murmurs

Completely unrelated to spina bifida, Oliver also has some heart anomalies. Yesterday we ventured up to meet with a pediatric cardiologist to do some follow-up work. There were 12 sensors attached to him to gather more specific stats on his heart functions. Just like it is in the scriptures, murmurs are bad things. Fortunately, he did not hear anything concerning enough to do another ultrasound. We won't have to follow-up for a year with them unless he undergoes another surgery.

I am always amazed by these medical specialists. We meet with many, so I have the opportunity to learn a lot about medicine as it pertains to my son. While he was intently listening to my squirmy, chatty son I was reminded of a similar instance during his first admittance into the hospital. He was at a teaching hospital, so the lead doctor had a bunch of underlings all surrounding our son. He was explaining what a murmur would sound like and then listening through the stethoscope. Each student then took turns trying to listen for one. The specialist I talked to yesterday made a joke that all the residents jump at the opportunity to check; it is almost a game.

We have come a long way from that time. I remember having so many things going on that the doctors reassured me that the heart problems would be handled later. So I took that to the extreme and had convinced myself that they weren't an issue at all. Now I realize that it is something that I need to be aware of. Although it may have no affect on his quality of life until he is an adult, it is still another thing that I need to have in my Dr. Mom repertoire. That portfolio is steadily growing.