Besides being born a giant and having his blood sugar monitored every 4 hours for the first 24 hours of life, Theo was the picture of health at birth and at his subsequent few check ups.
At his 10 day check up, the pediatrician did her normal thing and while listening to his heart she muttered "Yep, I can still hear the murmur." She had not mentioned the murmur in the previous 2 appointments, and no one at the hospital heart it. So, I immediately lost it. It was the first appointment I was at without Dave and I was full of hormones (and rage, at this point). "Oh, I didn't mention it last time?" was her response to me when I asked WHAT MURMUR?!
She suggested we go see a pediatric cardiologist, but we "could also wait if we wanted". Um, does this seem like a decision we should be making? Needless to say, I quickly scheduled a 2nd opinion with a different pediatrician (in a different office). Our new pediatrician (whom I LOVE), also heard the murmur and described it as "harsh", and while it is common for babies to have a heart murmur early in life, this one didn't sound the same as those, so he said we should go to the pediatric cardiologist.
We went to A.I. duPont Children's hospital September 9, 2014 to have his little heart checked out. He had an EKG first, and we were told that the doctor would discuss those results with us right away and we'd stay for an echo cardiogram if there were concerns. Well, there were concerns so we did the echo right then.
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| Theo during the EKG. September 2014 |
Theo was diagnosed with 2 heart defects:
Patent foramen ovale (PFO)
Pulmonary valve stenosis (PS)
The PFO diagnosis is the "common" cause of a murmur. It is basically a small hole between the upper chambers of the heart. It typically closes during infancy, but if it doesn't, it usually does not cause any life impacts.
The PS is the more serious cause, though Theo's is a mild form and will likely not cause an issue. Basically, the valve that pumps blood from the heart to the lungs is thickened, so the blood creates a murmur when it is forced through the valve.
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| Theo waiting for the doctor September 2014. |
We were ordered to return for a check up in 6 months. If the PS has worsened at all, Theo will need a procedure to increase the size of the valve. If the condition has stayed the same or gotten better, he will not need intervention but we will likely have to return for check ups every 2 years until it is gone.
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| Hanging out with Abbey at home after the visit to the cardiologist. September 2014. |
The anxiety leading up to the first visit with the cardiologist was extreme. I was so worried about my otherwise healthy baby. The diagnosis was the very best we could have hoped for. I know the situation could be much, much worse, so we are very thankful that there was not a bigger issue. His follow up appointment is tomorrow, March 10th.
We are praying that the issues have corrected themselves and that Theo will not need a procedure of any sort. I will post an update after his appointment.
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