Sunday, December 21, 2008

Taking Heart

Thanks to everyone who responded with well wishes for Whitney after I posted about her being too sick to take her tests last week. She's feeling almost 100% again and that means we've been able to catch up on her testing.

On Thursday, this past week, Whitney had a sedated EKG to look at the condition of her heart. Children with a 1p36 Deletion often have heart defects or heart conditions that require treatment of some kind. Whitney's cardiologist has us come in for a look every year or two to see how her heart is doing.

Whitney had IV sedation medication to put her to sleep and then it was time to look at her heart. An EKG ran the test and sent little Whit off to the recovery room where Melanie waited by her side for her to wake up.

While Melanie waited, the cardiologist stopped by to talk about the results of the heart scan. He explained that Whitney's heart is still beating differently than most people's. The rhythm of the contract and relax cycles of her heart just isn't like a normal heartbeat. But the good news is that her heart is just fine in the way it delivers blood flow to her little body and appears to be healthy and strong.

The cardiologist was so satisfied with the structure and strength of Whitney's little heart that he told us we can wait three to five years until we come back for our next look. It's always so nice to get good news. Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers on Whitney's behalf. Next up is the MRI on Whitney's spine. I'll report back on that test soon.

2 comments:

Genevieve Ross said...

Great news!!!! That is fantastic! I am sure there is still some worry for you guys that Whitney's heart is not typical, but it must be a great relief that everything is working well for her body.

Colby and Dani said...

How wonderful! What a fabulous early Christmas gift for Whit and you and Melanie! Hopefully everything else will be as optimistic and wonderful!