Matters of her Heart

Bethany after her first EKG.  There were several more stickies and wires, but I cropped the photo to make it less alarming.

Yesterday, I took Bethany to the Congenital Heart Institute at Arnold Palmer Hospital.  At her six month well-care visit, her pediatrician heard a slight heart murmur and advised us to have it checked.  This was definitely concerning to me as a new mom and because of my family's history with heart issues.

Going into the appointment, I was nervous.  My friend, Robyn, who is a nurse and often works in cardiology told me to tell the cardiologist that I knew her and she also told me some of the tests they would run to try and help me relax.

Bethany, of course, was amazing through her entire check up.  She didn't cry or fuss - not even a little bit.  They took her blood pressure from the ball of her foot and her upper arm and she didn't make a peep.  She was more interested in the tape and wires they had used on her feet than anything else.

When the nurse got her ready for her EKG (electrocardiogram), she was ready to help with that, too.  The nurse had me hold her to keep her calm, but she didn't seem bothered that there were little stickers all over her chest and tummy with elecrotransmitters clipped to them.  Everyone involved in her test was super impressed by how calm she was.

The cardiologist has determined that Bethany has a very small hole in her heart between her two bottom ventricles and the hole is causing the murmur.  She listened very carefully as I shared that both my husband and I have heart murmurs and that my brother had heart issues growing up and that my father's sister passed away at sixteen from an enlarged heart.  She definitely wanted all the details, but told me that I did not need to necessarily associate any family member's heart issue with Bethany's heart issue. 

She also said that Bethany's congenital heart defect is the most common congenital defect and that it very often corrects itself.  She also said, however, that it would need to be monitored and she should have a sedated echocardiogram.

That got me.  I was in tears.  Sedate my baby?  What?  The cardiologist explained that it is a very standard and safe procedure and that it would be hard to get good pictures of her little heart without sedation.  Even as she was explaining, she could tell I was on edge and told me that I should talk to Robyn and that if I still am very apprehensive and stressed about it that I can call her and that we could discuss it.

Thankfully, my friend, Susan who works in pharmacy over at the hospital, had time for a lunch break after Bethany's unsettling appointment, so I could relax a little before driving home.

I did call Robyn and she said that while it is scary, sedation for infant echocardiograms is standard and that no anesthesia would be used.  Instead, choral hydrate would be given orally and it makes babies sleepy and "drunk".  (I still do not like this.)  She also emphasized, however, that the echocardiogram is very important.  The cardiologist needs to know where the hole is and how that could possibly affect growth and the heart itself.  It is possible for a heart with this type of defect to have certain ventricles become distended or enlarged which is not good.  She also said that it is probable Bethany's heart will heal itself, but that it still needs to be monitored.

So far, that is where we're at.  I'm still nervous, but calm which is helpful.  Her echocardiogram is scheduled for May, so it gives me time to think about our options.  The cardiologist did say that if I could guarantee a time frame where I knew Bethany would be asleep, we could skip the sedation . . . but that's difficult to promise.  I'm praying, praying, praying and seriously thinking about what we want to do next.  I understand the necessity of having the photos and getting a closer look at what is going on . . . but I really would like to bypass the sedation part.   

Please say a prayer for sweet Bethany's heart and her mommy and daddy's hearts as well as we take our next steps!  ♥