Tuesday 1 October 2013

Hospital Checkup!

Both my girls had open heart surgery just over four years ago to fix holes in their hearts....You can read about it. Part one HERE and Part two HERE and each year we have a trip to the hospital to see the wonderful Dr Kirk for a check up.....Today was the day!!

After nearly two hours of traveling we were there....We checked in at reception and the girls had a quick play in the play room which Ellie had been really looking forward to...She loves that playroom.....

First up was their ECG's (electrocardiogram) which is a test that measures the electrical activity of the heart....Self-adhesive electrodes are attached to various locations around the body...Mainly on the chest, arms and legs....Totally painless and according to Ellie they tickle....

Then their heights and weights were taken.....All were fine!! They both are in line with the expected height and weight.

Back out to the playroom to play some more....

Then onto the Echocardiogram (much like a scan you have in pregnancy but focuses on the heart)

Both Becky and Ellie were brilliant...The woman who scanned them actually remembered us from four years ago lol....It wasn't a normal day for her when we walked in the clinic the first time all those years ago....She got to scan two sisters which rarely happens and me!.....Just because the the doctor we see wanted to see my heart too....For research....lol

The woman scanning the girls pointed everything out and even showed us the exact spot where the holes in the girls hearts used to be and said those lumps and bumps are the stitches.....WOW! In these 4 years she is the first person to actually talk us through what she was seeing!! I have never thought to ask before....lol It is definitely not something you see everyday!! Not everyone gets to see their child's heart in so much detail....I guess we're lucky!!
 

Then we got to see the amazing Dr Richard Kirk!! He is one of the nicest men I've ever met....Put's the girls at ease and me too....He said their hearts are still working fine...As well as expected to be....There has been no change since the last time we saw him....The valves are still leaking but no worse then they were...He said their hearts are nearly identical but Ellie's valve does leak slightly more then Becky's....

They are fit and healthy and we have nothing to worry about.....Phew!!

When he said that it was like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders....I knew they were fine but there's always that slight doubt in the back of my mind something could be wrong.....Seven years Becky went without us knowing about her heart problem and two years for Ellie and we only found out about them by accident when Ellie got her fingers jammed in the door and had to have surgery to straighten one.....It's funny how things work!!

I'm off to pour a large glass of wine!! I think two years with no check up is a reason to celebrate!

16 comments :

  1. That's amazing news. So pleased for you! :)

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  2. Oh wow, your brave girls! Glad all was as fine as can be expected :) x

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  3. I'm glad everything is fine. My little boy has only had minor surgeries and they were quite scary, so I can't imagine how it was for you. I'm so happy for you that everything is ok! :) x

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    1. I think any surgery is scary especially when it's our children...

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  4. It is a reason to celebrate indeed! Happy for you. xx

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  5. Brilliant news. I am glad they are both doing well

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  6. Great news. I hope you enjoyed that glass of wine. :)

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  7. I just read your previous posts as well and I know it must have been immensely difficult to see your girls to go through surgery. But the good thing is you had a good medical team which diagnosed and skilfully fixed the problem. So happy to know that they are doing fine. Hugs to you and your girls!

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  8. What wonderful news for you! There is nothing in the world like hearing everything is ok with your kids :)
    Hope you drank that wine :) You deserve it!

    Got here through #MBPW

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