Sarah Chester's Page

We found out that Cameron had Tetralogy of Fallots the day after he was born. He was born by cesarean section and weighed 5 pound 12, he was handed to us and we were told he was fine. It was by far the best moment of my whole life. The following day i was having trouble feeding him and he hadnt taken hardly a drop since he was born, he cried and went blue and they then heard a Heart Murmur. It was a big shock for us as like most people you hope your new little bundle will be healthy and fine. Cameron was taken by ambulance to Birmingham Childrens Hospital the next day to be seen by a specialist who confirmed Cameron had Tetralogy of Fallots. At five weeks of age Cameron had to go for a Cardiac catheter and we were told he needed an operation to fit a Shunt and reconnect his Pulmonary artery which had dissconnected itself. A few days later he had this surgery done. Although you are shown around ITU you are never prepaired for the feeling you get when you see your tiny baby on a ventilator with so many tubes and machines and kept sedated as his chest has had to been left open for the swelling to go down. It was a very difficult time but Cameron thrived and we were soon allowed to go home. We continued with appointments to check Camerons Sats and just before his first birthday he was booked in for another Cardiac catheter. It was then decided to do Camerons full Fallots repair. He was booked in a month after his first birthday. The operation took around six hours and was one of the worst times i have ever experienced with every hour feeling like a life time. We had a call to say he had been taken to ITU and it would be about an hour before we could see him. Prepairing yourself to see your child in ITU again is so hard and although i knew what to expect this time it did not make it any easier, i sobbed. Amazingly the difference you notice when your child is slightly older is massive. Hour by hour medications were reduced and taken off. His chest drains were taken off quickly and he was soon out of ITU and back on the ward. Five days later Cameron was allowed home. It has been almost two years since Camerons last surgery and he seems to be doing fine, he is still small for his age and doesnt eat a great deal, but apart from that he is a normal child with normal energy levels and normal naughtyness. I am quite protective over Cameron which i believe is because of what we have all been through together. I relive his surgeries every single day and feel a sense of guilt as i feel responsible for what he has had to endure. We have been told that Cameron will require more surgery as he grows to replace tubes ect, but we try to make every day good for Cameron and try not to think that Cameron has got to go through all that again. I love Cameron so so much and cherish every single minute of every single day. He is my very special boy and i am so proud of him. He is amazing.