UNEXPECTED AND EVENTFUL

 I got the results from Mason's Biopsy last night after we had gotten home. The news that he his in REJECTION was completely UNEXPECTED! In fact it truly blindsided me! At least it is only mild rejection, but he has both cellular and antibody mediated rejection. It is not bad enough to be admitted to the hospital and put on IV steroids thank goodness, but he is back on oral steroids. He has been off of those nasty but miraculous things for 18 months! Along with it (prednisone oral steroid) he has to be back on 3 prophylactic (anti viral, anti bacterial, and anti fungal) medications as well. It feels like several steps backwards adding 10 doses of meds back into his already 14 daily doses of meds!

This all came so UNEXPECTEDLY, especially because yesterday's echo showed great function and no changes, as well as his heart pressures from the cath looked great. It could be much worse I know, so I am just grateful we caught it before it affected his heart function. I will say, Mason has been a little whiny and grumpy lately but I just couldn't pin point what was wrong. So maybe it has been the rejection making him feel yucky. The transplant team said that the rejection possibly came from him having so many infections over the last 5 months, because this can cause your bodies immune system to rev up (even on his Prograf and Celcept-immune suppression/anti rejection meds) and make antibodies to fight the infections which can then start to fight the transplanted heart.

We all know Miracle Mason is a fighter, 

so with a little help from steroids, prayers, 

and good luck he will kick this rejection

 and make his heart happy again. 

Now for the EVENTFUL part of yesterday..... Mason and I had left the post-op recovery department after recovering from Mason's cath, because he was doing great We were headed to the Cardiology department for his echo and clinic visit. Down the hallway from post-op we stopped in the bathroom because I needed to go potty. Mason got mad and started screaming and crying while I was going potty. I'm not really sure why he was mad. He was trying to slide out of the stroller. So I put him back in, but he was super upset (probably just cranky because of the anesthesia and he was exhausted, we'd left the house at 5am) and he held his breath like he does sometimes when he's mad and crying at home.  But, this time he held for so long he turned purple and passed out in my arms for a several seconds (maybe even a minute)!  

I ran out of the bathroom holding him yelling for help and ran back to the recovery area. Needless to say, it was very scary. He came to on his own but he was still quite purple. Nurses called 'code blue' before they realized he was conscious again. Doctors and nurses surrounded us within seconds. They had me lay him on bed to assess him, check his vitals, and give him some blow by O2. By that time he had recovered from the episode and his vitals were fine, but it took at least 30 minutes for his normal coloring to return. The doctors think it happened because when he held his breath he still had enough morphine and anesthesia on board to cause him to pass out :( They kept us there to observe him for a few more hours to make sure he didn't do it again before we could go down to cardiology clinic. The little Stinker!!!!! Now they will always make us wait in recovery for several hours after anesthesia before they discharge him even if he seems to be doing great. 

We go back next week for IVIg, the week after for Transplant clinic, April 8th for his back rods expansion surgery, and sometime later in April for his Coronary Artery MRI and a follow up biopsy (I don't have the dates yet.) Hopeful these next few visits to Primary's won't be as unexpectedly eventful!!!

Thank you for you love, concern, positive thoughts, and prayers. Have a great weekend!