Last week I took the boys to the hospital for a quick visit with a nurse practioner so they could refill J's breathing treatment prescription at this hospital. Over three hours, an EKG, and a chest X-ray later, we were able to go home.
I was very scared when the nurse practioner listened to J breathe for a long time and then said "has anyone ever mentioned that he may have a heart murmur?" Now, I don't know anything about heart murmurs so of course this freaked me out. She got a doctor to listen as well and the doctor then said "she has really good ears, I would not have noticed the sound if I wasn't listening for it." So they told me not to worry, that he wasn't a critically ill child or anything, and that they would go "discuss things" and be right back.
They decided he needed blood pressure tests, a pulse oximeter test, an EKG, and a chest X-ray. AND they want him to see a CARDIOLOGIST in the next two months. To say the least, this visit turned out much different that originally planned. It is a blessing that they caught this now though and hopefully it is a innocent, functional, or normal murmur.
So that is all we know for now. They told me they would call if the doctor found anything urgent on the tests...they haven't called yet...so that is good news. Otherwise, we are awaiting a letter in the next several weeks on the referral to the cardiologist. I googled "heart murmurs" when I got home and read that
Most murmurs don't mean anything is wrong. But sometimes they are a sign of a problem with the heart. Even though most murmurs do not mean anything is wrong, sometimes a heart problem can cause a murmur. The heart may have a hole in it, a heart valve may leak, or a valve may not open all the way. If your doctor thinks your heart murmur could be due to a heart problem, you will need to see a pediatric cardiologist. This kind of doctor knows a lot about children's hearts.
OK, this worries me more. I hope she is sending us just becaus he is an expert and they can tell us for sure what is going on and not that she thinks he has a heart problem.
Please send prayers that the little guy is OK. I will post updates when we learn anything more.
5 comments:
Scary! I hope it turns out okay!
We will be praying for you. I know this is scary, but if it was super serious they would have sent you for a referall right away. I have a friend going through the exact thing, but her daughter is almost 4 and it is a miracle they caught it when they did. Keep us posted as you know things. Your boys and family are precious...God will provide and protect. Love you!
Hey girl-I'm sure Jack is okay. I think those are fairly common and people with them lead normal lives. Definitely keep us updated.
We will definitely keep Jack in our prayers! Those boys are BEAUTIFUL!
Not sure how much this helps, but I was diagnosed with an innocent, congenital murmur as a baby. (Mine is due to a valve not opening properly.)
I'm now 33 and have never had any problems whatsoever and just go to the cardiologist every other year for an electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiogram (ultrasound). It's a VERY common thing.
Post a Comment