Cardiologist Update

I took Scarlett to the cardiologist Thursday and had good news for a change. Either that, or I'm just looking on the bright side that it wasn't *bad* news again. Dr. Pophal said that her overall heart function is the same. Meaning, it is not better, but it is not worse either. Status quo. She still has the leak, and there is still pressure on her right ventricle, but for now, she is still gaining weight (although VERY GRADUALLY), and she is not in any immediate danger or threat of surgery in the near future. Dr. P said that she probably has at least 6 months..... Which believe it or not was a huge relief.

Because after that botched MRI, I wasn't sure if we were looking at surgery for Christmas or right after New Year's. Seeing as her heart went from no leak to 'moderate' leak in 5 months, I guess I figured it would go from moderate to severe in another 5 months. But as it looks, six months from now is end of February/beginning of March which means it would be at least 10 months from the day I heard "she has a leak".

At the same time, even though she probably won't need another surgery between now and March, they still want to see her every month for weight checks, and echos to check on the leak and pressure. I can handle that. Dr. Pophal said that we need to get her to gain some weight before her next surgery.  Which brings me to my next topic.

Scarlett weighed approximately 18 pounds 4 ounces. She only gained 4 ounces in a month, which is still progress, but very minimal progress. We talked about her nutritian, and about changing game plans to try to get her to eat. Dr. Pophal is going to put her on a heart medication called Degoxin, which will help strengthen her heart and make her feel better (& hopefully increase her appetite).

 I barely gave her her first dose on Friday night, so we'll see how it goes.