Josie's Cardiology Appointment

We visited Josie’s cardiologist at Devos Children’s Hospital this morning. I’m happy to report that Josie gained nearly 10 pounds since she came home last March. She’s now weighing almost 28 pounds. She also has gained a little over 3 inches in height. No wonder Mommy’s back is hurting more when I carry her around!!



Josie tolerated her EKG with only a slight bit fussing. There were no tears and no screaming. Woo hoo! Her attitude towards her heart check-ups has improved so much since we first started seeing the cardiologist.



No parent wants to hear that their child will have to undergo another heart operation in the future, but it was confirmed that she will need her pulmonary valve replaced sometime during her adolescence or early adult years. It’s not uncommon for patients with Tetralogy of Fallot to undergo this surgery later in life. Her pulmonary valve is leaky and the blood flowing into her lungs returns back into her right ventricle which is called pulmonary regurgitation. Over the years, the right valve will become weaker and will need to be replaced. Who knows what kind of medical interventions and surgery techniques will be available by the time she needs to have this operation. We continue to have faith in modern medicine and aren’t going to let this news bring us down.

For now, she is not restricted in her physical activity and she does not need any maintenance medication. Her cardiologist said that he doesn’t expect us to see any symptoms of fatigue with exercise until she reaches 8- 12 years old (if at all).



As you can see by this smile, Josie ended her doctor’s appointment with a sticker and a sucker. She doesn’t have to go back to see her cardiologist until a year from now. Life is good.

Josie’s Cardiology Appointment

Josie had her cardiology appointment this morning at the Western Michigan Pediatric Cardiology Associates. The whole family went to Josie’s appointment to show support. Josie did amazingly well. She didn’t shed a single tear. She even allowed herself to get weighed without throwing a tantrum. She now weighs 23.5 pounds. She didn’t even mind getting hooked up to the EKG machine. What a night and day difference from our last post-surgery appointment (back in May) where she screamed the entire appointment and refused to leave my arms.



Dr. Lacina can hear residual backflow of blood from her narrow valve and at some point in her life, she may require surgery to replace the valve. For children with her heart condition (Tetralogy of Fallot), it’s not unusal for them to need a valve replacement later in life. The doctor isn’t worried and is very pleased with her progress. She’s hitting all her physical and developmental milestones and we couldn’t be more excited at the changes we’ve seen in our little girl since surgery. She doesn’t even need to go back to the cardiologist until the spring. Woo hoo!