Sunday, January 11, 2009

Our Beefy Burrito Beats ROP

So I've started calling Brynn a beefy burrito because A) She looks like a beefy fat giant to me (broke 4 lbs last night); and B) she looks like a burrito in this awesome wrap by one of our nurses, Jen. If this isn't a burrito, then it's for sure an egg roll but either way you slice it, it's food. I wish I had a better picture, but this is the best one we've got so far:


One update I forgot to mention in my last fast update, was that our little girl has beat ROP. Even the doctor, a retina specialist who does nothing but look at retinas all day, was totally shocked. Here were his comments after seeing her eyes one week post treatment. By the way, since doctor handwriting is impossible to read, let me translate. It says "Plus down, down, down, down, down. N/V gone!! Marked improvement!!!" Don't you love his use of exclamation points? Brynn's ecstatic mommy does. (By the way, Plus Disease is the later stages of ROP that signifies the detaching of the retina. N/V is doctor speak for all the crazy blood vessels):

He was pretty amazed (as was I) when her eyes went from this . . .
. . . to this . . .
. . . in a matter of one week. The skinny scribbles radiating from the center of the eye outward represent the normal blood vessels and the big black scribbles represent the crazy, out-of-control blood vessels that can eventually cause blindness. Pretty much all of Brynn's bad blood vessels disappeared. Hooray!

Also, here is Brynn in her "big girl" bed. Yay! No more isolette:
Lastly, I told Brynn about all her fans, those who were so generous at our baby showers, and the many people who are still praying for her. She wanted to say a big "Hello!" and "Thanks!" to everyone:

Have a great night!
Natalie

16 comments:

The Diggins Family said...

That is such wonderful news! And she really does much bigger now, even at a glance - good work Brynn!

Ryan, Melissa, and Family said...

That is great news! I am happy to hear she is doing so well:) She is so adorable...I love the waving picture:)

Ina & co. said...

She looks so GOOD!!! Hurray! Good luck with the feeds... :) INA (Lori's sister)

Emily said...

She looks GREAT! I love the burrito picture and the wave!

Lori said...

Oh I love that hand wave! Plus you can totally see a change in her hair color - it really does have some red. How awesome! Keep up that good work, Brynn, and if you figure out how to take a bottle before Aliya - can you talk to her about how to do it? Isn't that what best friends are for? We love you, Brynn!

Matt and Tommi +4 said...

Yeah! She is doing SO great!

Monique said...

Yes, terrific news.

Intravitreal avastin -pure brilliance!

Now you got me curious about what n/v stands for in the retina world. . . (normally it means nausea & vomit). Since it looks like you're into reading medical notes, you might like medilexicon.com for definitions of commonly used abbreviations.

glad your little girl is becoming the big burrito of your dreams. mmmmmmmm. . .

Natalie said...

Monique--I can never figure out how to respond to comments but hopefully you get this. N/V stands for something like Neuro Vascularization? I can't remember, but it means extra veins in the eyes. I can't remember the technical term, but if it makes you feel better, the other nurses were confused as to why he was writing nausea/vomiting about her eyes, too :)

Anonymous said...

She's so cute!! I'm glad she doing so well. I love reading doctor's handwriting. Okay not really, but I'm getting better at reading the code.

Monique said...

Yeah, I gave it some thought and came up with neovascularization (new vessels).

Those optho people are a different breed.

Either way, still exciting! A miracle, in fact.

k said...

What an adorable wave for the camera! Way to go, Brynn!!!

Ali Howell said...

Natalie,
I'm so happy to see Brynn is getting so big and making so many wonderful steps forward! In the scheme of things you are so close to bringing her home...The baby i was pregnant with last time i saw you came early and had to be in the icu, but i have to say going home on oxygen and monitors is no big deal...and you're right it's harder the first night with out the apnea monitor!!! Keep up the good work both you guys and Brynn...this part will be over soon and you will all be home together!!! Our thoughts and prayers are with you!!!

Melynda said...

Oh she is too cute! Wow she is getting so big :) I am so happy to hear such great news!

Melynda

Laura said...

I was just checking out some of my sister's blogs that she follows tonight - and came acrossed yours. I just want to say how beautiful your daughter is. I had twins in the NICU for awhile. I took my daughter home when she weighed 4 lbs 6 oz. I had a boy/girl set of twins at 33 weeks and they are perfectly fine. My brother's wife had a baby at 31 weeks and their son is great too. Anyway, just wishing you all the luck.

Danyelle Ferguson said...

Wow! She's getting so big! What wonderful news about her eyes and her weight. She's one incredible little girl. Much love to you all!

Diane Terese Christian said...

Hi

Diane in Spokane checking in on you all...I think of you often. I so glad this site is here to check in on. Our prayers and thoughts are with you. The news you share is wonderful. Brynn's progress is a true blessing.

Love Casey and Diane