Hey Everyone!!
Well, here it is...the long awaited Cardiology appointment recap!!! Hannah is finally attempting to nap, so I might actually be able to write a full post.
So, let me just say that today was the best appointment ever as far as Hannah's behavior!!! She wasn't this pleasant and agreeable even when I was pregnant with her!!! She did everything that the nurses asked and only whimpered once (when she thought they were going to give her a shot).
First, we cruised through traffic and managed to get to the hospital in record time...no accidents or traffic jams to slow us down...hurdle #1...no problem. Then, her EKG, etc all came back normal, so that was hurdle #2. Next we had to get her weighed and measured. This is usually when the meltdown happens. She stood nice and still on the scale and giggled when they checked her height...hurdle #3...done!
The dreaded echocardiogram was next, and we were getting really nervous when we couldn't get the DVD player to work in the echo room. The last time it helped to have one of Hannah's videos playing, so Craig bought her a surprise Blue's Clues DVD last night. She was happy just watching SuperWhy and didn't seem to phased by the lack of Blue. The Echo Tech was AMAZING!!!! She was so patient and mellow. She explained everything to Hannah first, and she picked up on some terminology that we were using (magic cream is what we call the Ultrasound jelly, and we referred the probe as a camera). Hannah sat perfectly still through the whole thing and even moved when the tech asked her to...who was this perfect angel?? Hurdle #4 was pretty easy.
After that, the Dietitian came out to the waiting room to see us. She gave us awesome news...we're being released from their watch!!!! Hannah was 10.9 kg (24 pounds even), and I forget how tall. Long story short, she is in the 10th percentile for her weight and the 25th for her height...that was enough of a gain for them to feel that she no longer has weight issues!!! Now we only have to talk to them if we have questions...hurdle #5.
Finally we were able to get in to talk to Dr. Patten, our fill-in Cardiologist until Dr. Fruitman gets back from Maternity leave. He and Patty (our favorite nurse!!!) came in, checked Hannah's O2 sats and pulse rate...all good! She is hovering around 82% sat for anyone who is interested. By this point we were just waiting for some bad news...this was going WAY too easy!!! Dr. Patten told us that everything looked great!!! They increased her meds because of her weight gain, and other than that, we just have to go back in December to see Dr. Frutman.
As for surgery, we will likely go in for a Cardiac Cath around Hannah's 3rd Birthday, and plan on surgery between the Cath and her 4th Birthday. They aren't rushing since her weight is still a bit lower than they'd like, and her body has yet to outgrow the last procedure. When her O2 levels shift, it tells them that she is outgrowing things as they are now and it is time to finish the job. Until then, as long as she is healthy, there is no hurry to operate.
So, all in all, it was a wonderful visit!!! We were in and out of the hospital in record time, and Hannah was thrilled that she got two Backyardigans stickers and NO BOO BOO SHOTS!!!!
Thank you to everyone who said a prayer for us...it worked!!!!
Well, I'm off to work on some knitting and then once Hannah gets up, we are headed outside in her pool (well, she sits in the pool and I dangle my feet). This morning it was 100F on the back deck...YIKES!!! Thank God for Central AC. We don't need it much here in Calgary, but when we need it...we need it!!!!
Have a great rest of the week!!!
Love,
Sharon
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