Our Sweet "Heart": 6 Months

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

6 Months

Happy 6 months Mad-man!!

Too bad we have to celebrate at the hospital.

Maddox has been sick coughing non-stop and not breathing so well, in fact his sats were in the 70's today. Normal people are in the high 90's to 100, and Maddox is normally 94-95, so he was not doing well and was not his usual pink self. He was admitted to the hospital but we hope will be out in a couple of days.

I'll try to update more tomorrow, but need to get some rest as I am under the weather myself due in part to stress and lack of sleep.

Please continue to pray for Maddox. We are all being pushed to the edge of our endurance and need an extra boost. A BIG THANK YOU to our awesome friends who just jump right in and pick up the slack when we are completely unable to take care of ourselves. You guys have literally saved us and kept our family going. Love to all of you!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

5 comments:

NicoleApril 21, 2010 at 9:24 PM
Much love and prayers for you and your family Alissa, especially little Maddox!
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thepainterfamilyApril 22, 2010 at 7:24 AM
We will pray for little Maddox, and for your whole sweet family.
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Erin SApril 22, 2010 at 2:36 PM
I can't believe he is 6 months already! Get better little guy! We love you and pray for you.
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Brita DietzelApril 23, 2010 at 9:03 AM
Sorry to hear about Maddox's set back. I'll be checking in to hear how he is doing. Be gentle with yourselves. So much you have endured this year. Take it a moment at a time...if that is what you need to. We are praying for your family and Maddox. Hang in there. Give Maddox a hug from us in Minnesota :)
Brita Dietzel and family
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chrisnbriApril 23, 2010 at 9:04 PM
Oh I am so sorry to hear that he is sick,our prayers are with your sweet little family.Keep your chin up!
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Maddox Revere Dixon

Welcome to our story of modern day miracles. We have seen first hand the wonders of our Heavenly Father and have been joined with people all over in earnest prayer for a baby boy... our Miracle Maddox.

Maddox was diagnosed prenatally with Aortic Stenosis and Mitral Regurgitation. We found out at 27 weeks gestational age that he had a congenital heart defect. By 29 weeks he was in heart failure and had developed hydrops(fluid under the skin, in his abdomen, and around his heart). The plan was to deliver him at 30 weeks via c-section and after birth attempt to get him stable enough to try to open up his aortic valve. We were also given the option of doing nothing and delivering vaginally once he had passed away, which they thought would be soon. The doctors gave him a less than 1% chance of survival if we tried to intervene. We started planning his funeral. The week we were scheduled to have the c-section we were given the option of flying out to Boston to do a fetal intervention where they would essentially operate on Maddox in the womb. The doctors in Boston weren't even sure that Maddox would be alive once we got off the plane. Two days later we had the fetal intervention where they ballooned open the aortic valve, put a stent in the atrial septum as well as a hole above the stent, and removed some of the fluid in Maddox's belly. Maddox was the 9th baby with his unique heart condition to have undergone this type of intervention. It was successful, and Maddox was delivered at 37 weeks in Boston, where he underwent open heart surgery at 3 weeks of age. At two months of age Maddox came home to Texas. We are now trying to adjust to the new normal: multiple weekly doctors' visits, g-tube feeds, medications administered throughout the day, insurance claims, and including our three other children in the care of their amazing little brother. What an adventure. More surgery is in the Mad-man's future, but he has a future, and for that we will be forever grateful.