"No Change"

Sometimes the strangest phrases can mean the best news! I know other moms of cardiac kids understand the wonderfulness of the words "no change".

Today Mantha had her routine follow-up cardiology appointment. She sees the cardiologist every six months. She gets an EKG and an echocardiogram at those appointments and today was no exception. A routine appointment takes about 2 hours.   One thing that was somewhat important but some may think is routine is she pulled off all the 'sticky' leads after they finished the EKG.  It was good therapy!

She *loves* going to the doctor.  Any time we mention going to the doctor, she gets excited and keeps asking every day if it's the day to go to the doctor. She's become and expert at lying still for the EKG and she looks forward to the echocardiogram. That part is easy to understand. She gets to watch a video while the technician does the echo.  The technician commented on how well she was doing being still while she did the echo.

John was with Mantha today. He usually takes her to the cardiologist or we all go. (Last time we all went and made it a field trip. The other girls got see the EKG and the Echo and got to ask questions). John said that Dr. S came in after reviewing all the tests (EKG, echo, and his own examination) shaking his head. The first words out of his mouth were 'I just can't explain it.  When I see the tricuspid insufficiency on the echo, and I listen to her... But she's fine'.  

He can NOT explain why her heart function is so good.  You see, her tricuspid valve leaks. She has tricuspid valve insufficiency. It's side effect, if you will, of the 're-wiring' of her circulation due to her condition.  It's been funny sometimes, when we take her to a non-heart doctor and they listen to her heart.  The insufficiency results in a very loud and pronounced murmur.

Two and a half years ago, Dr. S decided to do a heart catheterization to 'get a baseline' of what her heart was doing.  Before he started the procedure he warned us that the results most likely were not going to be well, that we may even have to look at yet another heart surgery.  When he was done, he started his report of the procedure with 'I can't explain why her heart's functioning so well, but it is.'  

So, by God's grace we are still on our six month schedule of appointments.  Six months is the longest we've gone without seeing the cardiologist.

(Both John and Tess contributed on this post)