Reddit reviews Innovo Deluxe Fingertip Pulse Oximeter with Plethysmograph and Perfusion Index
We found 1 Reddit comments about Innovo Deluxe Fingertip Pulse Oximeter with Plethysmograph and Perfusion Index. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
ACCURATE AND RELIABLE - Consistently beat other pulse oximeter in terms of accuracy and reliability during clinical tests.PLETHYSMOGRAPH AND PERFUSION INDEX - Tells you if you are taking your SpO2 and Pulse Rate properly.NEW SOFTWARE FEATURES - 1) Auditory alarm to warn you when your SpO2 and Pulse Rate are beyond set limits. 2) Auditory Beeps for every detected pulse. 3) Adjustable brightness.SPORT ENTHUSIASTS - Suitable for mountain climbers, skiers, bikers, aviators or anyone interested in measuring their SpO2 and pulse rate while on the move.READY TO USE OUT OF THE BOX - Include 2X AAA BATTERIES and a LANYARD for convenience.
Oh, where to start!
Her surgery went...okay? They did have some leakage that they had to go in and repair before they could close, so that was extremely stressful. Not sure how old yours is, but ours was 9 months when they did her Glenn and a premie to boot, so working on a heart that small is bound to not always go right the first time.
Immediately after the surgery, they will have your girl so high on pain meds that she won't know anything about what is going on. It typically takes about 4 days for them to get extubated and ready to go to "step down" (not sure what it's called wherever you may be, but it's a less intensive care side of the CVICU where post op kiddos recover enough to go home). Get as much rest as you can in the first 4 days, because step down is stressful for you and her. They are still weaning her off the pain meds and she will be dealing with some pretty severe headaches because of how the Glenn alters her vascular pressures. Our girl was in and out in 11 days for the Glenn, so it's hard, but it doesn't last forever.
Once she adjusts to the new plumbing, she will start eating. I know eating was a major issue for us, and we had to stay on the OT folks to keep trying different formulas until they found one that she would take. Some babies aren't horrendously picky and just want to eat, so you may have an easy go of it. My biggest tip is to woo the nurses. They are the ones who do the primary care for your daughter, so if they enjoy you, they will spend more time there. Not to say that they avoid caring for the ones they don't like, but stacking the deck in your favor never hurts. The doctors, don't hesitate at all to call them out and demand better explanations and a clear consistent message.
Okay, enough about the hospital stay, let's look forward to getting home and the things that we went through and we wish we would have done: Stay on top of her Beads of Courage, if your hospital has that program. Our daughter wears them around the house like a trophy. She's a girly girl, and having that symbol of what she came through helps build her confidence. She also has a scar. You can minimize that, if you want, with the typical treatments, but we opted to let her decide how to handle it after the Fontan. As of right now, she points it out from time to time and says "My scar makes me brave and strong."
Your daughter will not be limited in the way that you or I think of being limited. She will never know a time, until after the Fontan, that running and playing doesn't make her tired, doesn't make her fingers get cold or her lips turn blue. That, in her mind will be normal, not limited. You know how kids are. Attention span of a mosquito. So, she will run and jump and bounce around for 10 minutes, then it will be time to sit down and color or play with her stuffed animals. As soon as she feels better, she will be off again. Trust me, your daughter will not miss a thing. She may not run marathons or be a college basketball star, but how many of us do that anyway? We go for walks and hikes and just adjust to suit what she is capable of. The flowers are just as beautiful at a slow walk as they are at a jog.
Her cardiologist has been very vague as to when they are expecting to start planning on transplantation, but that's primarily because of the wide range of kids with our CHD and how they have reacted to the surgeries. Judging by her performance so far, I'm betting on her being an outlier, but that may be a wishful dad.
We have been very open with our daughter about her chd. She's 4 now and starting to understand some of what is going on. She knows that she is gong to see Dr. Michi (her cardiac surgeon) soon, and that she is going to have another surgery to help fix her heart. She knows every 6 months we go to see her cardiologist who checks her heart to make sure it's all good. I think doing that makes it easier for her to understand what's going on and to be more compliant when we have to sit her down because she's pushing her body too hard.
The only other things I would suggest would be to get a prescription for oxygen and get a pediatric pulse oximeter. If your girl is over active, a few minutes on oxygen will help her recover much quicker and take the scary out of hyperventilating. You can grab a cheap pulse ox like this: https://smile.amazon.com/Pediatric-Oximeter-Carrying-Protective-Batteries/dp/B00UF9W1NU/ref=sr_1_12_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1492181563&sr=8-12&keywords=pediatric+pulse+oximeter if your girl is still fairly small. We use this one: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B010C92IT4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it seems to do just fine. The best part about the one we use is the adjustable alarms. Many oximeters don't take into account kids with chds won't run th 92%+ sats, so it's constantly beeping while i'm trying to check numbers with her asleep.
I'm sure things are progressing now, so you may not read this until after she is out, but we are praying for your daughter and for you. Please don't hesitate to stay in touch.