Today we had our big trip back up to Primary Children's Hospital to have another look at Hazel's heart. For those that don't know or would like a refresher, Hazel was born with 3 holes in her heart causing a significant heart murmur. The doctor described it as "louder than normal". Two of the holes were in the lower chamber called VSD's. One was in the upper chamber called ASD. The VSDs was the most concerning because if they didn't close she would have to have surgery to repair them at one year of age. The ASD could also need surgery but wasn't as concerning at the time.
But at the hospital Hazel was on her best behavior and the nurse just fell in love with her. Apparently she had lots of crying and screaming babies that morning and Hazel was all smiles and giggles. Even during her EKG and while I was peeling those horrible sticky things off her chest she was happy. She passed her EKG with flying colors and then Dr. Gray came in (he is so awesome I wish that ALL pediatricians were as caring as he is...) he listened to her heart and pronounced her VSDs (the 2 holes in the lower chamber of her heart) gone or at least so small they are insignificant and no longer causing a murmur! Hooray!! Dr. Gray said it is likely that her ASD is still there because of its large size just a few months ago and they don't usually cause a murmur. Again, there is an 80% chance that this will clear up on it's own and cause no problems. If it doesn't clear up an ASD causes ones heart to slowly get bigger and bigger because the heart has to work extra hard to pump blood and like any muscle it gets bigger the harder you work it. This usually doesn't cause any problems with the individual until they are at least 20 years old. But they know by the time a child is two or three if the ASD is going to cause problems so they typically try and repair it before a child enters school so sports and etc wouldn't cause undo risk. So she will go back when she is two to repeat the ECHO to see if the hole is still there. The signs for us to look for are rapid heart beats, labored breathing and/or falling off her weight curve. She weighed in at 15 lbs 2 oz today and 27 inches, so for a 5 month old she is HUGE. After the first 2 months which had me pretty stressed (about her lack of weight gain) she has been gaining at a rapid pace so I really don't foresee any problems at all. But it is good to be prepared and informed anyway.
Thank you to Rich for all the wonderful blessings he gave our little girl and for all the prayers of those who knew our situation. We really appreciate them and we want to let you know THEY WORKED!!!
As for my huge mommy blunder today; We got tickets for a Friday matinee at the circus with the Ormonds, so the kids have been super excited to go to the circus with Kaitlyn and Brooklyn. Well all week I was telling them it was this Friday. So on the way to pick up Rich to go to the circus I get a call from Rich telling me the circus is actually NEXT Friday. I said to them as I was driving, "Kids, I am so sorry but Mommy made a mistake. The circus is next week." And Dexter says to me, "Mom, I have a great idea. Why don't you turn left here and drive straight to the North Pole. The circus is there and it won't be a mistake." Umm, that might be a good idea. We could stop by Grandma and Grandpa Wolfe's in the south part of Alaska too! Instead we decided to go see a movie, so we didn't miss out on the fun family outing the kids were promised. We saw Igor, I don't recommend it. But the kids enjoyed it and the popcorn.
I also got new glasses today (eventful day, huh?) because my last ones had chipped lenses and one of the side posts broke off and was being held together with masking tape. The new ones are cute but different then I normally get. I like them. Maybe I'll post pics so my mom and/or Rosemary can give me a thumbs up or down. I hope they don't fall apart in less then a year like these lasts ones did. Sorry for the novel. Enjoy your weekend!
But at the hospital Hazel was on her best behavior and the nurse just fell in love with her. Apparently she had lots of crying and screaming babies that morning and Hazel was all smiles and giggles. Even during her EKG and while I was peeling those horrible sticky things off her chest she was happy. She passed her EKG with flying colors and then Dr. Gray came in (he is so awesome I wish that ALL pediatricians were as caring as he is...) he listened to her heart and pronounced her VSDs (the 2 holes in the lower chamber of her heart) gone or at least so small they are insignificant and no longer causing a murmur! Hooray!! Dr. Gray said it is likely that her ASD is still there because of its large size just a few months ago and they don't usually cause a murmur. Again, there is an 80% chance that this will clear up on it's own and cause no problems. If it doesn't clear up an ASD causes ones heart to slowly get bigger and bigger because the heart has to work extra hard to pump blood and like any muscle it gets bigger the harder you work it. This usually doesn't cause any problems with the individual until they are at least 20 years old. But they know by the time a child is two or three if the ASD is going to cause problems so they typically try and repair it before a child enters school so sports and etc wouldn't cause undo risk. So she will go back when she is two to repeat the ECHO to see if the hole is still there. The signs for us to look for are rapid heart beats, labored breathing and/or falling off her weight curve. She weighed in at 15 lbs 2 oz today and 27 inches, so for a 5 month old she is HUGE. After the first 2 months which had me pretty stressed (about her lack of weight gain) she has been gaining at a rapid pace so I really don't foresee any problems at all. But it is good to be prepared and informed anyway.
Thank you to Rich for all the wonderful blessings he gave our little girl and for all the prayers of those who knew our situation. We really appreciate them and we want to let you know THEY WORKED!!!
As for my huge mommy blunder today; We got tickets for a Friday matinee at the circus with the Ormonds, so the kids have been super excited to go to the circus with Kaitlyn and Brooklyn. Well all week I was telling them it was this Friday. So on the way to pick up Rich to go to the circus I get a call from Rich telling me the circus is actually NEXT Friday. I said to them as I was driving, "Kids, I am so sorry but Mommy made a mistake. The circus is next week." And Dexter says to me, "Mom, I have a great idea. Why don't you turn left here and drive straight to the North Pole. The circus is there and it won't be a mistake." Umm, that might be a good idea. We could stop by Grandma and Grandpa Wolfe's in the south part of Alaska too! Instead we decided to go see a movie, so we didn't miss out on the fun family outing the kids were promised. We saw Igor, I don't recommend it. But the kids enjoyed it and the popcorn.
I also got new glasses today (eventful day, huh?) because my last ones had chipped lenses and one of the side posts broke off and was being held together with masking tape. The new ones are cute but different then I normally get. I like them. Maybe I'll post pics so my mom and/or Rosemary can give me a thumbs up or down. I hope they don't fall apart in less then a year like these lasts ones did. Sorry for the novel. Enjoy your weekend!
2 comments:
That is GREAT news about Hazel!! I didn't know about that at all. Very stressful I'm sure, but how great to have that good news!! I love the North Pole option.HAHA!
Happy to hear the great news on Hazel! Surgery on little ones is no fun at all!
XOXOXOX
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