There's just something not right about those two terms going together. But that was what our day looked like at the beginning of January when we had to take Emeri to the cardiologist. Yep, that's my little angel all hooked up to wires and monitors again. This was right before the ultrasound that left baby and mommy covered in goo and formula. I thought we were past this when we left the NICU but we had to revisit this image once again. At their 2 month check up, Dr. Ecroyd heard a slight heart murmur when listening to Emeri's heart. She wasn't overly concerned since heart murmurs are very common in infants but she sent us to see a cardiologist just to be on the safe side. I'm so glad she did because what we expected to be an innocent heart murmur turned out to be something called Pulmonary Stenosis. Pulmonary Stenosis is a heart valve disorder in which outflow of blood from the right ventricle of the heart is obstructed at the level of the pulmonic valve. This results in the reduction of the flow of blood to the lungs.
When the doctor explained this to us, I was honestly in shock. I just didn't expect there to be anything wrong. It was supposed to be a simple heart murmur. Of course, I immediately began to cry. I was scared. No one wants to see their babies hurt and I was really scared to find out what this meant for my sweet Emeri. The doctor was super sweet and very thorough. He immediately told me that she would be fine and that I did NOTHING to cause this to happen (I thought it funny that he knew I would be thinking that....I guess he has a lot of experience with moms feeling this way). He basically told us that her problem was in the very mild range and that as long as it stayed there, we have nothing to worry about. Even if it gets in the severe range, there are things that can be done to help her situation. If this were to happen, she would probably have to have surgery and it could potentially affect her ability to play sports and such in the future. He doesn't seem to think we have anything to worry about; he feels it will stay in the mild range. At this point in time, we do nothing. There should be no symptoms and we are just going to keep any eye on things. We have to go back in 3 months. If everything has remained the same, we have to go back in 6 months and then yearly after that (yes, for the rest of her life).
So, that's that. I am thanking God that it is not something much worse and praying for her continued healing. Although it has happened in rare cases, the doctor said that this problem doesn't typically go away. Well, I know my God is in the miracle working business and is quite capable of making this go away. I try to remind myself always that doctors don't have the last word, God does. Regardless, I am thankful for two healthy, beautiful baby girls and will continue to trust in the One who blessed our life with them!
We couldn't let our day end with doctors appointments, tubes, ultrasounds, and the like. We thought our girls deserved a day at the park...their first trip to the park in fact! No, they can't do much at this point but they love to be outside and so do we. So, we headed to Mary Jo Peckham Park and walked around while enjoying the beautiful day.
It's obvious they're enjoying themselves....isn't it evident in the way they're sleeping?! ;)
Just a walking!
Mom and her girls!
Dad and his girls!
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