Cardiology Check Up

Yesterday, the kids (it sounds so weird to say that) and I had our cardiology appts with Dr. Hixon. Hannah was such a big girl going first to show Carter how to do it. She did not cry at all and was very eager to go with the staff to the treasure chest. How much she has grown in the past 3 weeks. It is so good to see, yet so sad too. I want my baby back!

Anyway, Carter's visit was pre-planned. We had discussed this with Dr. Hixon while I was pregnant. We would give it a couple of weeks and wait for the PDA to close. At that point, we would see if there was anything that was undetected while in-utero (such as co-arctation of the aorta, like I had). We were also told at delivery that Carter had a murmur. We were never worried because we had seen for our very own eyes all 4 chambers of his heart and a beautiful Aortic Arch. We knew if there was something wrong, we could handle it. To be cautious, Dr. Brumund had come by on the day of delivery to listen for himself. He even brought Jackie in case we wanted to do an ultrasound. He felt confident it was nothing to be concerned about and we agreed. By discharge, Dr. Flechas no longer heard the murmur.

So back to yesterday's visit. Carter has a beautiful healthy heart!!! Thank God for answered prayers. He will no longer need to see Dr. Hixon!!

Hannah's 3 month check up went well. Her sats were 93-94%, which is great for her! Her fenestration is still open, and right now that is fine. We don't need to see Dr. Hixon again for 6 months!! We will just watch her over the next few years to see if the fenestration closes on its own and to watch if her sats begin to drop. The fenestration will eventually need to be closed, but right now she is fine with it open. This is something that can be done in the cath lab, not open heart surgery. So it would only mean a quick trip to Boston. However, there is no definite/perfect timing for it. Hannah will let us know when it is time. So HURRAY for Hannah's check up.

As for my heart, I am also fine. There is something different about my Aortic Valve in that it acts like it is Bicuspid (2 leaflets) instead of Tricuspid (3 leaflets). Right now it is not of any concern as my blood pressures are great and there is no narrowing of the aorta noted. However, Dr. Hixon does hear a murmur because of the way the valve is opening. Also, after speaking with Dr. Breitbart, the concern for me as I age is the build up of plaque around the surgical site. However, I am still young and that shouldn't be a threat right now. I will have to be mindful of my cholesterol as I get older, especially since I have a family history of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. He wants me to repeat the heart MRI (I had this done just prior to Hannah's birth) in 1-2 years and then every 5 years thereafter just to keep an eye on these two areas. It's weird, because I have ALWAYS dismissed my heart defect as no big deal, I'm fine, I've been fixed. But the truth of the matter is that there is no real evidence or research on the matter. Open heart surgery for CHDs is not that old. It has been 26 years since my surgery. Only recently has there been a big push for treating Adult Congenital Heart Defects. Until I became pregnant for Hannah, I hadn't been seen in over 10 years. It's very interesting.

Anyway, great news all around! We are all doing well and are enjoying our new addition (and his healthy heart).