Cardio News

Yesterday Emma had a follow-up appointment with her cardiologist, Dr. O & he thought she looked really good. Her breathing was good, her heart rate was good & according t0 the echo her PA band is still in place & doing its job. He was a little disappointed with her weight 16 lbs, 2 oz which is the same response we got from her pedi Dr. K two weeks ago. Dr. O was really hoping she would weigh more than she does but he doesn't think her lack of gaining is heart related he thinks its just Emma rate of growth. We discussed how at this age babies growth starts to slow down & if we should consider doing Emma's next surgery soon or wait till spring. He is guessing that Emma will only weigh 19 lbs by April & wondering if its worth waiting until spring if she will only gain 3 more pounds at the most. He also mentioned there still is a lot of holes in her heart but he couldn't tell if any had closed on their own or not. So he is going to contact the surgeon Dr. B at MUSC Children's Hospital & discuss Emma's case with his partner to see what they think. If the surgery is going to be sooner it would hopefully be between now & November to avoid having Emma in the hospital during flu & RSV season. Chris & I are perfectly fine with doing the surgery sooner instead of later. We want Emma to be a healthy happy baby & for us to all move on with our lives without constantly wondering about her heart, her growth rate & her eating habits.