Medical Terminology
Zoey's doctors talk about this stuff all the time, so I finally checked out a book, looked on-line, called my doctor friends, and deciphered some of the code.
*Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) = can't breath well.
*Apnea of prematurity = forgets to breathe. Zoey still forgets when she is sleeping, so they have her on a machine just in case.
*Bilirubin = stuff our bodies produce as waste, can build up and cause Jaundice, (yellow skin). They put an eye mask on her and placed her under blue "bili lights." Very much like going to a tanning bed. clears the problem. worked on Zoey.
*Patent ductus arteriosus = part of the heart that's supposed to close when you're born but sometimes doesn't. Zoey had meds for that, which worked.
*Intraventricular hemorrhage = bleeding in the brain.
They rate it from Grade 1 - 4. Grade 1 & 2 is mild and expected in preemies. Zoey has Grade 3, which can lead to excess fluid in the brain, brain damage, or both. It can clear up on its own, or progress to Grade 4 which will show multiple areas of brain damage.
Medical terms are scary. So are their definitions.
*Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) = can't breath well.
*Apnea of prematurity = forgets to breathe. Zoey still forgets when she is sleeping, so they have her on a machine just in case.
*Bilirubin = stuff our bodies produce as waste, can build up and cause Jaundice, (yellow skin). They put an eye mask on her and placed her under blue "bili lights." Very much like going to a tanning bed. clears the problem. worked on Zoey.
*Patent ductus arteriosus = part of the heart that's supposed to close when you're born but sometimes doesn't. Zoey had meds for that, which worked.
*Intraventricular hemorrhage = bleeding in the brain.
They rate it from Grade 1 - 4. Grade 1 & 2 is mild and expected in preemies. Zoey has Grade 3, which can lead to excess fluid in the brain, brain damage, or both. It can clear up on its own, or progress to Grade 4 which will show multiple areas of brain damage.
Medical terms are scary. So are their definitions.