Wyatt James Koger, A Fighter from Birth: September 2007

Saturday, September 22, 2007

I'm Home

I came home today at 2pm and my doctors restricted me to bed rest and light activity --walk to the kitchen and back-- until I have the baby. I feel really good! I am camping out on my couch during the day. I want to thank you for all your phonecalls and support. I have to pinch myself because I am so lucky to have such great friends and family. You guys are the best!! I have been reading, watching TV, and Benji set my laptop up so I can use our wireless Internet from the couch.

They discharged me on condition that I remain on bed rest and come to Hopkins every other day for testing. The docs are super nice and they are paying such close
attention to my case. They never make a decision unless they speak to the entire team of doctors. They said that I am receiving the best OB care in the state. Who knows?????

Saturday, September 15, 2007

My Water Broke!

I was sitting at my desk at work today when I felt a trickle down my leg! I was having a slow leak. We went to Hopkins and they confirmed that it was amniotic fluid. They emitted me in the hospital where I am staying for a week. The doctors want the baby to develop further so they injected me with steroids and antibiotics.

A miracle happened and my leak sealed up!! I requested to go home because living in the hospital for a week was like being in jail. I could get hardly any rest. I
thought laying in bed, having people wait on you would be a luxury, but after two days it gets really old.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Meet the soon to be Wyatt Koger

This is Wyatt, my soon to be new baby. It was shocking to hear at first, but I am happy to know ahead of time. My baby has a diaphragmatic hernia, meaning there is a hole in his diaphragm and the stomach and intestines are growing in his chest
cavity, which leaves little room for the lungs to develop. It's a very serious birth defect, but we are hoping for the best case which is a normal healthy baby boy.

Our signs point in a positive direction- the liver is down (which is very good) and their are no visible heart defects. He will have to undergo surgery when he is about 1 week old to put the organs back in place and will remain in NICU for about one
month.

Please keep him in your prayers. I am his mom, so I am only thinking positive thoughts. I am his biggest cheerleader!! I feel that I know him already, I get to see his 3-D picture almost everyday -- he is very cute-- and he moves around constantly!!

Hurdles that I faced and achieved!

After birth, I was placed on ECMO at Johns Hopkins Hospital for 13 days. On day 13, I had a surgery to repair my hernia and was removed from ECMO, but my organs would not fit in my abdomen. I had a silo for a week and then surgery to place the organs back in the abdomen. Then, part of my intestines re-herniated into my chest cavity two months later and I had another surgery to repair that. After my first surgery, I experienced an intraventricular hemorrhage in my brain and at four months old I received a VP shunt. After I was extubated, I learned that I have right vocal cord paralysis. Then I had g-tube surgery and after I finally got to go home after 5 longs months at Johns Hopkins and Mt. Washington Hospital! Only for a few weeks, though. In mid-April my intestines reherniated again and sent me into surgery. I came home, and had a long run before my THIRD reherniation in the beginning of September on Labor Day weekend in 2008. Then I was hospitalized for twice during the winter 2009 for two respiratory infections. Well, I almost lasted a year until my next surgery! Just this past June, in 2009, I had surgery to wrap my stomach around the esophagus, a nissen. This has helped with my reflux and my hiatal hernia. I will be 2 in October, I love scooting around but refuse to stand up and walk. I am a little miracle and thank God, my doctors, my nurses, family, and friends for my strength, my fight and a happy life.