Thursday we went to Boston for Ellie’s six month check up with her heart doctor, Dr. Marx.
We couldn’t have asked for her to be any better. She let them put “stickers” on her and do her EKG and even sat still and watched a video so they could do a 45 min echo. They got wonderful pictures of her heart.
So here is the verdict, she is gaining weight on the Ellie curve and getting taller (22lbs 5oz and 36 inches long).
Dr. Marx was happy to see her running around and very active.
The pressure in her heart (the one across her mitral valve) has increased. We have always know that the mitral valve that was created was a bit small and our hope was that it would grow and stretch. That doesn’t appear to be the case so far. It doesn’t seem to effect her too much and her doctor wants to wait another six months and see where we are then.
In six months there will be another echo and if the pressures have increased they will want to do a cardiac catheter to get a more accurate pressure reading and to maybe try to balloon and stretch the valve. This would all be done before we would have to consider anything more invasive and hopefully it won’t come to that. For now we are in wait and see mode and we’ll let her do her thing. As long as she continues (no matter how slowly) to grow and gain weight and is active they want to wait and give the valve a chance to grow by itself.
It was a good visit, we even missed traffic so it only took us 2 1/2 hours each way.
I am so happy to hear that all is well with your sweet little girl. You know she has a great big team behind her, wishing her well and sending good thoughts her way. Happy New Year!!
Our little darling is back on the prayer list. Stretch, little Mitral Valve, S-T-R-E-T-C-H-!
best wishes and prayers for the valve to grow in the next 6 months. glad to hear she is gaining weight and growing, what a trouper at the hospital too!