6 Month Cardiac Echo

In general, no news is good news on this blog.  But today I actually have good news.  Kate had her six month cardiac echo check up.  We got there at 8:45 and left a little after noon.  Typical.  This picture is the cardiac echo in process.  What you can't see is a screen playing Ice Age off to the right. I didn't watch much of the echo  this time.  I glance enough to make out her ventricles and her valves and then I start seeing things that don't exist; valve leaks, areas too large, etc.  So,  I played Kings Around the Corner on my phone.  The tech must have thought I was pretty unconcerned. If he only knew.

They also hook EKG up to Kate and monitor her the entire time.  Good thing for electronics to keep us from reality.  Kate and her movie,  me and my iPhone.  We did have books as well, by the way.  Never leave home without one.  Or two.

After the echo we waited yet again in the cardiac waiting area.  So loud, kids,  a movie playing.  I told the reception gal that if she calls for me, and I don't respond,  it's because I'm partly deaf.  She laughed and said, "Yeah, it's really loud out there."  I must have given her a weird look because she then said, "Oh, you're serious."  Well, yeah, I'm serious.  Who tells people they are deaf and not mean it?  I would have said it's stinking loud in here and I can't hear a thing,  if I were trying to make that point.  Slight rant from the deafy here.  Sometimes I wish I were wearing a sign that announced my hearing state.  Double edged sword,  people can't tell,  which can be nice.  Pain in the butt because people can't tell and think I'm ignoring them or just plain stupid.  I'm a little stupid,  but still :)

We were finally shown to a room and then had no less than four interns come in and ask us questions,  taking the history, etc.  Dr. Grossfeld finally showed up.  At this point I was pretty anxious and just wanted to hear that nothing had changed and we were cool.  But, being the nice Dr. he is,  we exchanged the pleasantries first. Here's the good news,  everything looks great.  Well, not great, but no worse than it was six months ago.  We are staying on the beta blocker and continuing with decreased activity level.  Same as before.  Huge relief.

Kate also saw a physical therapist on Tuesday and was given some exercises to strengthen her muscles.  She still walks with a little twist in her gait and still walks up and down the stairs walking sideways.  Most of her issues,  they think,  are because her muscles are weak.  Exercises should help.  Checking with insurance about getting more treatments with the physical therapist. 

As a final note,  I finished my RN Refresher course at UCSD and start working on my classes for Health Informatics next week.  They tell me I need a math class!!  Rotten news for math illiterate people like me.  Wish me luck, heaven knows I will need it.

Good News, Finally.

I know, I know, I haven't posted in forever.  So here's the latest.  Kate started going back to school about 2 weeks ago.  She is still on her walker, until tomorrow supposedly, but she still has an interesting gait going on.  She is supposed to be having physical therapy, or at least a consult, and I'm still getting through all the authorizations, etc.

Kate was very nervous to go back to school.  She said she just wanted to stay at home the rest of the year.  That first morning she told me she was afraid that everyone had forgotten about her.  We pulled into the school lot and I got her walker out, we weren't 10 steps before we hear someone across the street start yelling her name!  Next thing you know a bunch of kids are yelling, "Kate's back, Kate's back."  She had a grin, ear to ear.  She is just dandy going back to school now.  I will admit,  I was so used to her being glued to my side,  the first couple of days were strange for me.

Kate had her follow up x-ray to check her scoliosis and spondy in her back.  I took her the Rady Children's and we were dressed and ready for x-ray when the tech was like she's here for her hip x-ray, right?  Um, no this is for her back.  Well, the order said hip.  I said, well the order is wrong, please go check it.  Needless to say, they had Kate on the table ready for hip film and I made them wait to get the right order called down. Sure enough,  Mom was right.  I went from being that annoying mother who won't let us just do our job,  to thank goodness you are keeping track of these things.  Whatever.  Got the films done and while we were waiting to talk to Dr. Newton about the results,  the nurse came in and apologized for putting in the wrong film request.  It was fine,  but parents need to be patient advocates and not always rely on medical staff.  Ok, off my soap box.   The good news is that her scoliosis and spondy have remained stable.  We go back again in a year.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  So happy to have good news.

We go back to cardiology on May 30th for another cardiac echo and check to see if her aorta has changed.  That's the new prayer, the heart.  We will schedule eye surgery for early fall.

This picture is of Kate and her "boyfriend" Ethan.  They have been in the same classes since kindergarten.  He sent her cards while she was out that said, "you are my best friend."  This was taken at his house last Saturday.  He is moving to AZ for two years for his mother to go to school.  Everyone at the elementary, teachers,  have talked to me about how sad it is to break them up.  He is tall like Kate, so she loves that.  It was the sweetest thing when we showed up at his house.  It was an open house, drop by thing for the mom to say good-bye to everyone.  Ethan had been swimming with three or four other boys when we arrived.  He ran up to Kate and said, "I have been waiting for you to get here all day."  And then he promptly told all the other boys that he wasn't' playing with them anymore and he took Kate and off they went to make a lizard trap in the backyard.  The funny thing was when we walked out back to all the adults,  Ethan's mother introduced me as her future in-law and Kate as Ethan's girlfriend.  They decided they would Skype and write to each for the next two years.  So sweet.

I think that covers it for now.  I am having way too much homework for my nursing refresher course.  I am using Kate as my final project so I have been doing her history and physical and doing research on all her physical issues.  It's good to be informed I guess,  even if I don't like what I am reading.  Since I cannot hear well,  I am going to go back to school for Health Informatics.  With this and my RN,  I should be able to find a fun job.  I hope.  I start in June.  Yay!