Double Cardiology Appointment

I haven't posted for a while, and I guess that is a good thing. That means that life is happening, and Dylan is growing and doing what he should. Today I took the two little boys in to see their cardiologist. Dylan hasn't been seen since August 2012, and Weston hasn't been in for a few months. 

Dylan did a great job helping Weston to be happy and sharing his goldfish crackers.

Weston's part was much more simple than I anticipated. The nurse did his vitals and listened to his heart, and the doctor came in and told me that he looked good. He still has a heart murmur, but it hasn't changed since the last time she saw him. If you didn't listen to his heart, you'd never know he had any issues, because he's growing and developing just like he should. He won't need to be seen again for two years.

Dylan's appointment was very different for me, because he is now old enough to talk and understand to a certain extent what is going on. So instead of crying and screaming and feeling uncomfortable, he was much more calm and was able to be patient and hold still when he needed to. I have been talking to him about going to see his heart doctor, and the nurse was great about talking to him before she did anything to make sure he knew what was going to happen and felt comfortable with it. He had an EKG, and this is the first time in his life he has been able to hold still and stay calm during this test. 

I was so proud of him! He also had an ECHO done, which takes a long time and requires a lot of patience. But thankfully there was a movie, so he was distracted and didn't protest at all. The results of all of it? He looks good. The reading that the doctor looks at to see how much his pulmonary valve is getting stretched out is 230....last year it was 222 and the year before that it was 216. So it is slowly getting higher. When the number gets closer to 260, we will be seriously looking at another open heart surgery to do a total valve replacement. The right side of his heart is slightly enlarged and there is a moderate back flow through his pulmonary valve. But he has a good amount of energy, he isn't turning weird colors or having a hard breathing when he eats. So all of this means that he's holding pretty steady. He'll go back in a year and we'll check on everything again.

So, all good news today. My boys continue to grow up and get bigger. I am thankful that for now we can continue living life and not have to worry about heart problems for Dylan in the immediate future. He has changed so much this year, and is definitely a big boy! I usually brace myself for a stress filled day when we have cardiology appointments, but today was a tender mercy....no crying and screaming! And we even got to share a pumpkin pie shake on our drive home!

Enjoying well deserved candy after a very long appointment

Thank you, each of you who check in on Dylan from time to time. We feel your love and prayers. And since the holidays are upon us and I don't plan to write on this blog again this year, 

Happy Halloween, 

Happy Thanksgiving, 

and Merry Christmas!! 

I definitely feel like I have so much to be thankful for!