Heartrate woes again.....

Usually I am complaining because Rhett's heart rate is too low, well today it seems really high. It's hovering around 150. Normal range is 89-110, while awake I might add. We all know he does crazy low heart rate things while sleeping.

So bear with me here while I think out loud of some maybes.....He has no fever. So that doesn't explain it. No congestion, sore throat is gone, his strep rash is gone. Can't be that.

So here is the only two explanations I can come up with.

One.....He has a pocket of fluid around his heart that is supposedly "normal" for his heart conditions. If that fluid builds up too much around his heart then it can cause a high heart rate. (Tachycardia) They would have to go in, stick a needle in that pocket and drain it. It wouldn't be a permanent fix, but it would work for a while. We have been told to watch this since January, and this fluid seems to freak out the radiologists every time he has a chest x-ray. But the cardiologist says it's okay for now, and well, we trust our cardiologist more than anyone. We wouldn't have our little bundle energy here with us if it weren't for this amazing man. He is the one who has gotten Rhett's pulmonary pressures down to normal. Which was no small feat.

Two......There is still always that chance for the next year and a half that that pesky diaphragmatic hernia could come back from the repair being weakened when they did the chest compressions. He isn't due for another chest xray until mid October.

So for now, I am going to spend the night watching the his pulse ox machine, and praying with all of my heart that for once, his heart rate being this high means absolutely nothing.

Please say a little prayer that it is nothing, and that Rhett can sleep tonight. The last week has been really bad, and we have gotten zero CPAP time, nor have we been able to put his oxygen on at night. I can't help but think that his heart is having to work harder to create oxygen in his blood stream, and that is causing his heart rate to go up too.

His heart has been on the big side of normal for the last 6 months, and I would really like it to stay that way, or maybe even get better. It scares the snot out of me to think of the right side of his heart becoming enlarged again.

Rhett says thank you. We need to keep him healthy so that he can have a HUGE birthday party next month!!