baldguy637
Expert
Seven years ago, I was blessed with a perfect blond haired blue eyed little girl. She's been by my side ever since, no matter what I'm doing, she's on my hip. She was born with a large hole in her heart (Ventricle Septal Defect) but the doctors wanted to just see how she did and go from there.
We made monthly trips to Riley for 2 years, she was surpassing their expectations so we went to biannual visits for a few years, then to 18 month visits. All was great, she's very active in sports and doing great in school. We went to her checkup last month and her cardiologist said she noticed some leakage near the aortic valve. She didn't seem too concerned, told us to schedule her next appointment for 18 months, but said she would consult her partners on the leakage.
Fast forward to today, my wife received a call from her cardiologist asking that we call her. I called and was told that they want to go in and fix the VSD sooner rather than later. They are worried that the vsd is causing the leakage and that if it isn't fixed soon it could lead to aortic valve disease. Her surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday at 6 am, if everything goes well she should be in the hospital for 4-5 days.
My wife is having a real rough time with it, and I'm trying to stay strong for her. But to be honest, I'm scared to death. So please keep her in your prayers and I'll try to keep you updated.
Update 2/20/15
Well, only 4 more days until the surgery. We've talked with her doctors a little more since I made the OP so I figured I would share what we know so far. They are looking at doing the invasive surgery where they'll cut through her sternum and open her up, and the surgery should be between 3-5 hours. She's looking at being on the heart/lung machine for 60-90 minutes, long enough to stop her heart to be able to place a patch over the hole. She starts her pre-op antibiotics tomorrow, and she's getting pretty nervous as well. She just keeps asking over and over again if me and mommy are going to stay with her the whole time.
She's been getting a ton of cards, pajamas, books, ect from friends and family. She also started a journal a few days ago. Her first entry was "I don't want Tuesday to come, I love my heartbeat" I'd be lying if I said I didn't break down when I read it. All in all, she seems to be taking it pretty well and mom and I are dealing with it the best we can. We've had an outpouring of support, but im still almost sick over it. I've been sleeping a little more, still not eating much though. I've lost about 10 pounds in the last week, but that's good lol, I could still lose a bit more.
I'll try to have another update in a day or two, thanks for all the prayers.
We made monthly trips to Riley for 2 years, she was surpassing their expectations so we went to biannual visits for a few years, then to 18 month visits. All was great, she's very active in sports and doing great in school. We went to her checkup last month and her cardiologist said she noticed some leakage near the aortic valve. She didn't seem too concerned, told us to schedule her next appointment for 18 months, but said she would consult her partners on the leakage.
Fast forward to today, my wife received a call from her cardiologist asking that we call her. I called and was told that they want to go in and fix the VSD sooner rather than later. They are worried that the vsd is causing the leakage and that if it isn't fixed soon it could lead to aortic valve disease. Her surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday at 6 am, if everything goes well she should be in the hospital for 4-5 days.
My wife is having a real rough time with it, and I'm trying to stay strong for her. But to be honest, I'm scared to death. So please keep her in your prayers and I'll try to keep you updated.
Update 2/20/15
Well, only 4 more days until the surgery. We've talked with her doctors a little more since I made the OP so I figured I would share what we know so far. They are looking at doing the invasive surgery where they'll cut through her sternum and open her up, and the surgery should be between 3-5 hours. She's looking at being on the heart/lung machine for 60-90 minutes, long enough to stop her heart to be able to place a patch over the hole. She starts her pre-op antibiotics tomorrow, and she's getting pretty nervous as well. She just keeps asking over and over again if me and mommy are going to stay with her the whole time.
She's been getting a ton of cards, pajamas, books, ect from friends and family. She also started a journal a few days ago. Her first entry was "I don't want Tuesday to come, I love my heartbeat" I'd be lying if I said I didn't break down when I read it. All in all, she seems to be taking it pretty well and mom and I are dealing with it the best we can. We've had an outpouring of support, but im still almost sick over it. I've been sleeping a little more, still not eating much though. I've lost about 10 pounds in the last week, but that's good lol, I could still lose a bit more.
I'll try to have another update in a day or two, thanks for all the prayers.
Last edited:
