Hi all! Had a somewhat crazy and STRESSFUL day! I didn't say anything before about today's events because we wanted to hear the outcome first before letting people know what was going on. I'll explain,
It started back in July at Brooke's 6mo. check up. Her doctor found a heart murmur She told us she wanted us to see a pediatric cardiologist down at the Cleveland Clinic. SO, today was her appointment. (I didn't mention it before because usually heart murmurs don't really amount to much.)
So, Garry and I took Brooke this morning down to the Clinic. We got there and they took us in to have a EKG done on her. Then they put us in a examing room and a nurse came in and asked all sorts of questions and listened to her heart. She said that too bad there weren't any med students around because the love to listen to stuff like this and she does have a good one. Finally the doctor comes in (he is one of the best ped. card. doctor around) and asks a few questions and listens to her. He finishes and says 50% of murmurs are nothing ( I gave a sigh of relief) and then he says, this is NOT nothing. OK right then my heart fell to the floor and Garry's too. He says he thinks it could be a hole in the heart so he is sending us for an ultrasound right now.
We get taken to the ultrasound room and they (there was a nurse doing the ultrasound and a doctor there besides Garry and myself) and right of the bat the nurse says, see- right there and points to the screen. She then took more pics of Brooke's heart and kept saying that she got what the doctor wanted so if the rest of these aren't perfect it will be ok. She then sends us back into the exam room.
At this point I am trying to keep it together and kept saying out loud that she's ok. She's fine. Garry didn't say too much (when he is worried about something he gets that way) but he did look at me and said, be prepared. (I thought the same thing, but couldn't say it out loud, I saw what the nurse pointed to too)
The doctor then came into the room and asked if I was in the medical profession, I said no and then he asked Garry. After we both told him we had no medical background he pulled a chair up and sat down infront of us (both Garry and I thought this can'tbe good). He shows us a picture of a heart and explains how a healthy heart should look like and how it works. (we both knew how a heart works, but at this point I was numb) he then says what he had thought about Brooke was right, she not only had a hole in her heart but two! OK, now I'm about ready to loose it! My eyes start to well up. He then proceeds and tells us that the two holes are located on the wall between the two ventricles and this type of defect is called Ventricular Septal Defect. He shows us on a picture where her two holes are located. He sees that I'm getting extremely emotional (I'm ready to break down any minute!) and he taps me on the knee and then says I don't know if I explained it to you very well at the beginning. He then goes on and says the two holes are not very big. He said they are about the size of the tip of the ball point pen he was writing with (the part that you actually write with that is). He said that if the holes were this size and turns the pen over to show us the big push button(about the size of dime, maybe a little smaller) we would have to operate. Since they are small and her left ventricle was normal size and not enlarged and she was not showing any other signs of heart problems, he thought that she might grow out of it (meaning that the holes will not get bigger and as she grows her heart will and that the holes might correct themselves).
SO, (sorry this is soooo long, but I had to get it all out) we are suppose to see our regular ped. doctor regularly and we will go back down in a year to see him again. Needless to say Garry and I were very much relieved!!! I cried all the way home! It was just a release I guess. So that is what has been on my mind and Garry's since the beginning of July. Now that we know that isn't so serious we can relax somewhat. Garry looked at me on the way home and said, I need a drink! I told him I did too! Of course we didn't because we came back to Anna Marie and the other two!
I must say that Brooke was EXTREMELY good during all of this. She just laid there during the EKG and smiled at the nurse. The nurse said she couldn't beleive how well behaved she was. Even the ultra sound nurse said this is the little princess that everyone is talking about how well behaved she is!
We did get a cake and celebrated Anna Marie's birthday tonight. It was just the six of us, but is was nice.
I'd respond to everyone's posts, but since this was sooo long and I'm emotionally drained, I will respond tomorrow. Thanks for letting me share our family's scare with "our family".
Have a super wednesday!
Hi Barb, I just went back and looked at all your links. Wow, the dress, cape and muff are gorgeous. Your girls are so beautiful. I know that Missy will look spectacular. Did you notice that Pinecrest is having an open house this Sunday? I wish we didn't have to leave the campground on Sundays so we good take a sneak peak. 
And.....if my family is dressed in black.... dont' worry. It is to cover up the chocolate dribbles. 
