Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Good Heart (and lungs)

Wow, I never knew going to the cardiologist with Zoe would be tantamount to running a marathon! Zoe did not want anything to do with tests today. EKG, ECHO, pulse ox, you name it, she was not a fan. She smiled at Dr. Stock and let him listen to her heart but everyone else in the office (nurse, echo tech) was an enemy.

Dr. Stock checked Zoe out prior to her ECHO and gave her two thumbs up. During her exam, while listening to her heart, he said, "Wow, she sounds awesome." God, I love hearing that! Zoe's oxygen saturations were 90, blood pressure and EKG good. Zoe weighed in at 6.14 kg or 13.5 pounds; great weight gain.

Then came the ECHO...

Zoe threw a complete fit from the moment I set her on the hospital bed. She screamed and wanted no one touching her chest. We tried everything: Baby Einstien DVD, flashing lights, Baby Orajel, a bottle and binki. I tried singing ABBA's Dancing Queen, which is Zoe's new favorite song, but even that only pacified her for a few moments. Dr. Stock walked into the ultrasound room, half expecting to see her being tortured. Needless to say, Zoe's complete ECHO turned into a limited ECHO. Not what mommy hoped for, but Dr. Stock saw enough ECHO clips that he reported good heart function.

The plan is to keep her off of the Digoxin and Dr. Stock will see her in 6 weeks. At that time, he'd like to perform another ECHO - with a calm Zoe this time.

When we left the appointment, I was slightly disappointed that Zoe did not cooperate. I was hoping for a complete ECHO with no hanging chads. Caleb reassured me that Dr. Stock was pleased with Zoe's function and clinically, she is great.

Caleb wants to relay that he gave today's cardiology visit an A-, whereas mommy gave it a B. Either way, we both agree that today's visit was rewarding (and exhausting.)

8 comments:

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  2. YEAHHHHHH for a healthy functioning heart ... My little one has shown me several times we work around her time, and she will ONLY do it on her time...not mine not the doctors..

    So apparently no one was on Zoe's time today :0) and hey I dont blame her. a girls allowed to have a bad day every now and agin..just happy to hear healthy reviews!!!

    Way to go Zoe..show em who's runing the show hehehe
    xoxoxo

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  3. That is great news! I know all too well the temper tantrums...we go tomorrow and I have a feeling we'll be dealing with the same thing!

    So glad her heart is working great!!

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  4. Wow, Stace, Zoe doesn't mess around, huh? What a silly girl! ;-) You know Sara has had to have Townes sedated for almost every echo since his Glenn. Something about the Glenn anatomy being so stinking high under his neck that he just won't calm down enough for them to get a good echo. Something to maybe consider for Zoes? Bodie doesn't seem to mind his echoes yet, but then again, he's spent quite a bit more time in the hospital than Zoe, so I imagine he still thinks of them as a routine part of life! ;-)

    In any case, so glad to hear that what the doc could see looked good! YAY for those sats, too - go Zoe!!!

    Heart hugs,
    Amy & Bodie

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  5. Great news!!! I feel for you on Miss Zoe's visit behavior. Aly is the SAME way. She hasn't had an echo in a LONG time because she just will not allow it, period. Makes me a little nervous too as I would like the full work up just to be sure. I had to laugh at her new favorite song. That's too funny :)

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  6. I think its great news. Sorry about the echo. Jake never cooperates. Last time it took us 2 hours to get his echo. He screamed bloody murder until we both fell asleep on the table lol. I will tell you to stop worrying that the doc said its fine but I know you better than that hehe. She looks amazing and sounds like she is doing even better.

    Love,
    The Bakers

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  7. It sounds like things are great!! If Dr S. doesn't like the echo, he'll make you stay around for a LONG time until she's calm to get the best pictures. He got what he wanted! :) We won't be there in six weeks, but hopefully we'll run into you guys at one appt along the way!

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  8. It sounds like Zoe's visit went about as well as Logan's typically go. He HATES everyone at our appointments. :( I am REALLY hoping that a ring pop at our next echo will help things to go smoother. He can't have sedated echos because they need accurate pressure readings in his heart. If he is sedated they will be much lower than they actually are. So, we just have to suffer through them.

    So, glad that things looked good though. Can't complain when it is GOOD news. However I know hat you mean. It would've been nice to have had a complete echo.

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