Another appt, hopefully

Another year.

Cole had his annual cardiology appt....the usual....EKG and echo.  Doc said that his heart function looked good.  Since he sees us in a satellite office some years he doesn't have his full records with him.  So he said when he got back he'd check last years and compare size of his right ventricle to this year's tests.  He said he'll call if anything's different, so I don't expect that.  I like this guy.  He seems more patient and gives us his time, which is so important in any doctor let alone a pediatric cardiologist.

I asked him to reexplain his heart defect since it's been nearly 15 years since I've had that and I wanted Cole to hear it so he begins to understand his own health.  He will have to start taking control, so he needs to have a beginning to understanding the complexity.  It was nice that he explained how a normal heart functions and then showed him how his heart worked before surgery and now.  He explained how his patch that replaced what may have existed of a pulmonary valve is not perfect and is now not closing after the blood pushes through and it regurgitates back down into the right ventricle. The right ventricle, in turn, is filling up with both that blood and the blood that comes in after circulation through the body causing it to enlarge.  At some point, his ventricle will get tot he point it can only do so much more and that is when he will go into failure.  But, they have to catch it before the enlargement causes his right ventricle (muscle) to stretch so much that it cannot perform it's job anymore because it's stretched out so-to-speak.  It's tissue can't 'remember' at a certain point and won't pump like it's supposed to if it becomes too damaged.  Fine line.

He always seems so shocked when he asks the standard, yearly, questions of "does your heart feel funny, feel like it's skipping, thumping out of your chest or racing?", "Do you feel abnormally tired or out of breath?".  Cole always says no and it's this look of disbelief.  He told me that we're fortunate to be on year 15 of a this repair.  We already knew that though.  We know the time is very limited now.  I did ask if he can continue with wrestling off-season and next year and if he can try to get his life guard certification and he said it was all fine.  But, if he has any of those symptoms just once it's over and he's done.  I know the time is getting very limited for Cole's valve and it's very necessary replacement, but we know it's coming we know it's eventual and we know we won't get by without it.  Until then, he'll keep enjoying his life.  And the doc is always so great to tell us how great of care he's getting to be doing this well this long.  I'd like to take credit, but I think God's just been taking care of him this whole time.  For all of this we're thankful.

I probably will no longer post after his cardiology appointments to say another year because we no longer know.  We're running into borrowed time, so we will do what we did in the beginning, when he was a baby.  We'll take a day at a time and enjoy whatever until we're told otherwise.  Here's to a healthy heart.