Elijah had a cardiology check-up with Dr. G today. It went great! The ventricles in his heart are smaller, which means his heart isn't working as hard as it was before surgery. YAY! This is exactly what we wanted to hear. I told him that his endurance is much better than it was even six months ago (he never would have been able to walk around the mall back then like he did last week), and he said that was a great sign.
Most of the visit involved knock-knock jokes. Elijah told Dr. G some of his recent favorites (courtesy Yo Gabba Gabba):
E: Knock knock!
Dr. G: Who's there?
E: Lion!
Dr. G: Lion who?
E: Lyin' on your doorstep, can you let me in?!
E: Knock knock!
Dr. G: Who's there?
E: Sherlock
Dr. G: Sherlock who?
E: 'Sure lock your door! Somebody could break in!
E: Knock knock!
Dr. G: Who's there?
E: Interrupting Cow!
Dr. G: Interrupting c....
E: MOOOOO!
Then Dr. G attempted a knock-knock joke and got it mixed up, so Elijah and I giggled at him. He promised to practice and have a few better ones for us next time!
We will head back in six months for an echo, and likely another heart cath will follow. When we were leaving the office, Elijah kept saying, "Mom! We don't got (forgot) the gel!" He was trying to tell me that we forgot to get an echo. Next time, sweetie!
It's pretty amazing to watch Elijah strut around the halls at the heart clinic. I found myself thinking back to "old times" today. First of all, the really uncertain times back when he was just days/weeks/months old, when we had no clue what to expect. Then, fairly recent times, when he was afraid of the blood pressure machine, as well as anyone who even looked in his general direction. Now he's this big, brave boy who confidently walks around the hall saying "hi" to everyone and sitting patiently while his blood pressure and oxygen sats are measured. I'm so proud of how far our little man has come.
And Sammy is still improving, slowly but surely. We make him sooo mad every time it's time to take medicine, but we have to make sure he takes all of it. Pinning down his arms for medicine-time and watching his confused eyes plead with me is not fun. :(
Hoping for a healthy week for us, and for all of you, too!
Showing posts with label heart visit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heart visit. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2011
Monday, April 26, 2010
Cardiology appointment
Please forgive me for posting some old photos from Easter..
I was able to go to Elijah's cardiology check-up this morning with my boys. Aside from his anxiety, everything went really well! Elijah has grown in height and weight, even just since his 3-year well visit two months ago. He is now 36 inches tall and he weighs 30 lbs!
They did an xray, an echocardiogram and took all the usual vitals. The only thing that was different from his last visit six months ago was that the pressures in his heart have increased just a tiny bit (from 30-40 to 45ish). This just means that he is slowly outgrowing his bovine valve, and of course this is totally expected. Dr. G said that he always expects to get at least two years out of a valve for someone Elijah's age (we hit the two-year mark a few weeks ago!), and that he always hopes for three or four years.
We don't have to bring him back in for another SIX MONTHS (woohoo!) and at that point he will get another heart cath, which will help determine the timing of his next open heart surgery. It sounds like OHS #3 could take place any time between a year from now and two years from now. The one symptom we have to keep our eyes open for with him is increased fatigue when he is exerting energy. If we were to notice this before next fall, we would obviously need to bring him in sooner. If you have been reading this blog at all lately, you will know that Elijah is currently NOT experiencing increased fatigue. :)
I was telling Dan on our way home that I just feel like we are extremely blessed with how well Elijah has done ever since he was born. He has some pretty serious stuff going on inside that body of his and it is sometimes so easy to forget that. Elijah has been so steadfast with his growth and healing and recoveries and we couldn't be more pleased with how well he and his special little heart have done over the past 3+ years.
I was able to go to Elijah's cardiology check-up this morning with my boys. Aside from his anxiety, everything went really well! Elijah has grown in height and weight, even just since his 3-year well visit two months ago. He is now 36 inches tall and he weighs 30 lbs!
They did an xray, an echocardiogram and took all the usual vitals. The only thing that was different from his last visit six months ago was that the pressures in his heart have increased just a tiny bit (from 30-40 to 45ish). This just means that he is slowly outgrowing his bovine valve, and of course this is totally expected. Dr. G said that he always expects to get at least two years out of a valve for someone Elijah's age (we hit the two-year mark a few weeks ago!), and that he always hopes for three or four years.
We don't have to bring him back in for another SIX MONTHS (woohoo!) and at that point he will get another heart cath, which will help determine the timing of his next open heart surgery. It sounds like OHS #3 could take place any time between a year from now and two years from now. The one symptom we have to keep our eyes open for with him is increased fatigue when he is exerting energy. If we were to notice this before next fall, we would obviously need to bring him in sooner. If you have been reading this blog at all lately, you will know that Elijah is currently NOT experiencing increased fatigue. :)
I was telling Dan on our way home that I just feel like we are extremely blessed with how well Elijah has done ever since he was born. He has some pretty serious stuff going on inside that body of his and it is sometimes so easy to forget that. Elijah has been so steadfast with his growth and healing and recoveries and we couldn't be more pleased with how well he and his special little heart have done over the past 3+ years.
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