Rainee at 6 months

This is my daughter Rainee Grace. She was airlifted from a small hospital to Seattle Children's Hospital shortly after she was born. She struggled to breathe, had meconium aspiration, and the cord wrapped around her neck. Also "possible" seizures. After two days they sent her home. She was fine, and they had no idea why she had acted that way. I had had a BAD delivery, so didn't question them much, just glad that it was much ado about nothing.

Two months later, Rainee was still breathing fast. I smuggled her some of my daughters albuterol, and she settled right down. We took her to the doctor, they x-rayed her, said she had swollen bronchials. And go on with the albuterol. Two weeks later she had pneumonia. She's since had pneumonia four other times.

Eventually we got a referral to a pulmonologist. She was eventually diagnosed with GERD (reflux) bronchomalacia, and trachea stenosis. She was given Flovent, albuterol, and Zantac. We were told the last two diagnoses she would always have, and struggle with. We were sick, and are still struggling with this.

On January 9th during her fifth bout of pneumonia the doctor heard a heart murmur. He commented on it thought it was probably minor MVP, and said we could get it checked out in April when the visiting cardiologist came (we live in a rural area). A week later he saw her again, and the murmur was MUCH louder. We headed back to Children's, this time to add a cardiologist to the schedule.

She has now been diagnosed with a PDA that needs to be fixed. The are going to fix it with a catheter procedure. We are hoping desperately that this will stop some of her pneumonias. And we are struggling hard with the new diagnosis. Her procedure is scheduled for the end of February, and we pray she stays healthy until then.