More Hearts!

We had another heart-themed week around here, between Amelia's first post-surgery follow-up appointment with the cardiologist and Valentine's Day.

On Wednesday morning, Chad and I took Amelia back to MGH for her appointment.  First things first: height, weight, blood pressure... and a 12-lead EKG, no big deal.  (How things have changed since her first EKG, which she completely flipped out about!  This time around, she even helped take off the leads and stickers afterward.)  Then we met with the cardiologist, who inspected Amelia's incision (which is healing wonderfully) and removed the one stitch from where her chest tube had been placed.  Next up was the echo, which was the most time-consuming part.  Amelia did a great job, holding nice and still (thanks to Sesame Street) and taking deep breaths when asked.  After they had all of the pictures they needed, we spoke with the cardiologist again.

Amelia showing off a picture of her heart -- all repaired!

The good news: there was no pericardial effusion (fluid around the heart) at all, which means that we have been able to start weaning her off of her diuretic.  The not-so-great-but-not-entirely-unexpected news: the pressure gradient in the SVC, which is what indicates the amount of stenosis (narrowing) that there is, had gone up.  The number had been a 3 and then a 4 in the hospital, and was a 7 at her follow-up appointment, moving her stenosis from the mild to the moderate category.  The number could still go down, but even if it doesn't, it's not a problem so long as Amelia has no other symptoms.  So for now we wait and see, watching for headaches, facial swelling, or protruding veins in her neck.  And if it's necessary, they will place a stent in the SVC to augment it.

All in all, Amelia is recovering wonderfully.  She has another appointment in three weeks to make sure that everything continues to heal.

Thank you, again, for sending out thoughts and prayers -- and cards, and toys, and food... We've had a tough couple of weeks, but this whole process has been so much easier than it could have been, thanks to the support of our wonderful family and friends.

Wishing each and every one of you a happy belated Valentine's Day!

Our sweet little valentines!