also known as a pulmonary flow murmur. This is what my (otherwise) perfect baby girl has.
Our trip to the pediatric cardiologist today went well all considering. Unfortunately Arabella has more than an innocent murmur. ASD is when the small holes or shunts in the heart that are naturally present in utero don't close like they are supposed to. Bella has a little hole that has not sealed. The flap of tissue that is suppose to adhere to the other side of the hole is still flapping around letting the oxygenated blood flow out so it gets pumped back into the lungs, even though it's been refreshed with oxygen. This is of course inefficient and causes an extra whoosh sound that is heard as a murmur. Bella's hole is about 6-7 mm which is small to moderate in size.
The good news is that this is a murmur that probably won't cause her any harm. In fact we will hopefully never see any symptoms of the hole at all. In many cases (especially when the flap of tissue is present) the hole closes on it's own in the first few years of life. Even if it doesn't close it won't necessarily cause her any trouble. The worst case scenario is that the hole doesn't close but just gets bigger as her little heart grows and starts to cause an enlargement in a ventricle of her heart; we start to notice that she's short of breath during activity and more tired than other kids. This is when at 3 or 4 years old she would have a non-invasive surgery on her heart to close the hole using a catheter through her vein in her groin. Hopefully it will never come to that.
The really good news is that the cardiologist said this is nothing to be alarmed about. We should treat Arabella just like we treat her sister, no restrictions are needed, and just go on about life. We just get a check-up annually to see where we are and go from there. Since Bella is growing so well now it indicates to us that she will most likely outgrow the hole.
So the news isn't thrilling, there is still an error in my beautiful, perfect, little baby, but we can deal with it.
6 comments:
Arabella is still perfect!! I'm glad I got to talk with you today. I hope you guys enjoy your last days with your family!
May Bella have an extra guardian angel to always hold her until her heart heals. *grin*hug*
Sara,
We are glad to hear that Arabaella's heart murmur shouldn't impact her too much. I do understand the worry, though, it's a mom thing. You are all in our prayers - keep us posted on the reunion with Justin. Love, Donna
Thanks for the update Sara! Sounds like you got complete information from your doctor - which is sometimes a challenge! Great job handling the situation. Love to Bella!
Thank God for two beautiful perfect daughters. I will keep you all in my prayers, thanks for the updates. Enjoy the summer!
Ok, not exactly innocent, but I am going to keep my fingers crossed that she will not have any problems that stem from the murmur. Welcome to the world of cardiology language!!!! Bella is just even more special now.
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