Last Friday, Violet had her yearly appointment with the cardiologist. For those of you that may have not been following the blog over the last year or so, you can read about the journey to this point
here
Since, we were tagging a trip to Iowa after the appointment Friday afternoon, we left our house in a little bit of a rush--and of course, Arby's cannot be fast when you need them to be. But, we made it down to Grand Rapids and the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. (Can I say wow--such a great place.) The cardiology department is on the 10th floor, and all the exam rooms are on the outside of the building, giving you a great view of the city while you wait. Both kids enjoyed standing in the wells of the windows to look around.
The appointment went very smoothly; by now, Violet is a pro at having the electrocardiogram and the ultrasound of her heart, and I am just amazed at how kid friendly they have been able to make everything.
The good news is that Violet's condition hasn't worsened. Her heart is growing with her, and the enlargement from blood flow is growing in proportion to the natural growth of her heart. Since we have not noticed any adverse health conditions, the cardiologist strongly encouraged us to wait on the surgery; however, he also encouraged us to get a second opinion if we wanted more information. The main reason for delaying the surgery in his eyes was--if, by chance, they get in there and are unable to fix it properly or at all, replacement of the valve would need to happen, and that brings a whole other realm of side-effects and long-term lifestyle changes. It also would mean that if it was done too early, the procedure would have to be done again because an adult valve does not fit in a child's body.
So, again we sit and wait. In some ways the good news was discouraging for me because it still does not give us an answer. Part of me just wishes we could go in and get the surgery over and done with. But, another part of me hopes that maybe we can avoid the surgery all together. The possibility of that is slim to none, but the cardiologist also told us that he has patients that have gone 15 years without getting to the point of necessary surgery.
The one downer of the visit was that the cardiologist did forewarn us that until the surgery is completed, that he would probably restrict her from many sports (basketball, track and field, soccer, etc.). At this point, Violet has shown more interest in dance than any other sport, so this forewarning may be a mute point, but Ben and I are fairly athletic and sport driven, and the idea of our children not being able to physically participate is a little hard to swallow. Youth sports are not of concern because of the casual/everyone participates philosophy, but upper elementary/middle school/varsity would be of concern.
All in all, we are getting a very large lesson in patience and relinquishing control. We love our daughter and she brings so much joy to our lives and the lives of many other people. And although it may not be the journey we had envisioned, it is a wonderful journey in and of itself.
Thanks again to all of you who keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We ccovet them immensely and will continue to keep you informed/updated.
