Tymek will be born in a few days. In his house, packing, gathering the necessary items and arranging documents is in progress. There is also a prayer for more time, because in his case everything depends on strangers and mobilization. It is thanks to them that in four years Tymek will be able to play with his brother, Maks. Just like any “normal” toddler.
- Tymek is the second son of Joanna and Mateusz. Their firstborn, Maks, is now 16 months old
- During the ultrasound in the 20th week of pregnancy, it turned out that Tymek’s heart was seriously ill. The first operation was due in week 23
- After giving birth, Tymek is to be placed on the operating table again. Then three more surgeries await him. It has 80 percent. chances for a normal life and hopeful parents. There is only no time and money
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Agnieszka Mazur-Puchała, Medonet: Do you remember the moment when you saw two lines on your pregnancy test?
Joanna Węgrzyn, mother of Tymek and Maks: I remember, I remember very well. It was a surprise, such a plus. Great joy, because we wanted Maks to have siblings. I also come from a larger family, I have three siblings. I wanted Maks to have that life too. So that he would have a brother or sister, he could play with them, build the unique bond that forms between siblings.
Maks is now 16 months old, so the age difference between the boys is minimal. My son was everywhere when he was 16 months old. Weren’t you afraid that you wouldn’t be able to deal with two little ones?
I knew it was a very big challenge. Maks is already running, lively and very active. It was certain that a big change awaited us and it will not be easy. But neither am I a person who is easy to scare. I had no feeling that I could not do it. After all, I could always let Maks go to the nursery to make it a bit easier. But then I figured I’d rather him stay at home with me after all. I decided to take up the challenge with two kids.
And, paradoxically, it was not physically difficult at all. I can handle this second pregnancy much better. With Maks, I often had a hard stomach, I was stressed a lot – like with my first child. I was afraid of what it would be, if everything was okay. And with Tymek I am in a very good physical condition. Anyway, if you already have one toddler, there is no time for weakness and self-pity.
It looks like you had everything under control, everything in order. Then it was time for a half-time examination.
Yes, in week 20. I completely did not take into account that something might be wrong. I found out before that we’d probably have another boy. I imagined that Maks and Tymek would have fun together, that it would be difficult only at the beginning, and then the boys would get along and start getting along with each other.
You can help Tymek through a fundraiser here.
I did not expect any misdiagnosis. When I think about it now, the only alarm signal that comes to my mind is that I felt Tymek’s movements later than in the case of Maks. And that’s it. No family history of such diseases, no such dramatic situations among friends … The doctor did not tell me right away. She examined me, then I was going to make markers from blood. I came back with the results without realizing that something was wrong. And she said the baby would have a heart defect. I said: “Impossible”. I did not believe it, because how is it? How could it happen to us if there were no similar cases around?
Especially since this is a very rare defect.
Exactly. The first diagnosis is critical aortic stenosis. At the beginning, the left ventricle was oversized, it was compressing the right ventricle and it did not work. Medically this is called fibroelastosis. The left ventricle is stiff, it does not shrink, does not start working, does not pump blood.
After that first examination, things started to happen very quickly. Another examination in Krakow, by a specialist in fetal echocardiography. It was the last day of the illusion that what if it was a mistake, that this defect does not exist at all. But unfortunately everything was confirmed and it was necessary to make a quick decision about the heart ballooning procedure in Warsaw. The idea was to break this valve. To do this, you need to insert the balloon into the heart through the catheter. Through the belly, of course. Tymek had to get muscle relaxants and put himself in a proper position to perform the procedure. The first day did not work out. It didn’t help the dances, the shaking of the hips, nothing. On the second day, he finally turned so that his heart became visible. It was the 23rd week, then the baby’s heart is the size of a walnut.
Also read:
- The female reproductive age has increased by two years. This could have health implications
- From the “little stranger” to the fetus. How did doctors manage to “see” under the skin of mothers?
- Help for parents of disabled children? “My son is 30 today, and during that time I could only count on myself”
- “If I had known how seriously ill my child would be, I would not have made up my mind to give birth to him”. Hospice doctor: yes, I sometimes hear these words
- In vitro fertilization causes more and more multiple pregnancies. Soon the world will be flooded with twins?
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