A Visit to the Cardiologist

Today was Joshua's cardiologist appointment. The appointment lasted about 2 1/2 hours which was pretty exhausting. Dr. Hess, the cardiologist, was extremely nice and straightforward which I always appreciate. Joshua's ECG, Electrocardiography aka EKG, was normal. The ECG basically interprets the electrical activity of the heart over a short period of time by electrodes placed on the abdomen. He had a 12 lead ECG, meaning they placed 12 leads or electrodes all over his abdomen and chest.

Stickers for me!!

I don't like all these cords...

In addition to the ECG, Joshua had an Echocardiogram, or Echo, which is basically a sonogram of the heart. This is similar to an ultrasound in that it uses sound waves to depict a 2D image of the heart in action. It took the technician about 15 minutes to get images and recordings of his heart on the monitor. Then we had to wait...and wait, for the doctor to read all these tests and determine the significance of this murmur.

Coloring on the paper while we wait...

From the Echo, she said everything looked normal, except for two things that stood out to her. She made it clear that these two things were not abnormal....but different from the usual. Without going into too much detail of the heart, there are 4 basic chambers of the heart as well as veins and arteries that are responsible for transporting blood to and from the heart. A couple of these veins that bring blood into the left atrium of the heart, seem to be in an awkward position, possibly restricting or not allowing easy flow and thus causing the murmur that is heard with the stethoscope. If this is the case, its not a big deal and as long as it doesn't cause any problems with his breathing, blood oxygenation, etc then we go about daily routines without concerns. Currently Joshua has no symptoms of any of these things and his blood oxygenation was 97%...perfect!

For those scholars that want a little more science =)

However....there is a possibility that it is more than this. The Echo has its cons because unfortunately its a 2-dimensional exam that is imaging a 3-dimensional heart. So not everything is seen in the exam. During the exam, like any 16 month old, Joshua was really squirmy which made it more difficult to get good images. Before she could give us a diagnosis, she recommended we repeat this exam while Joshua is sedated. This is the best way to get good still images and more importantly ANSWERS! So this is where we are now, waiting to go back and repeat the exam under sedation. Its an easy outpatient procedure, no IV's just a quick sedation like at the dentist. Hopefully some good answers are soon to follow. Thank you everyone for your prayers and for keeping up with us! Much love from Team Altman.