICU immediately, she was simply

not stable and struggling to breath.

An echo was ordered of Hope's heart.  Sadly, her function is not as

great as it was. Throughout the MRI, Hope's heart function still

looked to be doing well, as it has been all along. This is no longer

the case, whatever is happening has damaged her heart function on the

right side, the only side she has. They are hoping it is temporary,

but aren't sure, and will take another look tomorrow. We  PRAISE

GOD that Hope's SVC has NO clots in it at this point. She was 25%

clotted previously, but is 100% open now! Her left side is still

fully clotted off and never expected to re-open, but the right side is

draining the upper body beautifully and the SVC is clear.  This is

SUPER important for the next surgery.

They are now thinking that Hope has had a severely rare and very

serious reaction to either the contrast dye from the MRI or the

anesthetic that was used. She will never be able to have a contrast

MRI again, a sad thing for a heart baby. She has been given high

doses of Benadryl, but showed continued reaction and has now been

given steroid treatment to keep her stable. Hope will remain in the

ICU overnight for continued steroid treatment and observation. If she

is stable in the morning and seems to be recovered, we'll be moved up

to the ward again. Not sure how long we'll be here this time, but I

really am starting to memorize the cafeteria menu!

It's been a tough day emotionally, a simple reminder of how the 'easy'

steps in Hope's care can go all wrong. They have never seen a

reaction to the MRI contrast dye at the hospital here. There are

documented cases in the world, but very few and almost none as severe

as Hope's. She truly likes to make an impression on health care

workers! I'm so glad Shawn has been here with me today, it has been a

great strength. We strongly feared being sent back to Edmonton and

are thankful to be in Calgary at least.

I'm emotionally dry as a desert and could use a long bath and a nap.

My heart rate has been racing all day and I'm starting to crash now

that Hope is more stable. I sometimes wonder if I'll die young after

all this craziness. Please pray for us as we continue to walk through

this mess with our beautiful girl. Please also pray for Sadie, she

gets passed around a lot when these things happen and it can be really

hard on her. Thank you for continuing to stand with us, we know we're

needy!